LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Fayette County Schools is moving forward with multiple external audits to investigate how the district found itself facing a $16 million budget shortfall, even as the working budget may receive approval.
The school board's audit committee held a special virtual meeting on Monday to discuss coordination of the investigation process. The committee aims to establish clear communication lines with reviewing parties to prevent overlap in their investigations.
"I think if this committee can have a clear accounting or enumeration of any pending investigations, reviews, audits that are ongoing, and if there's engagement letters that clearly define the scope and objectives of those engagements, I think that would be really helpful to understand the scale and scope of what is either already been started or you know planning to be started," Christopher Mottet said.
Mottet serves as a committee member.
Last week, the board voted unanimously in favor of the external audit. The audit committee consists of community members who are finance, accounting and auditing professionals.
Board Chair Tyler Murphy released a statement addressing the situation.
"We are committed to a thorough and fair process and any and all independent, external reviews that will equip us with the information we need to move forward to support our students and serve our community," Murphy said. "We will respect the independence of those processes and avoid reaching any conclusions until they are complete."
