As reported on WZEP AM 1460
After serving many years alongside former Chief Financial Officer Jim McCall, Mary Hobbs left the Walton School District after a series of events ended the fiscal year with a fund balance below the three percent the Board said it wants. This absence left the District without a CFO during the budget process. The state assisted with a temporary person and the District hired Jim Messer under contract. At their last meeting, the School Board agreed to a number of personnel recommendations, including Debra L. Noyes at the new CFO.
Noyes will not begin the job for 30 days and Superintendent Carlene Anderson told the Board Mr. Messer will continue with the budget process. She also said an experienced CFO from another district will assist Noyes as she begins the job, working as mentor.
Anderson also listed changes and policy recommendations she feels are needed as a result of the questions brought from the last minute drop in the fund balance. While the fund balance is below the 3% the Board and Superintendent said they wanted to maintain to keep a good credit rating, the fall is not to a level the district is in a financial emergency. Anderson explained in more detail how a series of financial events and a miscalculation during a time when the fund balance was already at an unusually low point caused the problem. She detailed a plan to get the balance back to 3% this fiscal year and says she wants to see it at 5% in the future. This on top of an additional 1%.
The new CFO, Debra Noyes, has been hired. Anderson said the Board could look at her application to see the qualifications. She told the Board there were six candidates and only two of them were Certified Public Accountants or CPA’s. She was hired under annual contract to replace the former CFO, Hobbs, and will be paid out of the General Operating Budget.
On her application, Noyes received her high school diploma from Walton High and a BA Degree from New York University and is a CPA. Her most recent and current job is as the CFO for LifePoint Hospital/Putnam Community Center. She says she considers it an honor to work in the community she has strong personal history with as well as respect and pride for.
Replies
37
SoWal Expert
It wasn't days. This has been going on about a month, smack in the middle of budget issues. I'm going to be optimistic and hope the new CFO is up to the challenge. Finding a new CFO ASAP was very important.
Whatever the outcome of the referendum, we have definitely upset the apple cart, and many more people are watching the school system. Closely.
Whatever the outcome of the referendum, we have definitely upset the apple cart, and many more people are watching the school system. Closely.
Beach Fanatic
So what's your solution?
Oh, I don't know, Local. I was thinking it would be great to be assured through board policy that certain standards were met not just for who was hired, but the standards regarding the process to acquire and review resumes, etc. I believe in the "once bitten, twice shy" philosophy. The system hired an unqualified person in the past and apparently no one noticed until it was too late. I am hoping a process is in place to prevent that from happening in the future. I don't want us to say..., well, she was a CPA, but why didn't we know, ....... ....,.. I want to be very clear. I am not suggesting the knew hire has done anything wrong in the past or questioning her character. I am saying, it would be good to know a rigorous process is strictly followed.
SoWal Expert
One step at a time...... And it starts with YES voting to start hiring the superintendent. Which made me think of yet ANOTHER reason to have the superintendent hired instead of elected- if hired, the board and superintendent are essentially on the same "team". As a parent of a child in school, I want the "boss " focused on the schools and education, and everyone be team players. The current system is anything but a team- this isn't the US government, we don't need checks and balances, which has become a negative in the school situation. We need to have a NORMAL system, where the educational leader is hired based on qualifications. The superintendent of a school system should NOT be a politician- especially in a place like Walton County, where a very vocal minority makes any campaign a nightmare and surely will keep any sane qualified person from running for school superintendent (it has, along with great people who would have been great commissioners and school board members). Look no further than the arguments made by the opposition to this referendum, and attacks on candidates in other races. I want my teachers' boss to be doing the job he /she was hired to do, not having to spend time on fending off political blows during election campaigns AND during the term. The current system is a time and energy suck for any person in that position. My kid deserves better.
Edited
Beach Fanatic
I want to issue a challenge. The "NO" contingent has not posted one word here on why we should elect a superintendent over appointing one. I, and others, know they read SoWal posts. If you have reasons other than it is a "Liberal" attempt to take over the school system, which is ridiculous, please enlighten us and the public in general. The "YES" group has been very clear in deliniating why the position should be selected through required qualifications by the school board. What are your reasons for "electing". Early voting starts Aug. 16th.
SoWal Expert
I want to issue a challenge. The "NO" contingent has not posted one word here on why we should elect a superintendent over appointing one. I, and others, know they read SoWal posts. If you have reasons other than it is a "Liberal" attempt to take over the school system, which is ridiculous, please enlighten us and the public in general. The "YES" group has been very clear in deliniating why the position should be selected through required qualifications by the school board. What are your reasons for "electing". Early voting starts Aug. 16th.
