Lankford will replace the retiring Paul Barr as chief financial officer for one year.
The veteran educator told those attending tonight's R-8 Board of Education meeting that he had come to appreciate the district during the past few months.
"You have great leadership, buildings, you're got great teachers in the classroom. This district is positioned to start moving forward after a long trial. You have gone through a lot."
Lankford said the new position is "kind of exciting," but he emphasized that it is "one year and done."
Superintendent Melinda Moss introduced Lankford's replacement as HR director, Ashley Jones.
Tonight marked the last board meeting for Barr and Interim Superintendent Norm Ridder.
I will be researching his credentials, but I have a hard time believing he is an expert at Education, Human Resources AND Finance. Certain members of this BOE love these short-term, "old-hat" fixes. While usually amounting to delays and detriments to the success of the District.
ReplyDeleteTeachers , maintenance and others watch for cuts he's a sports guy(football) will be good for them. But not for other programs and staff, he is very much into cutting corners, saving money, He's not as great as ppl think!
DeleteSome more of Koch mentality..is Jeffrey running the District? It is very telling that Barr had mo one to dtep inas an interim...Lankford is a for Educator but our fema/arms money mess needs financial analytical skills....ee will see but Melinda needs freedom to lead not Jeff aka Ridders puppet.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're an expert...
ReplyDelete2:03 From what Barr said in March, all the FEMA claims have been filed and the district is just waiting for a decision if they will pay for the extra expenses. A fresh set of eyes on the finances might give some new opportunities. Besides it said he would be part-time for a year and that will give Melinda time to evaluate the needs in finance rather than just replace Barr. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news for the Joplin school district and the taxpayers who fund the district. Dr. Lankford has a wealth of knowledge from his decades of service to the education system locally and at the state level. I think when you do your research into his credentials that you should be happy...and post again about what you have found.
ReplyDeleteHaving been a student of Dr Lankford when he was the Webb City High School principal, and having seen what he did for the Webb City school district, I am thrilled to have his knowledge and integrity brought into our system. As a student almost 30 yrs ago, and one that was a problem student to put it mildly, I can attest first hand to the mans character. Even though I might not have heeded all of his direction at the time, as I grew older I saw the wisdom of it and applied it to my life. I have two teenage children in the Joplin school district and I cant count how many times I have told them over the last several years how much I wished that they had Dr Lankford running the district. This is a very good thing for our schools even if it is o
ReplyDeleteonly for a short time.
Lankford is a fine leader but what are his financial credentials ?
ReplyDeleteWhat were Barr's credentials? He sure as hell wasn't an accountant based on his "might as well" spending. Hell, he couldn't even see to it the concessions funds were properly monitored. You could hire a ditch digger and he would be as qualified as Barr to oversee taxpayer funds.
ReplyDeleteHow much is lankford getting paid? Is he part time? How many jobs is he retiring from? Fleecing the taxpayers anyone?
ReplyDeleteWell David & others, first off this has nothing to do with Paul Barr ( and btw HE WAS qualified) it has to do with Lankford, who has next to no financial qualifications, being named to be CFO. I did my research and his Financial experience is SO bountiful that I would not hire him to be a bank teller. I'm sure that Mr. Lankford was a fabulous teacher/Super. but this Joplin taxpayer would prefer someone with FINANCIAL experience for a CFO of the largest employer in town (no matter how temporary). Especially when that employer is fed by our tax dollars.
ReplyDelete1155pm Right on,little Jeff has to be behind this move.Joplin relishes having really good people but professionally challenged, Lankford as an educator A plus but as a bean counter who knows...Too cozy for me .Koch needs to go.
ReplyDeleteI am curious where this anti-Lankford sentiment is coming from. When he was at Webb City, his reputation was for being an administrator who was good with finances.
ReplyDelete10:30 and 11:55 here.
ReplyDeleteFrom my end Randy, it's not personal or "anti-Lankford". My questions to the BOE and Dr. Moss are, why put someone in as a CFO when they have NO direct experience as a head of Finance? And.., was there not someone directly under Mr. Barr that could step in on an interim basis? When he was at Webb he had a Finance Director, so he was not directly involved with the books. I personally do not care for this BOE's "fly by the seat of it's pants" approach over the last couple years. As I said before, I feel these short-term, old hat fixes are a problem. Such is the beast, I guess.
Good is not good enough for today's multifaceted ever-changing world of finance...Excellence seems to never be part of the Joplin scene
ReplyDeleteInteresting... Webb City does not have a CFO. The Superintendent did the job.
ReplyDelete@6:50
ReplyDeleteThey had a Finance Manager. Same job, different title. It's been awhile since I've been out of the district. They did have a restructuring about 12-15 years ago in their upper administration. I have no clue what they have now.