School Committee Names New Finance Director

At its March 27 meeting, the North Kingstown School Committee approved a contract with Mary King to oversee school finances as director of administrative services. King will succeed Ned Draper, who .

King's two-year contract carries an annual salary of $110,000, which is more than Draper earned. School Superintendent Phil Auger said that King has a master's degree and is a Chartered Public Accountant, qualifications that exceed Draper's. He added that King currently earns $115,000 per year as director of finance at the East Providence School Department.

Auger said that the contract includes provisions that allow either King or the North Kingstown School Department to terminate it in the first year. According to Auger, that provision covers uncertainty about whether the North Kingstown Town Council will move forward with Auger's proposal to the top school and town finance positions.

Auger said that the search committtee discussed the possibility of consolidation with all 11 applicants for the position.

King's appointment was approved with five committee members voting yes and two, Melvoid Benson and William Mudge, abstaining because they wanted more information. After some discussion, debate had been cut off by a successful vote to call the question.

Earlier in the evening, most school committee members voiced support for a plan offered by Auger to and retain one-third for North Kingstown school programs.

Two officials from Greene School, a statewide-chartered school for high school students, attended the meeting to answer questions.

Because the school serves 168 teens, parking came up as an issue. Amy K. Pratt, president of the school's board of directors, said that only five students currently have permission to drive to school, and one of the school's tenets is reducing its carbon footprint.

Pratt said the school also encourages civic engagement, so administrators might ask students who wish to drive to draft rules and present them to the school's neighbors for approval. In any event, she said, parking will be limited.

Several committee members said that renting to one entity made more sense then trying to find a patchwork of tenants, as previously discussed. But, they said they wanted to see more details on the proposal, including a floor plan, before they vote on it at the next school committee meeting.

In citizen's comments, two North Kingstown residents, Paul Marshall and Wayne McCarthy, spoke against the April 3 vote on a for school repairs. Marshall said that in current economic conditions, a bond issue that would raise taxes for residents is "not valid or legitimate."

McCarthy cited the town's total public debt and said that under current trends, "the only people who can afford to live here are wealthy."

A third resident, Jim McGwin of the North Kingstown Taxpayer's Organization, said the roof at Quidnessett Elementary School also leaks and asked why replacing that roof was not part of the bond request.

Auger said that the Quidnessett school roof was replaced too recently to be considered for replacement and that school staff are handling occasional leaks. Auger said professional evaluations and tests indicate that the Quidnessett roof does not pose a health or safety risk.

School Committee Chair Kimberly Page said she did not want Davisville Middle School students to have rain falling on them, and put on a hat with an umbrella to show her support for the bond referendum.

The committee approved the consent agenda and adjourned around 9:20 p.m.