L-S School Committee Selects New Finance Director

UPDATED: 2:28 P.M.

Glenn Fratto made it clear he believes the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School District is superb and couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want to work there.

After meeting with a dozen or so people who work or serve the district, it became obvious he was the right fit to fill a big vacancy.

The Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee unanimously voted Friday morning to select Fratto to be the school district's new finance director.

Fratto will take over for Michael Connelly, who takes over the same position in North Reading on July 1.

"They want to hire good people and I'm happy they selected me to serve as its finance director," he said. "To a person, I was impressed (with the people I met)."

In a release the school committee sent out Friday afternoon, Fratto accepted the offer of the position, subject to completed negotiations of a contract.  

Currently, Fratto is finishing his fourth year as the business administrator for  Methuen Public Schools.

"Lincoln-Sudbury is an opportunity I can't ignore," he said. "I can't wait to start working with them."

"Our finalist candidates offered a great deal for us to consider insofar as how the District priorities matched the skill sets of each of them," Chair Radha Gargeya said in a press release. "Mr. Fratto's lengthy and successful tenure in public education finance and operations, as well as his extensive experience in municipal finance, made him a unique candidate in our search. His commitment and wherewithal to restore confidence in the school finances and operations in Methuen, his transparency and willingness to engage and communicate with stakeholder groups and his collaborative style are all assets we know will be of value to the District and our communities."

According to the Committee, the priorities for the director of finance and operations position include:

• School district experience
• Experience with integrated general ledger system
• Presentation skills; public speaking skills; confidence; skill in articulating how numbers support education and the impact on students
• Team leader/strong leadership skills/values shared leadership 
• Good problem-solver, transparent
• Accessible to all faculty and staff
• Time management skills/being able to set boundaries

"The Committee, in its decision, feels that Glenn possesses the skills and qualities in his experience to make the best match for the District, and we look forward to getting started with him as soon as possible to enable a smooth transition," Gargeya said. "We are very grateful to all of our finalists for their strong contribution to a full, thoughtful selection process for Lincoln-Sudbury, and to the Screening Sub-Committee of faculty, staff and administrators who worked with us to bring these finalists forward."