BC News

Judi Kehoe appointed district's top business official

Release date: Jan. 9, 2009

Judi Kehoe, a careful steward of the community’s tax dollars at both town hall and BC offices over more than a decade and a half, has been named the district’s chief business and financial officer.

Prior to joining the district as its school business administrator in September 2008, Kehoe spent 16 years as Town of Bethlehem’s comptroller— the top financial position in town government.

“We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Judi,” Superintendent Michael Tebbano said. “She is someone whose professional record points not only to stellar and stable leadership in municipal and school finance, but also someone who is bringing her talents to bear for the good of her own community. She will continue to be an asset to the district.”

Kehoe replaces former Assistant Superintendent for Business Steven F. O’Shea, who passed away in October. Her appointment concludes a search process that started with more than 20 initial applicants and three rounds of interviews. A cross-section of the district and community members served on the committee that screened potential applicants.

The district’s top business official is responsible for all aspects of the district’s finances, including budget planning and implementation, financial reporting, cash management, investing, and debt service. Responsibilities also include oversight of district operations such as Food Services, Operations and Maintenance, and Transportation.

Mrs. Kehoe’s appointment comes at a time when districts across New York are grappling with fallout from the economic crisis and a potentially significant loss of state funding. On Monday, Jan. 12, the district will kick-off a series of four community budget forums, to be followed by the Board of Education’s process for developing a 2009-10 budget.

“The Board of Education has already had the opportunity to work with Judi Kehoe over the past several months and is delighted to make this appointment,” Board President James Lytle said. “With very significant budgetary challenges ahead of us, we know that Ms. Kehoe will play a critical role in assisting the Board, the district and the community in putting together a sound budget plan in these uncertain times."

Mrs. Kehoe is a certified public accountant and past president of the New York State Government Finance Officers Association.

“I am very excited about the appointment and eager to continue my work at BC,” Mrs. Kehoe said. “Clearly dealing with the impacts from the economy will continue to require great attention. The budget preparation process will require considerable input from the community, as we work to create a responsible financial plan that provides the highest quality of services to our students.”

Since arriving in the district in September, Mrs. Kehoe has overseen the district’s entry into a regional energy consortium, which should help the district control energy costs by locking in energy prices and undergoing a thorough audit to ensure it spends only what it must on energy. She is also overseeing efforts to ensure the district’s compliance with federal regulations regarding 403(b) retirement plans.

She said she will work to maximize non-tax revenues to the greatest extent possible, and is also eager to continue efforts to strengthen internal financial controls.

“The coming year will be a challenging time, but also an opportunity to pool our collective talents and ideas to best respond to the issues at hand,” Mrs. Kehoe said.

The district has posted the vacant school business administrator position and will be accepting applications through January 20. Officials hope to fill the job by March 1.

 

 

 

 

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