Gates County commissioners ask State Auditor to review school board finances after daycare funding dispute

Gates County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to ask the North Carolina State Auditor to review the Gates County Board of Education's financial operations after receiving a hand-delivered letter saying New Beginnings day care will close on Dec. 31, 2025.

Chair Emily Truman read the letter from Sally J. Ryan, chair of the Gates County Board of Education, which stated that on Nov. 10 the school board had voted to accept $50,000 to keep New Beginnings open but that subsequent action by the commissioners altered the offer. The school board's letter, read aloud to the commissioners, said the board later "respectfully decline[d] the new offer of funding with the required match" and that "the New Beginnings day care will close with the last day of operation being Wednesday, 12/31/2025."

Commissioner Dave Forsyth criticized the school board's responsiveness and fiscal management during discussion, saying the county had been "stonewalled" on routine requests for information and citing a recent audit and a cost-savings study. Forsyth moved that the board request the State Auditor examine the school board's finances; the motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous show-of-hands vote. "It's time for us to ask the state auditor to come and audit our school board's finances," Forsyth said during debate.

County Attorney Pitt Godwin told the board legal review indicated the county could request such an audit. "So we're good to go," he said after reviewing the relevant statute. The board directed County Manager Scott Sauer to prepare draft language for a letter to the State Auditor; commissioners discussed a timeline that would allow the board to review the draft and approve it at either a special meeting or the next regular meeting.

Board members stressed the request was an oversight step, not an indictment, and several said an independent audit could clarify whether prior concerns about spending and transparency were founded. No further county funding decision for New Beginnings was recorded at the meeting; the school board's letter said the board concluded it could not sustain the program and would continue seeking private partners or funding.

Next steps: the county manager will draft the letter for board review and the board will consider formal approval at an upcoming meeting; the State Auditor's office will determine the scope and timing of any audit if it accepts the request.