Finance chief leaves Clark County School District at critical juncture
Jim McIntosh, chief financial officer for the Clark County School District, resigned Wednesday as the nation’s fifth-largest school system faces a series of critical junctures.
Since October, state lawmakers have studied a top-to-bottom overhaul of the district’s operations and finances as part of a plan to create individual precincts at each of its 357 schools.
Construction crews just broke ground on the first phase of a $4.1 billion building plan that will last through 2025. And soon, every principal in the district will start using a new budget process that gives them more flexibility to make staffing and purchasing decisions better suited to their unique student population.
McIntosh, who 17 years ago started working in the district’s accounting department, was a driving force behind most of those changes while overseeing a $2.2 billion budget. In his current position, which he will vacate July 15, McIntosh would have played a key role in translating a Byzantine finance system for a consultant hired by the state to draft a plan to reorganize the district by August 2017.
Instead, McIntosh starts July 18 as finance director for the city of Henderson.
In an interview Wednesday, he expressed confidence that his staff would have no trouble running the district’s finances in his absence.
“I am not a one-man show,” McIntosh said. “They make me look very good, so I really appreciate all of their help, and even though I’m leaving, they’re still here.”
‘A massive project’
McIntosh on Wednesday submitted his resignation notice to Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky, who was not available for an interview. His resignation marks the latest departure from the district’s top administrative level and comes two days before a key legislative hearing over the reorganization plan.
It was unclear how Skorkowsky would replace his top finance boss, though McIntosh said he would continue to help the district at the superintendent’s request.
In a statement, the district congratulated McIntosh on his new position.
“Mr. McIntosh has been a great asset to the students and staff of CCSD during his 17 years with the district. We wish him well in his new role,” the statement reads.
In Henderson, McIntosh will work with Richard Derrick, the city’s chief financial officer who previously served as budget director for the district. A city spokesman confirmed McIntosh will earn a base salary of $150,000.
That’s an 8 percent raise from the $138,000 he makes at the district, according to salary records posted to TransparentNevada.com.
“I just thought it would be a really good fit for me,” said McIntosh, who lives in Henderson.
The timing of his departure surprised Assemblyman David Gardner, R-Las Vegas, who last year sponsored legislation requiring the district’s reorganization. Lawmakers must approve a final plan by Jan. 1, 2017.
“We’re in the middle of this massive project, and I know a lot of people don’t want to leave in the middle of a massive project,” Gardner said. “But if he got a better job offer, that can happen any time.”
“I’m pretty confident in the remaining people there,” he added. “They’re pretty knowledgeable about the nuts and bolts.”
‘A community leader’
McIntosh’s departure follows a string of high-level resignations from Skorkowsky’s executive cabinet.
Since this time last year, top administrators overseeing human resources, government relations, student testing and other critical departments have left the district. Many of those positions remain unfilled.
That series of departures, including McIntosh’s, did not concern District G Trustee Erin Cranor.
“I’m not going to speculate on (Skorkowsky’s) strategy,” Cranor said. “I have always been for a leaner central office, perhaps to a fault. I don’t want to go off and completely celebrate a leaner, more strategic central office and leaner cabinet.”
As for McIntosh, she praised his efforts to increase transparency of the huge budget that he oversaw. He largely drove the creation of openbook.ccsd.net, which hosts a central hub for district financial reports, department budgets, vendor contracts and more.
Additionally, state lawmakers and education officials often turned to McIntosh to learn from his expertise on school finance.
“He’s had a lot to do with just about every milestone we’ve reached,” Cranor said. “He’s helped a lot of people across Nevada…understand the way Nevada funds education now and potential for improvement.
“He’s really become a community leader.”
Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Find him on Twitter: @nealtmorton.
