State lawmakers are responding to a recent audit of Kentucky's Department of Education.

Today, State Auditor Allison Ball presented her findings to an education committee in Frankfort.

Our John Lefler has more in tonight's legislative update.

In early July, the state auditor released her more than 500 page audit of CWD.

As far as anyone in the auditor's office can remember.

This is the first time a comprehensive audit like this has ever been done on the Katy.

In 2024, the General Assembly tasked ball to audit CWD.

It took months and more than $1 million to complete.

I think this was a wonderful time to do this.

Maybe even the perfect time, because right now they're, crafting a strategic plan, and, this will help them.

I think, quite a bit to be able to accomplish that in the most effective way.

One finding that's made headlines.

KDE did not use hundreds of millions of dollars.

It was given over the period of about four years.

Katie had about $250 million of sick fund that, that they had allowed to lapse.

They had a shortfall of public transportation and vocational transportation.

About $40 million.

There's never a good amount of money.

That $250 million from the last four years.

Some of that could have been plugged in in some of those areas.

That money wasn't lost or misused.

Instead, it went back into the state's budget reserve and general funds.

Basically what you're telling us is you didn't find any, like, major glaring, discrepancies in the, fiscal policy or the money specific.

We didn't find glaring problems.

We didn't find a, like a significant amount of money going out the door that shouldn't have.

Ball testified before a legislative education committee today.

Lawmakers could draft statutory or funding remedies for KDE based on the audit, ball's report found.

Even the best rated preschools in Kentucky are not necessarily preparing kids for kindergarten.

Doesn't your report make the case that Kentucky needs to follow the rest of the country now, and adopt some form of universal pre-K?

Is it is the governor absolutely correct in pushing for that?

And if you disagree with that, then explain why not.

Sure.

That's a good question, Senator Thomas.

I would say so, looking at these numbers from our assessment.

If we're not doing a good job on that at this point, then we don't want to expand that out to other kids.

So step one would be make sure our preschools are performing to the highest level they can be.

While the head of CWD, Commissioner Rob Fletcher, was in the audience, he was not called to testify.

Fletcher has been on the job for just more than a year.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm June Leffler.