Charleston , Kanawha County , West Virginia

An audit says the state of West Virginia can do better to educate your child and the study finds that work needs to start at the top.

Eyewitness News Anchor Kallie Cart has been watching your tax dollars and will have more for an upcoming Waste Watch segment Thursday night.

“The audit found ways to save taxpayers $115 million in five years,” Cart said. “But this is what stood out to us - a fourth of that, coming from salaries within the West Virginia Department of Education.”

“The state ranks second only behind Alaska when it comes to the number of administrative staff in the state Department of Education compared to students,” Cart said. “The state spends more than 21 million on salaries for staff members each year, and that doesn’t include anyone within actual schools no teachers, no principals and no one on the county level.”

West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Jim Phares discussed the problem with Cart.

“We have to change the culture of the West Virginia Department of Education,” Phares said. “It has been a bureaucracy and one that talks about “shalls” and “shall nots,” with gates that some systems can move through and some cannot. We have to change that mindset here at the department.”

Thursday at 10 and 11, Eyewitness News will compare West Virginia to surrounding states, show shocking numbers and also tell you what the new superintendent plans to do about it.

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