Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools discuss state audit and new financial transparency dashboard State Audit Report and a transparency dashboard: Get the Facts on the latest with the WSFCS financial crisis

OF YOUR FORECAST COMING UP IN JUST A LITTLE BIT. CHRISTINE. ALL RIGHT DAVE. THANK YOU. WE CONTINUE TO GET THE FACTS ON THE BUDGET CRISIS IMPACTING WINSTON-SALEM FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS. WE NOW KNOW THIS WEEK, DISTRICT LEADERS MET WITH THE STATE AUDITOR’S OFFICE. OUR ERIN BURNETT JOINS US LIVE IN STUDIO TONIGHT TO BREAK DOWN WHAT WE LEARNED IN A LETTER THAT WAS JUST MADE PUBLIC. ERIN, WHAT’S IN IT? WELL, WE ALERTED YOU THE MOMENT WE LEARNED THAT THE STATE AUDITOR’S OFFICE WAS INVESTIGATING THE DISTRICT JUST LAST MONTH, AND NOW WE’VE OBTAINED A NEW LETTER SENT JUST YESTERDAY FROM THE DISTRICT TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. IN THIS LETTER, YOU CAN SEE HERE ON YOUR SCREEN, THE DISTRICT CONFIRMS THAT KEY MEMBERS OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, ALONG WITH INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT KATHY MOORE, MET DIRECTLY WITH THE STATE AUDITOR’S OFFICE. AT THE CENTER OF THAT CONVERSATION. THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE ONGOING INVESTIGATIVE AUDIT, THE DISTRICT SAYS THE AUDITOR’S OFFICE IS USING DATA THEY’VE GIVEN THEM TO CREATE A REPORT THAT WILL INCLUDE CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO THE DISTRICT’S PRACTICES, PROCEDURES AND OVERSIGHT. THE DISTRICT SAYS IT’S WORKING WITH THE AUDITOR’S OFFICE TO CREATE A PUBLICLY VIEWABLE DASHBOARD, AND THIS WOULD BE A PILOT PROJECT USING WINSTON-SALEM FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS DATA, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO EVOLVE INTO A STATEWIDE MODEL FOR TRANSPARENCY. YOU MAY REMEMBER RETIRING SUPERINTENDENT TRICIA MCMANUS FIRST HINTED AT THIS IDEA DURING LAST MONTH’S SCHOOL BOARD MEETING. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE DISTRICT AND THE STATE AUDITOR’S OFFICE TO ASK WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION THE PUBLIC WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE ON THIS DASHBOARD, BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK. ERIN, DO YOU HAVE ANY UPDATE ON THE DISTRICT’S FINANCES AT THIS POINT? YEAH, WE’RE TOLD THAT INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT KATHY MOORE WILL HAVE AN UPDATE AT TUESDAY’S BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING, AND I DID REACH OUT TO SEE IF THIS YEAR’S DEFICIT IS STILL $42 MILLION. AND WE’RE WAITING FOR AN UPDATE ON THAT NUMBER. NOW THE DISTRICT SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE TO PAY DOWN ITS DEBTS IN THE MEANTIME. IN THE STUDIO I’M ERIN BURNETT, WXII 12 NEWS. ALL RIGHT, ERIN, THANKS SO MUCH. RIGHT NOW ON WXII 12.COM, YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THE IRS IS NOW INVOLVED AND THE REQUEST MADE BY THE DISTRICT. THERE YOU CAN ALSO SEE HOW DISTRICT LEADERS ADDRESSED A