Upshur County’s school district is inching its way back to compliance — a year after the state took over its operations following complaints that the district mismanaged federal COVID monies.
During the height of the pandemic, the district had received $16 million in federal funds, which were solely earmarked for expenses related to same.
However, audits in late December 2022 showed the district dipping in the coffers for non-COVID expenditures.
Upshur Schools, those audits revealed, had spent by then around $150,000 of those dollars for staff retreats and outings at restaurants.
With additional audits ongoing, the state Department of Education seized control of the district and declared a state of emergency.
A newly hired superintendent was ousted and Steve Wotring, who had recently retired as the head of Preston County Schools, was enlisted to lead Upshur’s district for the interim.
The resignation of then-State Schools Superintendent David Roach also rattled down as a result, after a June 2023 meeting with the West Virginia Board of Education.
State BOE members questioned Roach for waiting months to disclose the discrepancies.
The board also wanted to know why one of his deputy superintendents — Upshur’s superintendent at the time of the alleged misspending, in fact — was allowed to sit in on the discussions after he launched an in-house review.
Meanwhile, the board during its July meeting Monday in Charleston heard an update of Upshur’s progress over the past several months.
All the audits for the district, both in terms of cash expenditures and classroom benchmarks, have been completed, board members learned — and more than $800,000 in state and federal funds that were misused have since been repaid.
Oversight of special education programs are ongoing and policies for overtime pay among teachers and staffers are in the process of being reviewed and corrected.
In other business, the board elected Bridgeport resident Nancy White for a two-year term of president after fellow member Paul Hardesty completed his run.
White, who logged nearly 40 years as a treasurer for school districts in Taylor, Lewis, Jefferson and Morgan counties, is a Grafton native.
“We have worked earnestly to represent our education community and the critical work that occurs every day at the hands of our educators and administrators,” she said.
“It is a privilege to continue to serve my state because the work ahead of us is so very important.”
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