Something does not add up in Hancock County with regards the school system’s bleak financial picture. There are still questions swirling about how the county school district ended up in such a perilous financial situation that there was legitimate concern the county may not make the January payroll. Those questions lead to even more questions about who knew what and when they knew it.
On January 16th, the West Virginia Board of Education voted unanimously to seize control of Hancock County Schools and fire the superintendent and assistant superintendent. State School Board President Paul Hardesty did not mince words, chastising county officials for having 140 employees in excess of the school aid formula. Hardesty called it “inexcusable.”
There has not been a reduction in force in Hancock County in 10 years.
As it turns out, that was only part of the financial troubles facing the county. Hancock County’s troubles include a $5 million cash shortfall, a $2 million high school overspend, and a $1 million turf project with dollars from the county board’s general fund.
State Superintendent Michelle Blatt stated during an appearance on Metronews Talkline that required information was not being submitted to the state’s West Virginia Education Information System. Former Superintendent Dan Enich claimed the system had not been fully utilized in 15 years.
The Hancock County School Board fired Chief Financial Officer Joseph Campinelli in November. The state school board assumed control of the district in January, terminating the contracts of Superintendent Dan Enich and Assistant Superintendent Dave Smith.
The state appointed Walter Saunders as the new superintendent. While Saunders must now forge a new path forward for the cash-strapped school system, questions regarding how it arrived at this juncture and why so many apparent red flags were missed still need to be answered.
Hancock County Schools had been categorized as “needs assistance” by the state for three years before the revelation that the school system was broke. According to Uriah Cummings, with the WV Department of Education, Hancock County received regular correspondence through email to provide detailed budget data, but those emails were ignored.
But if the state Department of Education was at least aware of possible financial troubles, how did it miss that Hancock County was not complying with WVEIS requirements? If, as Enich claimed in a public meeting back in December, the system has not been utilized to its fullest potential in over 15 years, did no one else see the obvious red flag?
How were current construction projects allowed to run over-budget, and new projects approved with a looming financial disaster on the horizon?
It would be easy to place blame for the failure of Hancock County Schools on a single person or board. However, there seems to be much more to the story than just gross negligence by one party. There was a breakdown in the checks and balances within the county school administration, the county board of education, and the state department of education to ensure that taxpayer dollars were being spent responsibly.
The more we learn about how Hancock County Schools ended up in such dire straits, the more culpability there is to spread around.