Here is what I see from the opposition to the referendum- good FCAT scores are reason enough to stay status quo. Oh, and losing a right to vote. RINOS come into play somewhere, progress is a bad word. The usual scare tactics. Something about "Walton County Values". Not much logic or common sense, just the same predictable stuff, from people who play and live the Walton County politics game year round. I will say that I have learned a lot of things I did not want to know and it's not just the school system that needs an overhaul if this county is going to truly prosper and keep up. Their version of WAlton County values will hold us back for sure!
But they must really like our ads - they keep copying them!
Beach Fanatic
Thanks, Jdarg. But I am really looking for a cogent answer from a "NO" crowd advocate. I really don't expect one, though as there isn't any good explaination of their position.
SWGB
Oh, I don't know, Local. I was thinking it would be great to be assured through board policy that certain standards were met not just for who was hired, but the standards regarding the process to acquire and review resumes, etc. I believe in the "once bitten, twice shy" philosophy. The system hired an unqualified person in the past and apparently no one noticed until it was too late. I am hoping a process is in place to prevent that from happening in the future. I don't want us to say..., well, she was a CPA, but why didn't we know, ....... ....,.. I want to be very clear. I am not suggesting the knew hire has done anything wrong in the past or questioning her character. I am saying, it would be good to know a rigorous process is strictly followed.
The previous CFO held the job for over 10 years IIRC. The point is that we are moving forward with someone who at least has a degree and background in finance. Perhaps it wasn't the longest period of time possible, the county could have slapped together a budget and bounced a few checks, but it is what it is and I'm hopeful that it was the right choice. Sometimes even the best choice doesn't work out, but it doesn't necessarily paint the process or the organization as failure, rather the choice.
Beach Fanatic
Walton County Values is a direct shot across the bow of all the people who now inhabit South Walton that ain't from here. All them durn pinko, commie, libruls (Ack, thpppppt).
Someone told me recently that "y'all can go back where you come from". That was a life long DeFUNKiak resident. I'm sure they want things left the way they were, except for the tax dollars that South Walton brings in.
Someone told me recently that "y'all can go back where you come from". That was a life long DeFUNKiak resident. I'm sure they want things left the way they were, except for the tax dollars that South Walton brings in.
Beach Fanatic
Hey "NO"s, I'm still waiting!!!
Beach Fanatic
Walton County Values is a direct shot across the bow of all the people who now inhabit South Walton that ain't from here. All them durn pinko, commie, libruls (Ack, thpppppt).
Someone told me recently that "y'all can go back where you come from". That was a life long DeFUNKiak resident. I'm sure they want things left the way they were, except for the tax dollars that South Walton brings in.
Unfortunately, I think you are 110% correct.
Everyone tries to avoid the N vs. S argument as it is not productive, but unfortunately, in some cases, it is very true and needs to be addressed.
The North End would "starve" without the SoWal tax base. That system worked really well until a few years ago, more and more people migrated here and started to discover the pool of nepotism, political favors and all around corruption.
Recent issues, that in the past, would have been much more suppressed, have caught the publics attention. The School District is a great example of one of the "systems" that was never supposed to be exposed. It's weakness has been exposed on multiple levels and no one can keep their finger in the dyke much longer. It's going to burst.
The referendum has called a great amount of attention to this Walton Entity and the fact that damage control is not working, has a lot of good ole' folks real mad, as it threatens to expose some of the other sleeping giants.
All I hear in opposition to the Referendum is it takes away one's right to vote... Nothing else. All the FACTS presented are meaningless. Reality is that a good amount of the people do not want to loose CONTROL, not their right to vote.
SWGB
It doesn't take away your right to vote, that's a scare tactic. What it does is gives your child the RIGHT to a better education.
Beach Fanatic
Here is what I see from the opposition to the referendum- good FCAT scores are reason enough to stay status quo. Oh, and losing a right to vote. RINOS come into play somewhere, progress is a bad word. The usual scare tactics. Something about "Walton County Values". Not much logic or common sense, just the same predictable stuff, from people who play and live the Walton County politics game year round. I will say that I have learned a lot of things I did not want to know and it's not just the school system that needs an overhaul if this county is going to truly prosper and keep up. Their version of WAlton County values will hold us back for sure! But they must really like our ads - they keep copying them!
The NO contingency's definition of "good FCAT" scores shows their lack of commitment to excellence. Doing better than some other Florida counties doesn't mean "good". When I lived in Alabama and on so many comparisons the state would rank 49th, the typical refrain was, "Thank God for Mississippi". I guess Walton County NOs say, "Thank God for Gadsden County". What a pathetic justification that is. Regarding losing the right to vote... If that is the argument, then shouldn't they also argue that we get to vote on every position in government? Including teachers, janitors, etc? Why not elect the county manager? We should vote for policy leaders and hire people to implement.
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