Superintendent announces national search for finance director after resignation; short‑term hires and $50,000 contract to maintain operations

Superintendent Skallon told the Portland Board of Public Education on Jan. 7 that the district has begun a national search to replace its executive director of finance after receiving a resignation.

"We did receive a notification of a resignation of our executive director of finance," Superintendent Skallon said, naming Helene DeBartolomeo as the departing officer. Skallon said the search is being led by Alma Advisory Group, the firm that conducted the district's superintendent search, and that interviews are expected to start in February.

In the interim, Skallon said the district is reallocating internal duties and adding temporary capacity to keep operations running. "I am dedicating more of my time on the finance," Skallon said, adding that Cabinet members have shifted responsibilities. The district rehired a former staffer, Lisa Beck, who returned to the district about a month ago and has assumed the payroll manager role after serving previously as purchasing manager.

The superintendent said the district hired a temporary employee on Dec. 23 to provide short‑term payroll support and signed a small consulting contract of $50,000 "to make sure that in Helene's transition, we were documenting some key processes so that we made sure that we did not lose them in the transition." The contract is described as brief and focused on documentation of processes.

Skallon said the district anticipates several months before the finance director position is filled and that interviews will start in February; no candidate names or salary ranges were provided at the meeting.

Ending: The board was told the search is national and led by Alma Advisory Group, temporary supports are in place, and the superintendent will update the board and public as the process proceeds.