School consultant

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s Office of Financial Analysis and Oversight is seeking candidates to fill two part-time School Administration “Fiscal” Consultant position. The final candidate will work 30-40 hours per week from January through June, followed by 0-30 hours per week from July through December. Actual hours needed will be determined by workload.

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Strong analytical, organizational and project management skills, along with fiscal management experience in a local education agency and a desire to use those skills in service of local education entities make you a great candidate for the position of school administration fiscal consultant in the Office of Financial Analysis and Oversight. Consultants provide customer support and technical assistance to school districts across Ohio, particularly those districts experiencing fiscal distress.

The positions offers a flexible schedule and are home-based, with routine travel throughout Ohio. The selected applicant must have his or her own transportation and a valid driver’s license.

Major Responsibilities & Duties:

Provide consultation and technical assistance to school districts experiencing fiscal distress to help district administrators restore fiscal solvency and sound fiscal practices without the need to place a district into fiscal oversight:

• Provides consultation and technical assistance regarding general financial management of local educational entities’ operations;
• Reviews, analyzes and provides technical assistance for annual spending plans and district financial forecasts;
• Works directly with local education entities to establish fiscal integrity and transparency within the district budget process;
• Assists treasurers and superintendents with budget projections, establishing budget priorities and developing tools to monitor actual expenditures to ensure they are within budget.

Administers state fiscal oversight programs (caution, watch and emergency) and develops and implements policies, procedures and/or guidelines for or on behalf of the Department:

• Reviews changing state laws, fiscal programs and financial data;
• Interprets laws and regulations, consults with the Department’s legal counsel for advice and disseminates information to promote compliance;
• Develops, implements and redesigns financial analyses, written plan templates, financial recovery plan templates, presentations and/or other guidance materials;
• Recommends districts for fiscal oversight designation and release;
• Monitors compliance with state laws and regulations regarding fiscal oversight, financial recovery plans, fiscal solvency and financial integrity;
• Facilitates development of school district-specific written plans and financial recovery plans;
• Critically examines and/or edits documents for compliance, accuracy, quality and clarity; and
• Evaluates and approves/disapproves school district written plans and financial recovery plans.

Provides technical assistance to internal and external customers:

• Provides information and presentations regarding budget practices, fiscal solvency, fiscal integrity and fiscal oversight programs;
• Provides consultation services to school administrators, boards of education and community members;
• Schedules technical assistance meetings, site visits, teleconferences and on-site technical program reviews;
• Interprets program and/or content standards;
• Reviews programmatic data, conducts fact-finding and writes reports as necessary;
• Plans, develops and delivers school finance program training for local entities.

Serves as chairperson or secretary/monitor to assigned Financial Planning and Supervision Commissions on behalf of the director of education and workforce (pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 3316.05).

• Prepares materials for Financial Planning and Supervision Commissions:
  • Reviews local board of education actions and develops commission agendas;
  • Recommends approval/disapproval of local board actions, proposed expenditures and budget revisions;
  • Prepares commission meeting minutes and maintains official commission records.
• Responds to public information and record requests;
• Interprets laws and regulations, consults with the commission’s legal counsel, the Attorney General, for advice and disseminates information to promote compliance;
• Provides facilitative leadership to “fiscal emergency” commission members; and
• Participates with Auditor of State, Office of Budget and Management, local commission members, school district representatives, and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce in evaluation, modification and supervision of district management of fiscal practices and budget operations as necessary to restore fiscal solvency and financial integrity.

At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees*. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website! Our benefits package includes:

• Medical Coverage
• Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period
• Paid time off, including vacation, personal, sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year
• Childbirth, Adoption, and Foster Care leave
• Education and Development Opportunities (Employee Development Funds, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and more)
• Public Retirement Systems (such as OPERS, STRS, SERS, and HPRS) & Optional Deferred Compensation (Ohio Deferred Compensation)

• Benefits eligibility is dependent on a number of factors. The Agency Contact listed above will be able to provide specific benefits information for this position.

• 5 years of experience as a school district treasurer, chief financial officer, or senior executive responsible for managing the financial actions of a profit or non-profit organization.
• School Treasurer license or the ability to renew an expired treasurer license within an agreed upon timeframe
• Or Superintendent License or the ability to renew a Superintendent License within an agreed upon timeframe; and 5 years of experience as a school superintendent with 5 years of experience in a school district treasurer’s office;

Preferred Qualifications:

• Development/monitoring of long-term projects and contracts;
• Responsibility for budgeting large-scale programs, projects, contracts and/or grants;
• Scheduling, supervision and management of personnel;
• Experience managing resources to ensure statutory compliance and achieve program outcomes;
• Development of tools and technical assistance related to fiscal procedures and requirements;
• Experience and expertise in managing multiple projects and obtaining deadlines;
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and team-building skills;
• Systems thinker with creativity and strong problem-solving skills.

The final candidate selected for this position will be required to undergo a criminal background check as well as other investigative reviews. Criminal convictions do not necessarily preclude an applicant from consideration for a position, unless restricted under state or federal law or federal restrictions. An individual assessment of an applicant's prior criminal convictions will be made before excluding an applicant from consideration.

The State will decline to extend a final offer of employment to any applicant with a verified positive test result. Also, an applicant with a positive test result will not be considered for any position with the State of Ohio for a period of one year.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer that values diversity and seeks talented individuals from diverse backgrounds. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected class. Questions or concerns about this should be directed to the Office of Human Resources ([email protected]).

Ohio is a Disability Inclusion State and strives to be a model employer of individuals with disabilities. The State of Ohio is committed to providing access and inclusion and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws.

The State of Ohio is a drug-free workplace which prohibits the use of marijuana (recreational marijuana/non-medical cannabis). Please note, this position may be subject to additional restrictions pursuant to the State of Ohio Drug-Free Workplace Policy (HR-39), and as outlined in the posting.