EASTCONN Delivers Report on Schools’ Business Office Review
- Theresa Cramer
- Oct 23
- 3 min read
As we reported back in July, Stafford Public Schools engaged EASTCONN to conduct a review of its business office practices. Now, the results are in, and the Board of Education (BOE) got an update on the findings at the Oct. 20, 2025, meeting.
According to the report (which can be found in its entirety in the meeting agenda) these were the goals of the review:
"In collaboration with the Stafford Public Schools administration & Town finance office staff, EASTCONN will:
Evaluate the organizational structure and staffing of the Business Office.
Review key financial processes including budgeting, accounting, purchasing and accounts payable, payroll, and compliance and reporting.
Assess internal controls and compliance with relevant policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
Identify opportunities to streamline operations and improve service delivery to internal stakeholders.
Provide a summary of observations and high-level recommendations for improvement.
This review is not an audit, but rather an operational and strategic assessment."
Brian Greenleaf, Chief Financial Officer at EASTCONN, presented the findings, which found that turnover within the Business Office in recent years "has led to several current challenges faced by the Stafford Business Office. One consistent finding within interviews, both internal and external to the Business Office, is the overall lack of documentation regarding process and procedures." This resulted in a lack of consistency in the way things are done. The report also notes, "The interim Business Official has made efforts over the past year to document more policies and practices, but more work is required to properly document procedures and policies.”
Many of the suggested changes were mundane tasks, such as eliminating or consolidating accounts and renaming specific funds. But a theme emerged: Better collaboration with the town is needed. Here are a few examples:
Jointly establish (with the Town) procedures related to the timely request for and funding of Payroll and Accounts Payable.
Start an annual joint meeting with the Town and Webster bank to review cash management needs, including cash management preferences such as Zero-Balance Accounts, debit blocks, etc.
Eliminate the bank account associated with the Health Insurance Fund and in conjunction with the Town strengthen the accounting and reconciliation process for the Internal Service Fund.
Establish a mirroring of accounts across the two accounting systems to ensure funds are synced on each side. Doing so will allow for less off-system calculations, an easier audit and better transparency of reporting to respective Boards.
Develop a quarterly meeting with key program managers on each side to develop, examine, and review Shared Services opportunities between the Town and Board of Education. The focus should be on new initiatives to implement to mutually improve services or save costs.
I could go on, but to gain a full understanding of the report’s findings, you’ll have to read it. During the meeting, Greenleaf said that since the review began, Stafford Public Schools’ new Director of Finance and Operations, Sheri Davis, has already started making headway on some of these issues.
On a related note, Superintendent of Schools Scott Sugarman noted that he had met with First Selectman Bill Morrison and Director of Public Works John Whetton and discovered that the town gets a much better rate on road salt than the schools. Going forward, the schools will go in with the Town to order salt.
The report also had some forward-looking advice for next year’s budgeting process: “While still adhering [to] the principles of Zero-Based Budgeting, there should be less of a focus for the administrative team at the schools to justify every planned purchase within their purchased services and supply accounts[.] These accounts are not a significant driver of the budget. The administration and Board should give more focus on the major drivers [of] any given budget increase and the broader needs of the school district.”
