As of October 4, Kent County Schools will have a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) in financial consultant, Dexter Lockamy. Lockamy replaces Fay Miller, who retired at the end of August. Lockamy holds a Masters in Business Administration, a Masters in Public Health in Health Management from Columbia University, and a certificate in International Finance and Global Markets from Georgetown University. He also worked as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Financial Manager, District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority in Washington DC, and had contracts with the World Bank Group where he had a short-term assignment in Nairobi, Kenya. As a consultant for the financially floundering Washington DC school system, which was running a $65 million annual deficit, he is credited with helping to ‘stabilize, transform, and strengthen’ system operations during an 18-month contract.
Despite Lockamy’s qualifications and experience, his hiring was not without its gulping moments, thanks to a 2003 Washington Post article that came to light recently detailing the salary and billed expenses that Lockamy received under the DC schools consulting contract. As a result Dr. Barbara Wheeler, superintendent of Kent County Schools, arranged a face-to-face between Lockamy and the Kent County Board of Education, a meeting that was outside normal procedure.
“The board approves certificate hires, but does not approve non-certificate hires,” explains Michael Harvey, president of the board. (Non-certificate personnel are non-instructional are not required to hold an educational certification.). “[But] because of that [article], Dr Wheeler wanted our input. All but one board member met with him and had a good chance to talk,” Harvey continues. “We were quite impressed. He convinced me he was part of the solution [to the financial problems in the DC schools].”
As COO of Kent County Schools, Lockamy will oversee financial operations including:
Day-to-day operation of the business office
Preparation, presentation, and implementation of the Superintendent’s and Board of Education budget
Implementation of Board Policy and Procedures for Purchasing
Approving invoices and authorizing expenditures
Risk management program, insurance records
Liaison to the Interagency for School Construction
In the course of the search for Miller’s replacement, Wheeler had interviewed a number of candidates, and had even offered the job to three before Lockamy. (Each potential hire must pass standard background checks including criminal, sex registry and social services checks.). But the $114,600/year plus car and gas card apparently did not tempt them.
“They didn’t take [the job] because of salary and location,” says Wheeler. “One didn’t want to travel daily from Centreville to Rock Hall, and another from Kent Island didn’t either and the salary wasn’t what he needed. The third person lived in Columbia and was going to relocate for [only] two-to-three days [per week], but this is a job where you need to be IN the place.”
Lockamy, who owns a condominium in Baltimore, on Tuesday returned calls from the Spy, and confirmed that he will be looking for a rental home in Kent County. Wheeler notes that Lockamy says he wanted to work in a school system, and after working as a consultant under serial contracts, he is happy to have a steady salary.
“I serve at Dr Wheeler’s pleasure,” he says. “My job is to make sure the resources are aligned and are available to help the school system carryout its mission.”
Harvey’s take is more people-oriented.
“He’s looking forward to working with a team of people,” says Harvey. “He said that at 52, he is increasingly realizing he enjoys working as a manager of people with a team – not something you always experience as a consultant.”
Alex says
Just google him, and read the Washington Post articles. The BOE has turned the tax payer into a screen door in a hurricane.
Bruce Rushton says
I’m concerned that Kent County School System is becoming a temporary port for Educational Professionals looking for something better. Our turnover rate in positions of high responsibility has been horrendous and the damage caused by uncompleted plans due to short tenures has left Kent County Schools mired with the same problems it has experienced for over a decade… and all the poorer for the effort. Another western shore resident who “will be looking for a rental home in Kent County” impresses me as just another bird wintering on the Eastern Shore, earning a salary while waiting for warm weather to migrate.. We need to find where the Faye Millers of the next generation are hiding… The ones who stay around… provide consistency and keep the pieces together while the high fliers come and go. All the credentials in the world are worthless if a candidate doesn’t commit to stay around long enough to clean up his own learning curve mistakes. Mr. Lockamy’s background doesn’t give me the confidence that I can expect anything better from him.
Missy Jordan says
Just jumped on here to see what was going on and found this article and Bruce’s comments….
I don’t know Bruce but his comments bring a whole new light to the school situation in Kent county. Some have said the same as he did in other wording…but so far I find that he says it best. I’ve always felt that way too…that Admin come here to wait for something better and then leave and “go do” the something better when it comes along. Truly thats what all the people who have left the school system have said – they found a better job or something of that sort if they are still of working age and don’t retire here.
This Dexter’s credentials don’t mean anything to me since again, we only have a declining school system of 2,000 kids. Pretty soon there may not be many kids here to teach – since they all keep leaving! Leaving is their god given right – and one thing the school system can’t stop, but the school system can try to improve to make things better so they will not leave.
What his hiring does prove to me is something I’ve said all along – that means the board and admin do not have the ability to financially oversee and run the school system becuase of hiring such a glorified, out of town, rental, expensive paid person. His services and qualifications seem better fit for a larger school system.
Doesn’t make any sense in this time of need to “spend” boo-koos of money in a paycheck to him – to simply “look and see how to get out of debt”. As has been said before – like everyone else, the school system should be looking for responsible and prudent ways to cut back and still keep the same or better education opportunities for the kids. Its all very interesting as I seem to recall somewhere back in the middle of the school consolidations meetings I attended that the Super may have said she wasnt’ hiring a replacement for Faye – that in fact the position, or work load, would be filled from within. I could be totally wrong – have been known to be in the past, and am a big girl and can handle it if I am wrong, BUT I usually don’t forget things like this…so its: “as the world turns in Kent county”. Maybe we should make a TV show!
Missy Jordan says
Sorry – one more thing….IF In Fact a new COO was required to be hired to help the school system out..its very sad that the Super(since she wanted him) DID not reach out into our very own community and look for a qualified CPA/COO or someone qualified of the sort to do the job. You know – someone who lives, works and breathes in Kent County and has a passion for living here and possibly raising a family here.
Hiring yet another person who will only rent here, but has ties to the outside world of kent county only contributes to the high rate of instability the county currently suffers from, but yet in turn it does keep the comprehensive plan in place by the county planning and zoning where it says there are “NO” jobs here for younger people who all leave to go in search of something better ‘outside kent county’. I can’t help but believe there was someone, somewhere in Kent or Queen Annes county that would have been willing to lend a hand and help get the school system back on tract. You know one that really understands how Kent county works, but also is realistic in the modern day world – academically and financially speaking for the children of our future!
If we have extra money to pay DL – then maybe we should have invested in our teachers and given them a raise, since no raises were slated for this year, so that the trickle down effect was the teachers are happy and therefore our children will be. NO ONE CAN DISPUTE THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE OUR FIRST LINE OF CONTACT WITH OUR CHILDREN AND MAKE THE LARGEST IMPRESSION.
Eleanor Collyer says
It’s great that B. Wheeler and KCBOE were convinced that Mr. Lockamy was “part of the solution” to the financial problems in the DC schools, but in 2002 DC students ranked last in every academic measure when compared to 10 other large school systems in the country. The DC school system ranked third highest in per pupil costs among the 100 largest districts in the nation. According to the Washington Post most of that money did not get to the classroom. D.C. schools ranked first in spending for the administration and last in spending on teachers and instruction.
Quote from the Washington Post – “Principals reporting dangerous conditions or urgently needed repairs in their buildings wait, on average, 379 days — a year and two weeks — for the problems to be fixed. Of 146 school buildings, 113 have a repair request pending for a leaking roof, a Washington Post analysis of school records shows.”
Doesn’t seem to me that the financial “turn around” was so successful.