Durango School District 9-R is losing its chief finance officer just as the budgeting season begins.
Jason Austin has resigned his position effective March 25 to return to the private sector, where he had worked before joining the district in 2013.
“It’s hard for us to compete with the private sector with our budget,” 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger said, “and he needed to do what is right for him and his family.”
Austin doesn’t want to leave the district in a lurch, he said.
“I will be assisting on the side,” he said, “because I know this is not the ideal time. And I will continue to be supportive of 9-R in the future.”
That is a relief for Snowberger, who may be crafting the 2016-2017 fiscal year budget with Austin on evenings and Saturdays, he said.
Austin will be joining a local finance organization in operations and management, but he declined to say which one because he’s not sure how much has been announced internally at the company, he said.
He supervises six people in his department at the school district, and at least one has enough background in different areas to pick up some of the pieces in the interim, Snowberger said.
During his almost three-year tenure, Austin has advanced refunds on the district’s 2005 bonds, saving $325,000, and helped recategorize the $1.6 million Payment in Lieu of Taxes contributed over several years by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. The funds were used this year for capital projects such as Phase I of the Durango High School Stadium upgrade and other capital-maintenance projects.
“I’m happy to have connected the budget with the results,” Austin said. “We’ve achieved minimal variance; we’re very in tune with where we’re spending our money. We’re always asking: ‘Are we on target?’ ‘Are we staying true to our plan?’”
Instead of varying from the budget by 5 to 6 percent, as 9-R did before his arrival, the variance is now down to 0.5 percent on the district’s $42-million budget, he said.
The search has begun to find Austin’s successor, Snowberger said.
“I’ve already had some applicants who are highly qualified,” he said. “While it will be hard to replace Jason, finance people know where there are good finance people. He has the respect of colleagues in the state, so people know they’re applying to a well-run department.”
Snowberger hopes to keep Austin involved in the district as a parent and a stakeholder.
“I’ve been, what’s the right word, strongly encouraged to join the Finance Advisory Committee,” Austin said with a laugh.
abutler@durangoherald.com
