Change for longtime business manager Change for longtime business manager (December 17, 2003)

** De Modderman expected to head Las Lomitas business office.

By Marjorie Mader
Almanac Staff Writer

After 22 years as business manager for both the Las Lomitas and Menlo Park school districts, De Modderman is expected to head up a separate business office for the Las Lomitas district only.

The move is being made because Menlo Park district Superintendent Ken Ranella wants a separate business office for Menlo Park housed in the district, which is about twice the size of the Las Lomitas district. Under the new arrangement, each district will have its own business office instead of sharing the business office housed in the Las Lomitas district for 25 years.

Changing financial conditions in school finance and the increasing complexity and workload -- with each district having bond construction projects, parcel taxes and reductions in expenditures -- were cited as reasons to dissolve the joint office. A five-year agreement for the joint office expired June 30, but was extended on a month-to-month basis.

Under an agreement approved by the Menlo Park district school board, Ms. Modderman has offered to resign from the Menlo Park district, effective January 31, contingent on an offer of employment by the Las Lomitas district. At their January 13 meeting, Las Lomitas trustees plan to act on the recommendation of Superintendent Mary Ann Somerville to hire Ms. Modderman as business manager.

"We had hoped all along to retain De's services, and we wanted her to stay with us," said Ms. Somerville.

In approving the agreement December 8, Menlo Park trustees expressed "profound gratitude" for Ms. Modderman's services.

New board president Bruce Ives said trustees and staff are withholding their accolades for her "exemplary service" until a reception in her honor at the Menlo Park board meeting January 15. She is recognized in both districts as a dedicated and trusted financial resource with the ability to present the facts and remain calm, cool and collected under pressure.

The Las Lomitas-Menlo Park joint powers board agreed to continue the joint agreement for business services for the 2003-04 school year or until a cooperative plan for splitting the business office could be accomplished. The districts will continue their joint powers agreement for special education and maintenance, operations and transportation.

Mr. Ranella has developed a plan for Menlo Park's independent business office that will be housed temporarily in a classroom at Encinal School. He is recruiting a chief business official, who will supervise business operations, including preparing and auditing the district budget and related services.

Menlo Park's business staff also will have a payroll technician/accountant and an account payable technician/accountant. (The current shared business offices employees are Las Lomitas employees except for Ms. Modderman.)

Under the approved agreement, the Menlo Park district will provide Ms. Modderman retiree benefits, as it does other classified employees, upon her retirement from Las Lomitas. These include dental coverage for five years and $386 per month for medical insurance premiums for life -- or the amount necessary for supplemented and Medicare Part B coverage when she become eligible for Medicare.

The district will provide a one-time $7,000 retirement bonus upon her retirement through the Public Employee Retirement System under the same conditions and manner as provided for other classified employees. Both districts will share the cost of her two years accrued vacation leave of 50 days.

Ms. Modderman started working in the Menlo Park district as a library clerk at Encinal School in 1970, when she and her husband moved to the Peninsula from Iowa. She became business secretary to the district's property manager and transferred into the business office four months before the two districts combined their business offices in 1978 in one of their first shared ventures. She was selected as business manager for the two districts on July 1, 1981.

E-mail Marjorie Mader at mmader@AlmanacNews.com

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