CHARLOTTE — More questions are arising about the handling of contracts within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. This time, it’s money that’s supposed to help exceptional children.
Channel 9’s Evan Donovan has been working on this story since the CMS superintendent was fired last week after an investigation over contracts.
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There were questions at that same school board meeting over a million-dollar contract for the care of children with disabilities, or exceptional children.
“I think it opens the door to a bigger question with CMS as a whole,” Sabrina Berry said.
Berry has a daughter in the exceptional children program at a Charlotte-Mecklenburg school.
She was upset to hear that school contracts were at the center of the chaos between the superintendent and the school board chair.
“Because we’re looking at one group of contracts and money and misuse, but there’s a whole other set of contracts out there with the Exceptional Children’s Department. And we know that the EC funding comes from the federal government. I just think someone needs to look deeper into what’s going on with where that money is going and who has those relationships,” Berry said.
Berry’s ears perked up when board member Charlitta Hatch questioned a recent million-dollar budget amendment involving the EC department.
“I was just trying to get some clarity on kind of what that is,” Hatch said.
“Yes, so we’ve had some noncompliance issues with our EC department over the last year,” CMS Chief Financial Officer Kelly Kluttz said.
Kluttz said two months after the budget was fully spent, the district got invoices they weren’t aware of.
“There was no [purchase order]. There was no contract. So we processed it with the compliance document that we have escalated to the chief and then the superintendent,” Kluttz said.
Channel 9 is asking CMS exactly what the contract is for, whether it was paid and to whom.
Berry says she and fellow EC parents feel like their concerns were already going unheard and now wonders how much attention they’ll get.
“When leadership at the very top is in turmoil, we have to ask what is happening all the way down to the school level, and most importantly, what is happening to our children,” Berry said.
The CFO said the now-former superintendent was not able to address this issue with the employee involved because the superintendent was suspended at the time.
She has since been fired, and it’s loose ends like this that parents say they are worried about.
See Channel 9’s previous coverage below:
- School board votes to terminate CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill
- Former CMS board member says investigation vindicates contract concerns
- District Attorney asking SBI to investigate financial irregularities involving CMS
- Board members push back on CMS superintendent memo allegations
- Superintendent Crystal Hill breaks silence after $400,000 investigation
- CMS school board to vote whether to release parts of superintendent’s investigation
- Questions remain after investigation into CMS superintendent