LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Fayette County School Board unanimously voted to authorize a second external audit during a special meeting on Tuesday, as the district faces a $16 million budget shortfall with just two weeks remaining until the state deadline for budget approval.
The board convened the session with transparency as its primary goal, focusing on the next steps for an external audit rather than addressing the looming September 30 deadline.
"This is a special called meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education to figure out where we can improve, to provide transparency," said Board Chair Tyler Murphy.
"We want to be efficient with taxpayer dollars," Murphy added.
The board voted to involve its audit committee, which consists of 12 to 15 financial experts tasked with creating a Request for Proposal document that calls for an outside company to review whether the district is using its budget properly.
"This is their wheelhouse," said Vice Chair Amy Green.
This marks the second external audit Fayette County Schools will undergo this year. Board members emphasized they want to ensure the same topics from previous investigations aren't revisited.
"Ensuring there's no duplication and we are prudent and efficient with the use of taxpayers money," Green said.
Community members who attended the meeting expressed support for the audit process.
"I think the public needs to see that there's been an external forensic audit so that they can trust that that's the case and so that they can trust that sending their kids here is the right thing to do," attendee Noah Cornett said.
However, concerns about the financial cost of the audit were raised during the meeting.
"Are we looking at a window or ceiling as far as price? This could be a nice price tag and it can be months," said Board Member Penny Christian.
Murphy said the district has money set aside for "board priorities," and this audit qualifies as one of those matters.
While attendees viewed the audit authorization as a step in the right direction, questions about the district's financial management persist.
"I think the public is very justified in wondering where that money went," concluded Cornett.
