BY FRANK DELANO
The Colonial Beach School Board has ended its employment of beleaguered Finance Director Barbara J. Worrell.
Worrell was placed on administrative leave last month amid an ongoing investigation of school finances by Virginia State Police.
Wednesday night, the School Board emerged from a two-hour closed session and announced that Worrell's employment contract, which expires June 30, will not be renewed. She has worked 28 years for the school system, said board Chairman Timothy Trivett.
The board also announced that it had hired a veteran school finance officer to serve as an interim replacement for Worrell.
Janet Brown began work 10 days ago, said Trivett. Brown, 66, retired in January after serving 27 years with the Poquoson public schools, 15 of them as chief financial officer.
"We have so many financial issues we need to resolve that it's almost unbelievable," Trivett said.
In March, auditor Nancy Miller cited 22 material deficiencies in town and school accounts. But a recent, separate audit of the high school's activity fund revealed no significant problems, Miller told the School Board Wednesday night.
In March, Miller recommended that the schools hire help for Worrell, who handled all of the bookkeeping by herself. Wednesday night, the board agreed to hire Barbara Hess of Mechanicsville, Md., as an assistant to Brown.
In addition, the board must soon find a replacement for Superintendent Robert Luttrell, who is stepping down June 30. Luttrell, a retired Richmond County superintendent, was named acting superintendent of Colonial Beach schools 10 months ago after Alice H. Howard announced her retirement.
Trivett said yesterday that the board will meet in early July with executives of the Virginia School Board Association to discuss finding a new superintendent.
The board must also select a replacement for Bernard "Rocky" Denson, who has submitted his resignation from the School Board effective June 30.
Trivett said the board will probably advertise the vacancy to solicit letters of interest from persons who want to serve the year remaining in Denson's term. The board will make its selection after interviewing the prospects, Trivett said.
Wednesday's meeting marked the end of the first year of the terms of Trivett, B. "Anne" Congdon and Michael Looney. Those three members of the five-person School Board were elected after promising to reform the policies and practices of the former school administration.
Margaret Antosz, the mother of two students, wasn't happy with the results.
"You promised accountability, openness and honesty, but you all as a School Board haven't done anything this year except fight among yourselves," Antosz said.
Congdon agreed. "I don't think we've achieved the ability to work together as a board," she said
She urged the board to take advantage of training offered by the school board association.
"It's hard to deal with other school issues until we know for sure how much money we've got," Trivett said.
Frank Delano: 804/761-4300
Email: fpdelano@gmail.com