Board of County Commissioners watching closely to see outcome of state audit into CMS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chair of Mecklenburg County Commissioners Mark Jerrell says commissioners are watching closely as Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools are under a microscope of the state audit into finances and the SBI investigating potential criminal violations.
“A stable, district is important to us as well. We all have a stake in this, no matter, uh, what entity that we represent,” Commissioner Mark Jerrell, Chair of Mecklenburg County Commissioners said.
The Board of Education fired Superintendent Crystal Hill one week after she emailed the board a 200 page document detailing concerns about contracts and conflicts of interest.
In an email moments before she was fired, Dr. Hill warned the county manager that the money she’d been questioning in her memo came from the county. The county funds $730 million dollars of the $2.1 billion dollar CMS budget.
“As the manager or superintendent have their natural tag up, they exchange what the boards need, what they want, what questions are out there. That was one of the questions. And, um, uh, apparently Dr. Hill answered that question, uh, prior to the decision that was made by the board, ” Commissioner Mark Jerrell, Chair, Mecklenburg County Commissioners,
In a report about the superintendent investigation, CMS Counsel says no local or state funds were used in that investigation. Chair Jerrell says leaders will take a closer look at exactly how the funding was used.
“How much oversight does the board of county commissioners have on the board of Education?,” WCCB Charlotte’s Kaci Jones asked Chair Jerrell.
“Well, I think it’s important to point out we’re not their boss. Certainly, we have the power of the purse. I think there is leverage there, but I think it’s more important for us not to play political games,” Chair Jerrell said. “It’s really to make sure that we’re maintaining a partnership and strengthening relationships.”
The district typically presents its annual budget request to the county in May before the commissioners’ vote on the full county budget in June. Chair Jerrell says he’d like to get both boards together ahead of that request for a transparent conversation about expectations and partnerships.
“What can you say to people who are looking at you as one of the leaders that maybe has some power to make sure that money is spent properly?,” Kaci asked Chair Jerrell.
“That’s one of our number one responsibilities. I mean if you think about you know, our fiduciary responsibility to our constituents is vitally important to Board of County Commissioners, Mecklenburg County, and the residents. Um, I would say it’s important to our CMS colleagues as well,” Chair Jerrell said. “When we have these issues and we’re tackling these challenges, I mean, it’s important to be transparent. It’s important to provide the information that the public deserves to know.”
Chair Jerrell says the Board of County Commissioners should have more insight on how the CMS funding was spent and how much was spent fairly soon.
