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Audit: Knox County Schools compensation study largely implemented but audit finds errors and documentation gaps
Summary
An internal audit found Evergreen Solutions’ compensation recommendations were generally implemented for teachers but identified seven implementation errors among non‑certified staff and inconsistent personnel-action documentation; auditors recommended corrections, back pay where appropriate and a reopening of employee inquiries.
Shelby Davis, staff author with Knox County Internal Audit, told the Audit Committee on Oct. 20 that the office reviewed the 2024 Knox County Schools compensation study and tested a judgmental sample of 97 employees to confirm implementation. "Knox County Schools has over 60,000 students enrolled and over 9,000 staff employed at 91 different schools," Davis said, describing the scope.
The audit assessed whether Evergreen Solutions LLC had been procured properly, whether the study’s recommendations were implemented, and whether pay changes were documented. Auditors found procurement and vendor competence acceptable and concluded certified employees’ changes were largely implemented as expected. For the non‑certified group, however, auditors found 7 implementation errors in the 87 non‑certified employees selected for testing and noted widespread documentation gaps: of 97 people tested, 63 lacked personnel‑action forms and only 11 had formal documentation.
Auditors identified three root causes for incorrect adjustments: missing recorded years of outside experience, missed supplements from prior pay, and employees placed on the wrong pay grade. The report recommends correcting the seven incorrect adjustments, issuing back pay where necessary, and reopening the employee inquiry process to allow more staff to request review. Knox County Schools concurred with the recommendations and is implementing them.
Asked about timing, Jennifer Himelgaard of Knox County Schools said the district kept the inquiry open 30 days, received roughly 100 substantive responses from about 900 employees reached, and estimated roughly 70 cases requiring further review. "So I would say in the next 60 to 90 days," Himelgaard said when asked how long corrective work would take. Auditors also flagged retirement‑contribution implications for employees who were underpaid in prior periods; Jennifer Schroeder, the county retirement director, will work with schools and the record keeper USI to determine missed contributions and make any necessary corrections.
What happens next: Knox County Schools has agreed to implement the audit’s two primary recommendations — fix incorrect adjustments and create a second window for employee inquiries — and auditors said they will follow up with management. The internal audit team plans to present related school‑system audits to the school board in January and return to the Audit Committee afterward.
The committee accepted the report; no formal vote was required on the audit itself.
