After an extensive and acrimonious discussion concerning the compensation of an assistant principal whose duties have nearly doubled due to the board’s decision to not replace a resigned administrator, the UASD turned to hiring a new business manager.
Following no discussion at all the board approved the current assistant business manager to the open position. With one year of post college experience this individual is now managing a $39M budget with essentially no supervision. Yes, he reports to the Superintendent, who largely has no business background, and yes, the school board selects and approves financial options, but they don’t develop those options, and yes, he has an accounting degree and therefore should be able to keep the various accounts in order. The problem resides in planning. Without experience this business manager will struggle with the vagaries of developing financial plans with so many variables.
Why was this person selected? I can think of two reasons. One, just like the assistant principal doing two jobs for the price of one his salary is a significant savings to the district. In this world you get what you pay for. Hire a discounted administrator and beware of the future. Two, the word may be out that the working environment at UASD is really bad. Since May four experienced administrators have left, not through retirement but resignations, yet there has been no public mention of district work environment. Each administrator’s replacement comes at a lower salary.
This school board’s interests start and stop with cost … not quality of education, not consistency of actions, and not work environment. Just cost. Of all school districts in Adams County UASD consistently has the lowest property value and that drives property tax. They badly want to lower costs. When you want something bad you generally get it bad. The UASD school board is the living embodiment that forfeiting children’s future in the interest of cost is acceptable.
I wish the new business manager good luck but the position the board has placed him in is unfair, to him and the district. Who among us would trust our personal life savings or retirement accounts to someone with one year of experience?
The board approved a stipend for the assistant principal mentioned above equal to the salary increase they disapproved.
