Evanston/Skokie District 65 Chief Financial Officer Raphael Obafemi will resign efficient Aug. 31 after six years on the job, in accordance to an electronic mail he despatched to workers final week and a press release from a district spokesperson.
“The past six years have been exceptional for me,” Obafemi wrote within the electronic mail despatched Thursday. “I appreciate the opportunity of managing the district’s financial and operational resources, building valuable relationships with colleagues and community members, and putting the district on a more sustained financial footing.”
The outgoing CFO now turns into the fourth high administrator to go away the district this summer time after former Superintendent Devon Horton moved to an Atlanta-area college district in July. Former Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Andalib Khelghati took a superintendent position in Oswego final month, whereas former Dean of Culture and Climate Elijah Palmer and Chief of Staff Markisha Mitchell have followed Horton to DeKalb County, Georgia.
Over the previous two years, Obafemi performed a key position in designing the financial construction that may fund the development of a Fifth Ward neighborhood college. He proposed the concept of issuing lease certificates instead of traditional bonds, which can enable the district to construct a brand new college with out requiring a property tax hike.
The district will owe about $3.2 million per 12 months, beginning in 2025, on the lease certificates it issued to construct the varsity. Obafemi and Horton beforehand stated having a walkable college within the Fifth Ward will save transportation prices equal to a minimum of that quantity per 12 months.
Both directors labored intently with town and architect Cordogan Clark since early 2022 on design plans for the varsity and the way to finest use the accessible area at Foster Field, subsequent to Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center. Longtime District 65 Business Manager Kathy Zalewski, Obafemi’s accomplice within the finance division, will assist ease among the transition, although the brand new superintendent and CFO will take over the key job of seeing the varsity mission by way of.
Obafemi received reward from the varsity board and fellow directors in recent times for saving sufficient cash within the finances to keep away from beforehand projected deficits. The district’s finance group received a “Those Who Excel Award of Excellence” and the very best accessible college district financial score in 2023 from the Illinois State Board of Education.
“As a cabinet-level administrator, he has brought a depth of knowledge and commitment to equitable and fiscally responsible practices that have set the District on a stable, durable financial path,” Communications Specialist Hannah Hoffmeister stated in a press release to the RoundTable on Monday. “In addition to our appreciation for his work on budgeting and operations, we are deeply grateful for his work on the school that will be located in the Fifth Ward.”
Despite previous success in avoiding any shortfalls, information of Obafemi’s departure arrives about two months after he and Zalewski introduced an unexpected $3.four million working finances deficit for Fiscal Year 2023. The two stated the deficit occurred due to “unprecedented” transportation prices fueled by the elevated use of “one-passenger transportation” within the place of conventional yellow college buses.
Hoping to discover a answer, Obafemi negotiated a brand new cope with the district’s bus supplier for six extra buses beginning this upcoming college 12 months, he stated in June.
“In the coming weeks, before my departure, I am committed to working closely with [Interim Superintendent] Dr. Turner, the business team, and district leaders to do everything I can to ensure a smooth transition,” he stated in his resignation announcement.
The district didn’t present particulars about what that transition will appear to be or the seek for Obafemi’s successor.
