Beginning in January, the board will hold one study session and one business meeting each month. The board previously held two business meetings each month. Board President Jennifer Holz said the change will "allow the board more time to absorb and deliberate information that has been presented."

Study sessions will be held on the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m. and board meetings will be held on the fourth Monday of the month at 7 p.m. The board will not meet in July and hold only one meeting in November and December. A complete schedule is listed at www.fairfieldpaschools.org. Board meetings and study sessions are live-streamed on the district’s YouTube page, a link to which is available on the district website.

During its annual reorganization meeting on Dec. 5, the board unanimously voted to retain Holz as president and Jack Liller as vice president. Board Secretary Lauren Clark was absent.

School System Finances Pases Audit

Kevin Stouffer of Smith Elliott Kearns & Company, LLC presented "an unmodified audit opinion" for the 2020-21 financial year to the district’s board.

"We feel the financial statements are materially correct and can be relied upon," Stouffer said.

Stouffer told the board its revenues and expenditures are comparable with other districts in the region.

"I think everything is in there within a percent or two amongst the different sources," he said.

Stouffer recommended the district assign someone other than the preparer to review bank reconciliations. He also noted the district was missing about two months of supporting documentation for credit card transactions because a previous business manager took the documents home and never returned them.

"We recommend you fine-tune that process to keep all support related to the credit card transactions on-site. Do not allow them to be taken off-site," he said.

The board unanimously approved the audited financial statements. Liller commended Business Manager Tim L. Stanton for preparing the audit.

"I look forward to when you can start doing forward work instead of cleaning up messes of prior people," he said.

Other business

The board also approved the following hires: Noel R. Robinson, full-time high school learning support teacher; Mike Ball, head boys’ middle school basketball coach; and Owen Phelan, assistant middle school boys basketball coach. Ball resigned as assistant high school basketball coach.

Superintendent Thomas Haupt expressed appreciation to the Fairfield AmVets Post 172 for donating $500 to the Stars of the Knight Chamber Singers. The group recently performed at the post’s Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration.

Holz noted the Fairfield Youth Basketball League donated $1,000 to the girls and boys basketball teams in appreciation of the students’ assistance at youth basketball camp.

"They were thrilled with the volunteers and student volunteers, they just did a bang-up job," Holz said.

The board’s next meeting is a study session on Jan. 9 beginning at 6 p.m.