School Committee OKs Consolidating School and Town Jobs in Three Areas

The North Kingstown School Committee has endorsed an innovative plan to have three people oversee key departments for both the school system and the Town of North Kingstown. The proposal also turns responsibility for maintaining school grounds over to the town.

At its March 13 meeting, the committee approved the proposal to restructure the school’s IT, financial, facilities and grounds departments developed by Superintendent Phil Auger by a 4-1 vote, with Larry Ceresi and Melvoid Benson absent.

Auger said that because the schools have more computers, buildings and financial needs than the town, the managers in the consolidated positions would spend 65 percent of their time, or approximately three days a week, on school matters and 35 percent of their time, or approximately two days a week, on town issues.

The managers would report to the School Committee regarding school affairs and to the Town Council concerning town matters. Auger said this would fulfill legal requirements that the School Committee directly oversee certain financial matters.

Auger said the salaries for the positions would be calculated by averaging what the town and schools currently pay and adding a percentage for the extra work. The schools would pay 65 percent of each salary, the town 35 percent.

Under that formula, both the town and the schools would pay less than they currently do, and save a combined $216,000 the first year.

Auger suggested that the school and the town retain existing staff in the three departments for now. But after a year of working with both staffs, the consolidated managers would be asked to recommend consolidating additional positions.

School Committee member Bill Mudge, who voted against the plan, said the six people currently overseeing finances, facilities and IT for the town and schools are already very busy, and could not realistically combine their jobs.

Auger said that any consolidation plan assumes that there are redundancies and inefficiencies in operating separate systems.

He pointed out that Mudge, other school committee members, and members of the Town Council have repeatedly demanded that services be consolidated. But he has received no concrete proposals, aside from a that would have placed the school IT department under the town. He rejected that recommendation as unworkable.

"IT is incredibly intertwined with education," Auger said.

Because the schools now face a vacancy for , who oversees finance, and the town needs to replace as IT director, this would be a good time to try combining services, Auger said.

The superintendent acknowledged that he does not know of any other town or school system that has functioned under such a split system, but he wants to move consolidation forward. "If it doesn't work out, either the town or the schools can pull out and lose nothing," he said.

Auger said that he will take the proposal to the town manager and ask that it be placed on the agenda for Town Council consideration.

In other action, the School Committee approved the consent agenda and approved a resolution opposing a state bill to require binding arbitration for teacher contracts.

The Committee also voted not to renew the athletic director's contract because under the 2012-13 budget, the job's duties are being dispersed among several staff members to save money. Several committee members thanked current Athletic Director James Marcello for his leadership and hard work.