WNWSU Brings Ollie Jakob Back as Business Manager
By Chris Costanzo

Ollie Jakob, who was business manager of the Windsor Northwest Supervisory Union from 1997-2003, will be back at his old job shortly.

On the basis of a strong recommendation from WNWSU Supt. Tim Mock, and with supporting comments from Rochester School Board representative Tim Crowley, the WNWSU board voted unanimously Wednesday, Jan. 31 to hire Jakob to be business manager once again.

Since Jakob’s departure in 2003 to work for the Barre Supervisory Union, the WNWSU office has been struggling mightily to get on top of its accounting responsibilities in support of the union’s various school districts. Attempts to computerize the business aspects of the union these past three years have resulted in uncertainties and confusion during which the WNWSU has been operating without annual audits due to incomplete information.

Upon the recent decision of the WNWSU board not to renew the contract of outgoing business manager Pat Regan, the WNWSU asked Jakob to help prepare the union’s books for a long-overdue audit. Jakob’s work so impressed Mock that he asked the board to normalize Jakob’s return to the WNWSU with a full-time contract as Regan’s successor. Jakob has 20 years of experience on the business side of the Vermont public school system, and 10 years before that as a budget analyst and staff accountant in the private sector.

Jakob has his work cut out for him at the WNWSU, and he knows it. In a recent letter to Mock he expressed his concern that the business office stay on track to promote "confidence in the local boards and the populace," a goal that he acknowledges will take time.

With a final audit completed, Jakob at least will not be flying blind. Although the audit identified a $92,000 deficit that has been infesting the union’s budget for three years, it also confirmed new revenues from relatively recent union programs, such as the union-wide alternative school for special education; and the union’s busing program, that not only swallowed the deficit, but led to an anticipated end-of-year positive balance for 2006-07.

As Mock reported to the WNWSU board January 31, there is a positive fund balance of almost $18,000 for the superintendent and business manager’s offices, and a positive fund balance of almost $121,00 for special education.

The budget that the WNWSU is requesting for the forthcoming 2007-08 school year shows an increase of 2.5% for the superintendent’s office and business office, and a 6.3% increase for special education.

There are, of course, numerous unpredictable occurrences that can alter the predicted expenditures. However, union administrators as well as several union board members, have expressed hope that Mock and Jakob will now be able to track union finances accurately, so there will no longer be major surprises stemming from cumulative errors.

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