North Newton board approves finance contract, Frontline compliance software, longevity pay plan and capital repairs

The North Newton School Corp. board on May 6 authorized multiple finance and facilities actions aimed at stabilizing accounting, improving compliance reporting and completing summer capital projects.

Accounting and grants: The board approved a contract with School Finance Support LLC (Courtney Parish) for targeted accounting and reconciliation work through December 2026. Administrators said the consultant will work up to 12 hours a week on reconciling 2024–2025 records, correcting fund coding, assisting with LA conversion and reducing duplicate entries discovered during cleanup. Dr. Mike told the board that an ongoing reconciliation effort reduced an earlier concern about a $770,000 shortfall; staff said the duplicates have been largely whittled down and they expect to finish reconciling within weeks.

Frontline (HR/compliance): The board approved adding Frontline’s compliance and professional-learning modules to the district’s existing Frontline subscription so required trainings and signoffs (for example, bloodborne-pathogen, sexual-harassment verification and other mandated training) can be tracked centrally. Administrators discussed a startup implementation and a multi-year subscription schedule; first-year costs include setup and prorated charges, with recurring annual amounts (examples cited: about $8,337 per year for core licensing plus add-ons, and a year-one startup cost referenced). The vendor told the board the platform could be implemented in time for the start of the school year if approval was granted promptly.

Longevity compensation: After several committee meetings and a detailed proposal with two options, the board approved Option A for longevity compensation for noncertified employees, effective July 1, 2026. The board said employees will receive a stipend this year with pay adjustments phased in the following fiscal year; administrators emphasized verifying staff start dates and resolving payroll system records before adjustments are applied. The board also noted bus-driver compensation/scheduling will be handled in a separate follow-up item.

Capital projects and other contracts: The board awarded Lincoln Elementary roof work to Bone Dry for $156,833 and authorized Morocco Elementary repairs for roughly $15,781. It approved $11,774 for baseball and softball field repairs intended to reduce spectator-safety risks. Board members also discussed continuing LED lighting phases at the high school (Roselon Electric phase 3 and phase 4 bids were reviewed earlier).

Why it matters: The package combines short-term interventions (accounting reconciliation and compliance software) with recurring investments (staff pay adjustments and facility repairs). Administrators and finance committee members framed the moves as stabilizing fiscal controls, reducing manual compliance work, and directing resources toward safety and instructional infrastructure.

What’s next: Staff will finalize contracts subject to attorney review, complete the Frontline implementation and send details to the finance committee; payroll start-date verifications and a bus-driver compensation follow-up are scheduled. The board requested vendor reports and annual cost/savings summaries for energy and maintenance contracts.

Quoted evidence: During the reconciliation discussion Dr. Mike said staff had reduced the number of duplicate entries and were no longer under the impression that $770,000 was missing; that reconciliation work and form conversions will continue over the summer.