Jeff Davis of Education Consulting Team LLC, was on hand at Monday’s meeting of the Hancock County Board of Education, presenting details on his review of the school district’s finances. (Photo by Craig Howell)

NEW CUMBERLAND – While noting there is still much work to be done, consultants and state officials were able to provide some answers Monday to how Hancock County Schools found itself in debt of more than $10 million.

During the county board of education meeting at the John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center, the first since the district was taken over by the West Virginia Board of Education, board members, employees and residents heard from Jeff Davis of Education Consulting Team LLC and Uriah Cummings, school financial operations officer for the Department of Education, about their efforts to review the district’s finances over the last four months.

“I know everyone in Hancock County has been waiting,” Davis said.

Davis and Cummings providing a general review of the district’s finances, focusing primarily on the differences between the Fiscal Year 2024 and Fiscal Year 2025, explaining much of the issue appears to have happened within the last year.

It was noted factors contributing to a decrease in the county’s fund balance – in itself a loss of approximately $7.7 million – could be attributed to the loss of COVID-related funding of $3.6 million used to support personnel salaries and benefits, which then had to be supported by the general fund, an increase in benefit costs of $975,634 which also was associated with increases in PEIA, a yearly debt service of $510,000 for the lease associated with the turf and lighting project at Oak Glen High, increases in costs by $465,000 per year in food service, a $1.1 million overrun on the physical education expansion project at Weir High, an additional $266,000 beyond state funding to purchase school buses, $584,311 on textbooks, and more than $357,000 on out-of-state placement payments for charter schools.

“These are some of the items, the major items, that caused the decline,” Davis said of the effects to the district’s fund balance.

He also indicated a late drawdown of funds from the state for the Oak Glen Middle pyrite remediation project led to the issues of the district not being able to meet its payroll in September.

Cummings reiterated many of his previous comments – made during the Dec. 1 school board meeting as well as during recent meetings in Charleston – that while Hancock County Schools had been under a “needs assistance” basis for the past few years, that primarily was due to late or incomplete reports.

“They were just not turning in information to us or meeting deadlines,” Cummings said, noting the first major red flag was when he was contacted in September about the district not being able to meet payroll – an obstacle addressed by transferring funds from the budget of the Rockefeller Center to the General Fund.

He warned, though, there will be big decisions concerning staffing as part of the efforts to address the funding issues, as officials have reported Hancock County Schools currently has approximately 140 employees beyond its state formula allocation. Some of those positions are supported through the county’s excess levy.

“There will be significant action that will have to be taken, as far as personnel, in the next couple of months,” Cummings said.

Cummings also announced the contract with the district’s outside auditing firm has been canceled, and, going forward, budgets will be audited by the West Virginia Auditor’s Office.

Davis said the focus is on ensuring the youth of the county receive the education they deserve, and to make sure those employed by the district receive their pay and benefits. He indicated there is hope, noting a good tax base and strong voter support – which he encouraged to continue – for the excess levies.

“We will right this wrong. We will right this ship,” Davis said. “It’s going to be a rough go to get past this.”

chowell@weirtondailytimes.com