CLAREMONT — Former School Board Chairman Richard Seaman has been hired as the director of finance for the SAU 6 School District, which includes Claremont and Unity.
Seaman, who most recently was the director of finance and operations for the Windsor Central Supervisory Union in Woodstock, started work with the district on Tuesday.
He was introduced at Wednesday’s School Board meeting by Superintendent Mike Tempesta as the assistant superintendent of finance, operations and human resources.
Seaman replaces Mike O’Neill who left the district earlier this year shortly after it was announced that the district failed to apply for federal reimbursement for its school lunch program for two straight years, losing out on close to $350,000.
The district also was hit with an IRS fine of $320,000 for failing to complete paperwork related to the Affordable Care Act. The fine was later rescinded after administrators complied with IRS requests to file the information.
Seaman, whose salary is $115,000, will be the “point person” for human resources, Tempesta said on Wedneday. O’Neill’s salary was $114,000.
Tempesta said on Friday that when he joined the school district in July, there were four vacant positions in the SAU and two of those are not being filled.
One of the open spots was the district’s human resources manager, whose duties will be shared between Seaman and the superintendent.
The district’s technology director position, which also was vacant this summer, was filled by Jeff Small, whose previous position of network administrator is not being filled, Tempesta said.
The other two open positions were assistant superintendent, which was filled by Donna Magoon following Cory LeClair’s departure, and the business and finance director position that was previously held by O’Neill.
Tempesta said he is using the savings at the SAU to hire a social studies and a science teacher at the middle school so each subject will be taught for a full year.
Seaman served seven years on the School Board before losing reelection.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
