Audit finds no issues; board hears budget impact and questions on resignations
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Summary
Committee reported the district is about 100 ADM students down — a projection that could reduce next year’s budget by roughly $1 million — while an external audit presented to the finance committee returned no findings; board members pressed for more detail after personnel reports showed 21 resignations.
The Cleveland County Board of Education’s finance and personnel discussion on Jan. 7 focused on enrollment-driven budget pressure, a clean external audit, and concerns about staff resignations.
Rob McDaniel told the finance and personnel committee the district’s average daily membership is down by about 100 students this year, a decline the district estimates will reduce next year’s funding by about $1,000,000. Committee members discussed the enrollment picture and how the absent state budget compounds uncertainty for planning.
An external auditor, identified in the committee report as Vince Quinn from Anderson Smith & White PLLC, presented the recently completed audit. The committee record states "The audit was excellent with no findings or recommendations." The committee chair, Aaron Bridges, and other members commended the finance staff for the audit outcome.
During the personnel report, board members noted 21 resignations listed in the personnel documents and asked whether the district is thoroughly investigating the reasons employees left. One board member asked whether resignations were retirements, performance-related, or due to dissatisfaction; committee members said the committee had discussed separations and that a chart and supporting information were available and could be provided.
Board members also reviewed pay-related items: staff reminded the meeting that the state bonus supplements will be paid to teachers in January and discussed planned teacher performance bonuses ($295,480 total to be paid to 111 eligible teachers in January 2026 checks). The board approved the personnel report in a vote the chair announced as 7 to 1.
Board members encouraged colleagues to call committee chairs with questions and noted that committee minutes and materials are available; some board members said they wanted fuller transparency from committees earlier in the process so that all members could see committee deliberations in advance of full-board meetings.