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Business manager to stop in-district travel [The Montana Standard, Butte]
[October 21, 2014]

Business manager to stop in-district travel [The Montana Standard, Butte]


(Montana Standard (Butte) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 21--The Butte public school district's business director has decided to drop a long list of unofficial duties that entail in-district travel, effective immediately.

J.R. Richardson told trustees Monday night that he has done these "unofficial'' tasks since he started working for the district in 1997.

These tasks include such things as inspecting roof projects, tending to last winter's broken water main at the high school, addressing insurance claims and overseeing boiler installation.

The discussion arose after Trustee Eddie Zimpel on Monday raised the questioned of why the district is spending money on mileage reimbursement for Richardson that amounted to $377 in September, $425 in August, $466 for June 24 to July 31, $363 in May and $366 in April.



Richardson defended the expenses, saying he's been the one to check "on any major project the district is out in front of. I've always done it." He talks with building engineers and checks on facilities, he said.

"If I'd see a problem, I'd sit down with Jed Hoopes.'' Hoopes is the transportation and facilities director.


Superintendent Judy Jonart added that Richardson goes to such emergencies "for safety reasons" and that she "would never sign off on anything that isn't legitimate travel." But Jonart was at a loss as to who would pick up Richardson's unofficial duties; she assigned a committee to discuss options. Committee members are trustees Scott Ferguson and Carol Wold, Zimpel and Jonart.

"I'm just worried about who would pick up the slack," Jonart told The Montana Standard after the meeting. She confirmed that she regularly signs off on monthly mileage claims that Richardson submits to the board for approval.

"They've always been approved," added Chairwoman Ann Boston, who thanked him for his extra duties near the end of the meeting. "I'm just glad he's been there." Richardson, whose annual salary was $126,844 in 2013, said by dropping the in-district travel, "it's less for me to do." He said the unofficial tasks he's done for nearly 18 years are not listed on his official job description.

Often, he said, he would take a break from crunching budget numbers at his desk at the Administration Building, 111 N. Montana St., to follow up on calls such as the weed complaint.

"I'm kind of all over the place," said Richardson. "I get contacted about a lot of things." His September mileage report recorded he traveled 673 miles at the district's rate of 56 cent per mile for a $377 total reimbursement.

His August report stated he traveled 756 miles at the same rate for a $424 reimbursement.

"Going to several schools a day seems a little much," Zimpel told the board. "We are looking at the budget all the time, and I think this is a place we could cut it down to maybe one time per week." Wold agreed, saying "I think Eddie Zimpel has a legitimate question." Richardson also reminded the board that he travels a lot when organizing regular in-district elections and that the board may have to contract for those duties.

Richardson said he will submit his last mileage reimbursement request through Oct. 20 only. The next board meeting is slated for Nov. 17.

___ (c)2014 The Montana Standard (Butte, Mont.) Visit The Montana Standard (Butte, Mont.) at www.mtstandard.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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