Robert Morales, the former Fulton County Schools chief financial officer who retired in June, will lead DeKalb Schools' finance department for the remainder of the school year.

The DeKalb County Board of Education approved Morales during a called meeting Monday -- first as a transition consultant through departing Chief Financial Officer Michael Bell's last month, then as interim chief financial officer though June 30.

Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson said the department will focus on several initiatives, including audits and accountability.

"I will be coming back to recommend an external audit of the school district," she said.

Morales' history as a school district's finance chief is extensive. He served as chief financial officer for Greenville (South Carolina) County Schools nearly two years beginning in 2000, then a year with District of Columbia Public Schools from 2002 to 2003. He served in that role for Cobb County Schools from 2003 to 2009, then Fulton Schools off-and-on from 2009 til he retired this summer, with a two-year stint as chief financial officer for Atlanta Public Schools between 2015 and 2017.

Previously, he also served in various auditing roles, including audits manager, for the South Carolina Department of Education.

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