Schools CFO resigns

MATT STANSKI, the school district's chief financial officer since late 2012, will leave his post at the end of June, the district confirmed last night.

Stanski, 37, yesterday accepted the position of supervisor for management, budget and planning for the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, the district said in a statement.

"I appreciate Matthew Stanski's service to the School District of Philadelphia over the last three years amid extremely challenging fiscal conditions," Superintendent William Hite said in the statement. "His financial insight and expertise have played a crucial role as we have worked to stabilize the district."

"He has provided exceptional leadership to our district, schools and staff. We wish him well in this next opportunity," Hite said.

Stanski's tenure was marked by one financial crisis after another, in part because of reduced state funding under former Gov. Tom Corbett. When the district faced a $304 million deficit for fiscal year 2014, he oversaw the so-called doomsday budget, which proposed eliminating guidance counselors, nurses, assistant principals and extracurricular activities such as athletics and music. The School Reform Commission approved the austere plan, resulting in nearly 4,000 layoffs of district employees.

The district expects to end the current fiscal year with a small surplus, according to the statement.

Stanski also worked as CFO under Hite in Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland. Stanski followed Hite in fall 2012 after Stanski was purportedly removed from his CFO position. Stanski and another official allegedly issued a check, without authorization, to the school system's former human-resources director after she resigned.

The district will announce plans for its CFO search soon, the statement said.