Kudos to Wake County Commissioner Tony Gurley for calling out the Wake County school board, via the board’s chief business officer, for trying to make it appear to commissioners that the school system has less money in reserve than it really does. The accounting maneuver was called out by Gurley and other board members. At issue is the reserve fund. Wake schools had $32.1 million at the end of the fiscal year — about $13 million more than its own policy requires, meaning there is a surplus that belongs to Wake County taxpayers. But here’s what the board did to make it appear they have much lower percentage in reserve – an obvious but clumsy effort to try to keep the money rather than return it to the people who earned it.
Republican commissioners grilled Neter over the accounting, with Gurley being the most critical, saying the board had violated its own policy and then tried to obfuscate it.
“You’ve changed a number to make it look like you’re under your balance,” Gurley said.
“I’ve not altered any numbers,” Neter countered.
“I think you’re trying to mislead us,” Gurley said.
“I apologize if you feel you’re being misled,” Neter said.
