The New Westminster school district is making another shuffle in its finance department.
The district has hired Kevin Lorenz as assistant secretary-treasurer to replace outgoing director of finance Sheldon Lee, who is leaving the district at the end of the month.
"Sheldon was ready to move on," said superintendent John Gaiptman, "so we spent the summer looking for a suitable replacement, and I think we found the very best."
The other change starting next month, the district will no longer be paying former secretary treasurer Brian Sommerfeldt, who left the district with a hefty severance in the spring of 2013.
The district has been paying Sommerfeld's $195,000 severance over the course of a year and a half, but that ends next month, which means the overall cost of financial services will be less for the district this year over last. Lorenz will receive an annual salary of $106,000.
Lorenz comes from the Vernon school district where he was associate secretary-treasurer.
"We were very fortunate that he's always wanted to work in New Westminster," Gaiptman said. "I heard wonderful things about him from other people, but did not know him personally. We do know people in common that have worked with him who speak in the most glowing terms."
Meanwhile, consultant David Greenan, a retired secretary-treasurer from Vernon, brought in to review the district's books over the summer, including a plan to start paying back the $4.8 million the district owes the province, has submitted his report to the Ministry of Education.
The province footed the bill for the consultant, but it was Gaiptman who asked for the help. Over the years, frustrated parents have called for a ministry-appointed special adviser to oversee the school district - in 2007, 2009 and in January of this year - to address the district's ongoing money troubles. Nothing materialized from those requests.
"He's coming in to deal with my insecurities, my inabilities ... I knocked on the doors and I asked for help that would be at no cost to the school district," Gaiptman told The Record in June.
As for the report, Gaiptman said he would bring it to the board once he sees it.
He doesn't yet know whether the report will be discussed at an open meeting because "it's not our report."
"The minister (of education) has to release it to us, and he might release part, some, all," he said.
Gaiptman took over managing the district after John Woudzia left the district in February.
