CFO to be Appointed to Strait School Board

Department of Education and the Strait Regional School Board will appoint an interim chief financial officer as soon as possible. The chief financial officer will report to the school board and will disclose all financial operations to both the board and the department. The decision follows the discovery of irregular financial payments earlier this month.

"The appointment of a chief financial officer will help the board get their financial affairs in order and continue to focus their attention on quality education for students in that region," said Education Minister Jane Purves. "At the same time, I share accountability of how tax dollars are spent. As questions continue to arise, direct access to this information is critical."

The board has been without a chief financial officer since Nov. 6, when its director of Business and Support Services was dismissed.

"The last few weeks have been extremely difficult for board members and staff," said the board's chair George Kehoe. "We have been without a CFO for over a week now, so this decision comes as welcome news."

The RCMP is conducting a preliminary investigation into the Strait's financial dealings. Last week, Ms. Purves announced PricewaterhouseCoopers is also conducting a forensic audit. Both investigations are the result of information brought forward after the board discovered that two senior officials signed on behalf of the board a personal loan guarantee for the superintendent in 1998.

The department is working on changes to regulations that will improve monitoring, reporting and approvals relating to school board financial matters. The Strait board is also implementing policies and procedures that will help ensure financial accountability in the future.