School Committee Action Notes

"SCAN," issued by the Superintendent’s Office in conjunction with the School Committee, is designed to inform staff members and interested others of matters discussed and actions taken by the Jamestown School Committee at its most recent meeting. SCAN does not represent meeting minutes.

Jamestown School Committee Work Session: September 4, 2008

Personnel: By unanimous vote, the school committee approved the appointments of Sean McAdam as boys’ soccer coach; and Deborah Gaucher and Laurie Pike as bus monitors.

Workshop Discussion Topics

Business Office Transition Plan:

• Superintendent Marcia Lukon reported on a meeting with Business Manager Maria Alfred, Human Resources Director Jane Littlefield, Town Administrator Bruce Keiser and Finance Director Tina Collins to discuss the feasibility of combining business services. The group concluded that a consolidation of services would not save money or improve efficiency at this time. The group also discussed an idea raised at the August 14 School Committee-Town Council retreat and agreed on the merits of jointly hiring a consultant to determine the most appropriate level of staffing in town and school departments and identify any efficiencies that could be achieved.

• Maria Alfred shared with the committee a business office transition plan designed to enable the department to complete critical tasks prior to her December 26 retirement. The plan calls for a September appointment of Jane Littlefield as Finance Director and the addition of an accounting/payroll/benefit coordinator to assume Jane’s current responsibilities. Jane would work with Maria during the transition period to implement the Unified Chart of Accounts; install and convert to new software to accommodate the UCOA; facilitate the FY08 audit; work with administrators and department heads to accomplish the zero-based budgeting requested by the school committee; and provide extensive reports to a third party administrator in order to meet the requirements of a new federal law transferring responsibility for the implementation of IRS 403(b) regulations to school departments.

• Maria and Jane also shared a financial impact analysis of the transition plan. Using grant money received for the UCOA implementation, the plan can be enacted within the current budget and the new structure will reduce business office expenses going forward. The school committee will consider and vote on the plan at the September 18 business meeting.

Model School Philosophy: The committee viewed and discussed a video of the keynote address at the 2008 Model Schools Conference.

The next business meeting of the Jamestown School Committee will be on September 18; the next workshop meeting will be on October 2. All meetings are held at 7 p.m. in the Lawn School Library.