Cumberland County board discusses organizational chart change for finance role

The Cumberland County Board of Education spent part of its meeting reviewing an organizational chart update and the job description for the district's primary finance position.

Director of Schools Doctor Farley told the board the organizational chart and supporting documents were placed on the agenda so members could see the structure she proposed as part of her transition plan. Several board members questioned where the finance lead should report and whether the job title should be chief financial officer or financial director.

Board members pressed the director to confirm reporting lines. One member said the CFO should report directly to the superintendent, arguing that direct reporting supports accountability. Doctor Farley said the written job description currently indicates the position reports to the chief operations officer and that, for the agenda posted, the finance role had been changed from chief financial officer to financial director so that titles across director-level positions were consistent.

Doctor Farley said she would revise the job description and the organizational chart to reflect the board's direction and upload the corrected versions to the agenda the following day. She told the board she would also review comments raised during the meeting and return a corrected document for the members to review.

Board members asked that the corrected job descriptions and org chart make reporting lines explicit so principals and supervisors have consistent expectations about evaluation and accountability. One member asked that the revised materials also indicate who evaluates principals and other building leaders; Doctor Farley confirmed she evaluates principals and will make the accountability language clearer in the updated documents.

No formal vote was recorded on the chart or the job description during the meeting; the director said she would make the changes and bring the corrected documents forward at the next posting.

The board also discussed the timing of hiring the finance position, budget implications for leaving a post vacant, and the salary range currently in the budget for the chief administrative position. The director said current budgeted salary figures did not include benefits and that any recruitment or reclassification decisions would be reported back to the board.

The board directed staff to ensure the revised materials clearly show reporting relationships and to post the corrected organizational chart and job description with the next agenda so members could review them before any hiring or classification action.