School Board Eliminates Treasurer Position in Money-Saving Effort

In an effort to save the school district money, Manchester's voted Wednesday to eliminate the school treasurer position.

The shuttering of the position, which is now optional under state legislation passed in July of 2010, according to Business Administrator Craig Lorentzen, is allowed so long as the district's business administrator is qualified to perform the duties of the school treasurer.

The change will remove an inter-governmental transfer between the school district and township, which handled the review and certification of district budgeting, according to board President Donald Webster.

"We actually send money to the township right now for them to perform this function," Webster said. "So we're going to move this back in-house and save a few dollars."

Eliminating the position will save the district about $6,000 annually, according to Lorentzen. 

"We feel this is a duplication of services," Lorentzen said. Going forward, the Superintendent of Schools will serve as the reconciliation clerk and certify that the business office's reporting is accurate. 

"They're not involved with any of the receipt process or the expenditure process," Lorentzen said. As the school's business administrator, Lorentzen said that he cannot be involved in the review and certification process, which must be done outside of the business office.

"They're completely independent," though Lorentzen said that he is able to offer assistance with questions. "In the end, the Superintendent of Schools will be responsible for certifying that the treasurer's report is accurate."

In addition to the monthly review of school budgeting, an audit is completed on financial reporting each year, Webster said. The district has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for 16 consecutive years from the ASBAI, a group founded in 1910 to promote high standards of school management.