State auditor finds former Nash school superintendent spent $45K in 'questionable expenses'

A report from the North Carolina State Auditor's Office found that a former Nash County Public Schools' superintendent misused more than $45,000 through the school system during his tenure.

The report noted former superintendent, Shelton Jefferies, violated his contract and multiple policies and procedures related to his school system procurement card and system-authorized vehicle. The violations resulted in $45,690 in improper and questionable expenses.

The audit shows Jefferies:

• Improperly spent $22,045 using the credit card issued to him by the district. He didn't have itemized receipts for 80% of his purchases with the card.
• Submitted $19,362 in unauthorized travel expenses
• Charged $3,015 for gas driving his school-issued vehicle while he was in the Charlotte area, where his family lived. He was not supposed to leave the school district in the vehicle, the report finds.

Jefferies already earned a yearly salary of more than $172,000. He served as superintendent from Jan. 4, 2016, to Aug. 2, 2019, when he resigned.

Some parents in the district said that the alleged abuse doesn't come as a shock to them.

"Sadly, I was not surprised," said Cindy Puckett, a parent in Nash County. "He has no one to blame but himself. It was an abuse of power."

The state auditor noted there was a lack of oversight in the district. The former school board chairs and the CFO did not review his spending until it was too late.

This investigation into Jefferies spending has been ongoing since 2019, when the Nash County Board of Education learned that school system credit cards and district vehicles had been used for unauthorized purposes. A few months after the investigation began, he resigned.

District leaders have revoked the superintendent's access to funds and vehicles as a result of Jefferies' actions. The total number of procurement cards in use within the school system was reduced from 20 to five following the allegations against Jefferies.

Officials say they plan to get back the money back from Jefferies. If the board does not get the payment within 60 days, members will forward the matter to the district attorney for review.

Puckett said that the state auditor's findings "validated" what everyone had been suspicious of in the community.

The school board said in a statement that he takes the allegations against Jefferies seriously and has fully cooperated with the state auditor's report.