Education To Get Help Handling Financial Matters

Idaho Department of Education officials may hire an independent agency to take over the duties of the department’s bureau of finance, which administers funding to the state’s 112 school districts.

Lt. Gov. Butch Otter said he and state schools Superintendent Anne Fox would meet with representatives from several accounting firms that could provide funding expertise to the Education Department.

Two of the top three funding formula experts under Fox have been fired or have resigned. Finance expert Evelyn Kiler left Friday after overseeing the Feb. 15 distribution of state aid to public schools. Her resignation followed the January firing of Bureau of Finance Chief Marian Hylen.

The remaining formula expert, Nancy Kahler, also may be leaving. A farewell was held for all three at a meeting of the state superintendents association last week in Boise.

Fox’s finance director - Ron Pollock, twice an unsuccessful Republican candidate for state auditor - was supposed to take over Hylen’s accounting responsibilities, and Fox hired a local school district finance manager to take over the technical aspects of Hylen’s job.

Fox said the combination would save about $20,000 a year in salary, and she assured concerned legislators that the personnel changes would not affect her department’s ability to administer the formula and make payments to school districts on time.

And even though the formula was written by the Legislature, Otter on Tuesday criticized “a few people in the Department of Education” who he said left it purposely confusing and were not helpful to Fox.

“What we are going to do is ask a few private agencies to look at the funding formulas themselves and how we make the distributions,” he said. “We think we can get a private accounting firm to do a better job.”

Otter also said the move could streamline government.

“It goes along with Governor Batt’s whole idea of privatization,” he said. “I don’t think it takes any great amount of genius to figure the (formula) out, but we’re going to ask these people why does the thing have to be so confusing and if they can make it more useful.”

He also suggested hiring someone to write a software program that could make the funding formula more user-friendly.

Some local school superintendents have complained about a lack of communication from the Education Department on financial issues, and are concerned about the accuracy of budget forecasts from the agency.

“What we’re looking for is a level of confidence and credibility in the figures from the department,” Moscow Superintendent Jack Hill said. “We need better support and help, and if an outside group can provide that then you could say we are in favor.”