Board committee reviews district finance 'reset': Munis relaunch, ROI framework and proposed Alvarez & Marsal support

Savannah-Chatham County Public School System finance committee members on Oct. 8 reviewed the district's planned finance "reset," including a relaunch of the Munis financial-management system, adoption of a standardized zero‑based budget framework, stronger program evaluation and a proposal to contract Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) for implementation support.

"We will implement a standardized 0 based budget framework that will require all departments and all schools to justify expenses starting from a base of 0," a district presenter said, outlining changes the superintendent plans to require across departments and schools. The plan also calls for dashboards, decommissioning unused Munis modules, additional staff training and regular budget reviews.

Larry Jackson, chief financial officer, told the committee the district uses all finance modules it is invoiced for but that other divisions have adopted different platforms and workarounds. He said a Munis relaunch and cross‑division integration would provide real‑time data and analytics the district currently lacks. "We are looking at a complete relaunch of what that looks like," Jackson said.

District staff presented an $795,000 high‑end estimate for a year of on‑site and strategic support from Alvarez & Marsal to help implement the changes, train staff and build internal capacity. The proposal was described as an anticipated budget item; staff said the final price will be worked out and returned to the board for approval. "We did not include a price on the handout. It's still under review, subject to board approval once we get to that point," a presenter said.

Trustees asked about scope, sustainability and timetable. Several board members expressed support for outside assistance. Trustee Sabrina Ault criticized the size of the contract relative to the stated goal of reassessing priorities: "We are going to reassess spending priorities. And here we are with the $795,000 proposal," she said. Other trustees said the expense was justified if it builds internal capacity and allows the district to sustain changes without recurring consultant costs.

The district also presented a multi‑year plan to embed ROI thinking into the budget cycle: fiscal 2026 would set baselines and require metrics for programs, fiscal 2027 would standardize ROI processes and introduce targeted change management, and fiscal 2028 would aim to integrate ROI across the entire budget. Staff said some analytics and dashboards are being built now and that program evaluation templates, an agenda‑item purchase request form tied to ROI criteria and a decision‑making resource hub for staff are either completed or in progress.

Board members raised operational questions about training, real‑time help and procurement. Staff said A&M's role would be strategic support, training and capacity building rather than providing a hotline for on‑the‑spot Munis troubleshooting; the district said it would create internal help resources for real‑time support. The district estimated the A&M engagement could run through the fiscal year and emphasized the goal of reaching internal self‑sufficiency by the end of the engagement.

No formal committee vote approved contracting A&M at the Oct. 8 meeting; staff said a detailed proposal and estimated cost will be brought back to the board during the budget process for formal consideration and possible approval.