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Haverhill designs plan to control spending in schools, city departments
(The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 20--HAVERHILL -- Schools and city departments are close to creating a single office to control all spending -- a move that will save taxpayers money, Mayor James Fiorentini said.
Fiorentini said he and School Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan have agreed to form a new department in charge of those money matters. School leaders have hesitated to go along with the move, fearing the mayor is looking to grab power over schools.
In recent weeks, the spotlight has fallen on the School Department for first ringing up a $240,000 shortfall in the privately run school lunch program and then overshooting the budget that pays for substitute teachers and other school workers by $256,000.
Fiorentini said the agreement calls for city Finance Director Charles Benevento to be promoted to chief financial officer to head the city-school Finance Department, with Assistant School Superintendent for Business and Finance Kara Kosmes in charge of a school division of the department.
Kosmes' position will continue to be appointed by the School Committee, according to a draft of the merger being developed for a special meeting of city councilors and School Committee members Wednesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
The council and School Committee must approve the merger for it to happen, and several details still have to be worked out, Fiorentini said.
The mayor also wants to merge city and school human resources operations, but he said that proposal isn't ready yet.
Fiorentini said the mergers will save money -- a little at first and much more over time as employees who do similar jobs at City Hall and in the School Department retire or resign and are not replaced. More importantly, he said, it will provide for more efficient and effective government, and add "a second set of eyes" on money matters.
On Friday, the mayor said he was six pages into a draft of the agreement he will present Wednesday. No decisions or votes are expected at the meeting, where councilors and committee members will get their first look at the proposal's details and have an opportunity to debate it, the mayor said.
Kosmes and Benevento are helping craft the merger document, Fiorentini said.
"I'd like them both behind whatever I submit Wednesday," the mayor said, adding that he will submit two separate proposals, one that would consolidate the finance departments and one that would do the same for human resources.
The key to convincing School Committee members his plan is not a takeover, the mayor said, is putting the details in writing with a guarantee the School Committee will keep control over school spending and policy.
The mayor is basing his written merger proposals on similar plans in Salem, Reading, Barnstable and Harvard, he said.
Several councilors have indicated their support for the plan, while several School Committee members have expressed concern, saying they will wait to see the details before taking a position.
Under the mayor's proposal for human resources, City Personnel Director Mary Carrington would oversee those operations for the city and schools. All school hirings, including teachers, would continue to be made by school administrators, according to a draft of the merger proposal.
Mayor James Fiorentini said he and School Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan have reached "substantial agreement" on these parts of the mayor's city and school merger proposal:
A consolidated Finance Department will be established and the School Business Department will be part of it.
A chief financial officer will be appointed to head the consolidated department.
The school business manager will be part of the department, and will be appointed by the School Committee.
There will be periodic meetings of the Finance Department and the school business manager.
The Finance Department will submit long-term spending plans for annual budgets and capital expenditures.
The schools and the city will continue to use the same computer software, so materials from one budget can be easily moved between one budget and another.
Fiorentini said further discussion is needed on the following:
How to transfer money in the School Department -- who approves transfers and under what circumstances.
The makeup and structure of the Personnel Department that will oversee schools and city departments.
What impact, if any, this will have on employees and labor union agreements in the finance and human resources departments.
To see more of The Eagle-Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.eagletribune.com/.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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