Note: This is the first part of a series of investigative reports on Cape Fear Community College. Stay tuned for additional installments throughout the
week, and a special edition of The Newsroom on Friday.

According to records provided by the state, and interviews with former CFCC staff, it appears the college is improperly using state money to pay employees through the end of their contracts - even though they had been let go and removed from campus weeks earlier. This is effectively a contract buyout, which colleges aren’t allowed to fund with state money.

The state’s regulation on contract buyout states that the Board of Trustees “shall not use state funds to buy out contracts, unless required by a court of competent jurisdiction. The parties entering into a contract are responsible for implementing the contract. Therefore, should it become necessary to terminate employment prior to the expiration of the contract and if it is necessary to buy out the contract, such payment shall not be paid from state funds.”

Contract buyouts

In May 2022, Cape Fear Community College decided not to renew the contracts of their full-time equivalence (FTE) Compliance Director Nina Taylor and FTE Compliance Technician Bonnie McGlauflin.

Both McGlauflin and Taylor have confirmed to WHQR that their contracts ran until June 30, but their last day of work was on May 31, 2022. This June 30 date was also noted in the Board of Trustees personnel report for July. Both employees did not work for...

Read Full Story: https://www.whqr.org/local/2022-09-19/part-i-cfcc-could-be-violating-regulati...