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Isle of Wight County Schools has recruited another recently retired school finance official to assist with budgeting for the remainder of the school year.

Steve Jenkins, who served as director of budget and finance for IWCS from 2003 to 2010 and retired as Norfolk Public Schools’ chief financial officer last year, has rejoined IWCS, the division announced on March 13.

He joins retired Chesapeake Public Schools Superintendent Jim Roberts, whom IWCS hired as its interim CFO after his predecessor in the role, Larisa Harris, resigned March 1.

Roberts is overseeing the development of the division’s 2024-25 budget, which is due to be released on the division’s website, www.iwcs.k12.va.us,  on March 15 and be the subject of a School Board public hearing on March 21. According to IWCS spokeswoman Lynn Briggs, Roberts and Jenkins will each supervise spending for the remainder of the current school year and train finance department staff.

IWCS Superintendent Theo Cramer, on Feb. 8, presented a written plan to the School Board for resolving a $703,151 prior-year deficit auditors had identified in January. The plan aims to avoid a repeat shortfall by imposing a spending freeze through June 30 and requiring CFO validation and Cramer’s approval for any expenses deemed essential.

Roberts retired from Chesapeake in 2018 after a 49-year career in education. His credentials include having taught advanced school finance and public school budgeting courses as an adjunct professor with Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University.

Roberts and Jenkins have over 35 years of combined experience in developing school budgets.