LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A day that started with promises of transparency ended with more questions for Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood.
Tuesday afternoon, Yearwood announced the district is facing a $188 million deficit and said he intended to hire a company to conduct an audit of JCPS finances.
“We will build that faith back by having a balanced budget, by having forums and answering questions and being fully transparent going forward,” Yearwood said during a press conference.
Officials are now planning to cut $132 million from the next budget
He told reporters a specific firm had already been selected to carry out the work, saying the company was reputable, experienced and could provide information quickly.
But when the Jefferson County Board of Education met Tuesday evening, Yearwood abruptly withdrew his recommendation and instead called for an RFP — a request for proposals — allowing multiple companies to submit bids for the job.
“The RFP is the best process to make that happen,” he said during the meeting.
The reversal left unanswered questions: Why did Yearwood shift from a quick hire to a competitive bidding process? Was it a matter of cost, time or the scope of the audit?
WDRB attempted to ask those questions after the meeting, but Yearwood left without speaking to reporters. District leaders later said questions could be submitted by email.
Less than an hour before WDRB's 10 p.m. newscast, JCPS provided some answers, which are in bold below.
QUESTION: Why put out an RFP?
It allows for the District to see bids from multiple potential vendors to ensure we select the vendor who best meets our District’s needs.
Q: Was it the size of the audit ? The scope of the audit?
While the size and scope could change slightly, it will generally be the same as presented:
Assist the District with compiling and summarizing certain financial information and budget information in a format similar to the audited financial statements. Specifically, June 30, 2024 and 2025 audited financial information, the budget for the year ending June 30, 2026, and the current projections for June 30, 2026. When compiling the current projections for June 30, 2026, it will be the current projections as of September 30, 2025 and we will consider all actual and known information through that date.
Assist the District with summarizing key, significant assumptions utilized in compiling the projections for June 30, 2026.
Assist the District with determining and documenting explanations for significant variances between the actual results for previous years, the budget for 2026, and the projections for 2026.
Provide the District with a report that includes a summary of the actual financial results for June 30, 2024 and 2025, final approved budget for June 30, 2026, and projected information for June 2026 along with a summary of key assumptions for the projections and explanations for significant variances between budget and projections.
Q: Why the change of mind?
We have to make sure we get this right and Dr. Yearwood determined a competitive bid process is the best way to go.
Q: This afternoon he (Yearwood) said " we don't have a lot of time" will the RFP slow down the process?
An RFP process takes longer to get started.
Q: Did Yearwood know about the deficit when he accepted the position?
As Dr. Yearwood has said, he knew there was a budget deficit but did not know it was $188 million.
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