Last week, Leslie Rouse spent her first days on the job as the Chief Finance Officer of Wayne County Public Schools. Rouse has 13 years of school budgetary and finance experience. She began her career in 2007 as a federal programs and Career & Technical Education administrative assistant with Lenoir County Schools. In 2013 she was named the Finance Coordinator for the two departments. During this time, Rouse assisted and advised department directors and principals regarding fiscal and budgetary planning; established departmental finance protocols; monitored fund balances in regards to budgetary expectations and annual expenditure plans to ensure solvency of individual funds and programs; and ensured compliance with established policies and procedures regarding local, state and federal fund sources.
In 2016, Rouse was named the Finance Director for Jones County Schools. For the past four years, she has supervised, managed and evaluated school district financial affairs including budgeting, purchasing, accounting, payroll, accounts payable, internal audit, fixed assets and treasury functions. She also was responsible for annual budget development, fiscal control, and long-range strategic planning for financial solvency.
“Leslie is very familiar with our district’s financial software systems, understands the statutory requirements specific to budgets and school finance, and will be instrumental in working with leadership to develop meaningful financial and budgetary reports that can inform the Board of Education, district staff, and the public about this district’s current financial status,” states Dr. James Merrill, interim superintendent.
Rouse holds an associate’s degree in business administration, a bachelor’s degree in business management/administration, and is recognized by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for being a North Carolina Association of School Business Officers Certified School Business Director.
Her hire was approved by the Board of Education at its September monthly meeting.
