School Board Approves Additional Business Manager Hours

Also Considers Non-Voted Debt to Match Maintenance Funds (see following story)

“We’re hearing from Olympia that things are going to get tighter; having a fulltime person [as  Business Manager} to make sure we don’t get caught by surprise … would be well worth the additional cost [to increase Business Manager Keith Whitaker’s hours to full-time.]” Chris Sutton, Orcas Island School District (OISD) Director, said at February’s rescheduled OISD Board Meeting last night.

The School Board was divided as to the financial risk undertaken by adding the additional time into the district’s budget. Members Tony Ghazel and Jim Sullivan stated their opposition to adding the hours, and the cost, to the budget. Sullivan said, “I think [the additional hours] fall into the ‘want’ rather than the ‘need’ category.”

Superintendent Kline addressed that point, saying “one of the things that I need a Business Manager for is to make sure our budget is carefully monitored so that it  doesn’t get overspent.”

Her request to increase Whitaker to fulltime was prefaced by the increasing need for reports to account for grants from the county, state and federal governments, a new district accounting system that requires intensified oversight; and the planned departure of Ben Thomas (as of Jan. 31, 2011) who has managed business matters for the school district for the past four and a half years (at $75-80,000 per year for less than part-time hours).

After OISD Board President Janet Brownell called for the vote to approve full-time employment of the Business Manager, Board member Scott Lancaster said,  “If our CEO, our one employee, if Barbara is asking for this help, I believe it’s a ‘need,’ not a ‘want.’

“I’m also scared about the overall budget but we are being asked by the superintendent of the district to do this and I have to respect that.

“We also can revisit the contract again as we deal with the budget. I’d agree with Chris [Sutton], given the amount of stuff that’s going to be flowing through this summer’s construction and …. I would hope there’s some structure to what you [Kline] have Keith doing.”

Ghazel said, “You know and I know that we’re not going to come back next year and cut back the business manager’s hours.”

Lancaster replied, “We may have to. When we agreed to the .6 [.6 full time employment for Whitaker], we knew we’d been straddled with paying the Business Manager [Ben Thomas from the Educational Services District Office in Anacortes] the past 2-3 years $75-80,000 —   and we’ve wanted local control. When it comes up and we need the budgeting, we may have to cut the entire office back – if that’s what we have to do, that’s what we have to do.

“Ben Thomas has said there’s too much going on without it being a fulltime job. I’m willing to go forward with it,” Lancaster concluded.

Following the vote, which passed 3-2, with Sutton, Brownell and Lancaster in favor and Sullivan and Ghazel opposed, Brownell asked for a report on how much the district has grown in certified and administrative employment this year. It was noted that the information was included in the Whitaker’s monthly report:

2010-2011 Budgeted Expenses
Teaching and Teaching support        69.99%               $4,340,584
District and Building Administration        15.12%      $ 937,877

2009-2010 Budgeted Expenses
Teaching and Teaching support        68.67%      $3,910, 180
District and Building Administration        15.54%      $ 884,709

(page 9 Feb. 2011 Business Manager Report)