Mississippi taps adviser to oversee funds in poor district Follow Us
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By LEAH WILLINGHAM - Associated Press - Tuesday, April 20, 2021
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The state of Mississippi is stepping in to oversee finances in a school district in one of the nation’s poorest counties, which has been adjusting in recent years to consolidation.
The Holmes County Consolidated School District’s spending will be managed by Mississippi Department of Education Chief Operations Officer Felicia Gavin until another state-appointed adviser takes over, Mississippi Department of Education spokeswoman Patrice Guilfoyle said.
The decision was made after an audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, found the district was unable to provide receipts for some expenditures and did not have a clear system for documenting spending and payments.
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Holmes County Central High School Credit: Jackie Mader, The Hechinger Report
The state auditor’s office earlier this month uncovered extensive misspending and poor financial management and record keeping in the Holmes County Consolidated School District.
The audit of the district revealed 25 total findings, including that taxpayers footed the bill for a “B.Y.O.B., adults only” party that cost $4,200, and that the former superintendent was paid $170,000 annually even though minutes from the board meeting the board approved a salary of $160,000.
The report also said the district paid $14,000 to businesses owned by relatives of James Henderson, the superintendent at the time, and that the relationships were not disclosed to the board.