Chief Financial Officer

The Danbury Public Schools serves a diverse community of more than 2,200 employees working in twenty (20) school and administration buildings located across the City, all in service of a population of over 12,000 students annually.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is charged with oversight of this District's nearly $213 million annual budget, that includes federal, state and local funds.

Bearing both Alliance and Priority School District designations from the Connecticut State Department of Education, this urban school district leads the State in the number of high need students, including Multilanguage Learners, identified Special Education students, and those students eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch.

The successful candidate for this position must bring demonstrated experience in financial management at a senior level, preferably with public finance experience specifically, as well as forecasting experience to our fiscally challenged environment.

The next CFO of this District must demonstrate a drive to work collaboratively and effectively with the Superintendent and the core leadership team to find creative, meaningful and lasting solutions to the current budget challenges faced by the reduction of state, federal and local funding in this current post-pandemic stage.

REPORTS TO : Superintendent of Schools

SUPERVISES : Deputy Finance Director Duties and Responsibilities :

I. Oversight for District's Financial Operations Budgeting and Fiscal Operation

• Working in close collaboration with the Superintendent, primary responsibility for crafting an Annual Budget for approval by the Board of Education and presentation to the City of Danbury for review and approval.
• Develops longer-range financial plans, including five-year forecasting, and prepares alternative financial scenarios to meet the fiscal challenges.
• Oversees the financial administration of local funds and, while working in collaboration with a dedicated Grant Coordinator, oversees the administration of all federal, state, local and private grants.
• Prepares periodic (monthly) financial and operational reports to keep the Superintendent and Board of Education informed about the financial and operational affairs of the district, adjusting budget allocations accordingly throughout the year.
• Oversees both school and program cost center accounting system, paying close attention to systematic cost analysis, program evaluation, planning and priority setting in a shift toward greater reliance on site based budgeting.
• Develops, monitors and oversees a continuous process of internal controls and auditing for expenditure review. Works closely with auditors annually to provide comprehensive support for expenditures.
• Oversees the performance and evaluation of the Finance Department operations teams, including those dedicated to Payroll and Accounts Payable.
• Oversees school lunch operations teams, working in collaboration with the District's outside food service vendor.
• Directs and coordinates all purchasing, leasing, contracting, bidding and receiving for supplies, materials and equipment.
• Responsible for meeting all federal, state and local reporting obligations, including but not limited to W2s, 1099s, 1095s, and Annual ECS reports.

II. District Wide Facilities Management

• Supervises the operations and maintenance of all district facilities, working in close collaboration with dedicated Coordinators in Sites & Facilities, Security, and Transportation.
• Monitors the planning, implementation and supervision of a program of school plant management, including repairs and maintenance.
• Monitors district energy use, negotiating with providers as needed to control costs to the greatest extent possible.
• Oversees Coordinator of Security to insure the security of all buildings and safety of staff and visitors.
• Develops capacity studies for future planning, using outside consultants as necessary, based on enrollment projections and facilities capacity.

III. Negotiation and Implementation of all Vendor Contracts

• Working in collaboration with the District's transportation vendors, monitors the overall operation of school buses; investigates transportation requests of parents and resolves potential issues.
• Monitors the operation of the school food services program by the district's designated vendor, providing the necessary facilities and equipment in the operation of the school lunch program .
• Negotiates and finalizes contract negotiations with all independent vendors for essential products, goods and services in the District.
• Working in collaboration with designated insurance brokers, oversees, monitors and negotiates renewal of district contracts for the provision of health and welfare benefits, general liability and cyber insurance, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance, and pension and retirement fund participation.
• Prepares financial analysis of material requested for use in labor contract negotiations and serve as a member of the negotiating team as requested by the lead negotiator and District legal counsel.

IV. General Administrative Role

• As a member of the leadership team, attends all Board of Education meetings (evenings), Finance and Facilities Sub-Committee meetings as needed, and prepares reports and presentations as requested.
• Serves as critical liaison to City of Danbury officials in all financial operational matters.
• Works closely with retained lobbyist to Connecticut's General Assembly, along with the Danbury delegation, to identify legislative needs, to understand state and local funding opportunities, and to update the Superintendent and Board of Education about important legislative activity related to school funding and operations.
• Performs other related tasks as assigned by the Superintendent.

Qualification :

• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree required; Masters degree preferred.
• State of CT certification in School Business Administration (085) required. Additional certification in Intermediate Administration preferred.
• 5 years of experience in accounting, finance and business operations required, public finance experience preferred.
• 3-5 years of demonstrated experience as a School Business official in Connecticut, with urban experience preferred.
• Ability to work effectively within a large data based finance platform critical to success. Experience working specifically in Infinite Visions / Tyler Technologies, Frontline, and Powerschool is preferred.
• Strong communication and presentation skills required.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively on a small leadership team to solve critical problems.

Terms and Conditions :

This CFO works on a 12 month schedule and will be offered a contract of employment. A competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with qualifications and experience, with salary ranging from $175,000-$200,000.

Generous paid time off will be provided in keeping with the terms of comparable cabinet level staff.

Application Procedure :