The Portland school district is continuing work to strengthen its finance department after it struggled to pay hundreds of employees on time in the 2021-22 school year.
The district recently created a system for its employees to file complaints if there are payroll mistakes. It also hired an executive director of finance and is working with accounting and management consulting firm Berry Dunn to develop solid financial and payroll systems and teams and help prepare the district for its annual audit, district Superintendent Ryan Scallon said at a school board meeting Tuesday.
The district is paying Berry Dunn $8,000 to $10,000 per week.
The district is making good progress in creating strong finance and payroll systems, said Scallon after the meeting. At the same time, he said, there are still improvements to be made and staff to be hired and the first week of school is particularly complicated when it comes to payroll as new employees join the system and old ones get raises.
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