As earlier reported, the Lakewood Board of Education announced the appointment of Robert S. Finger as Interim Assistant School Business Administrator. Mr. Finger joined the district on October 19, 2017 and will serve in his new role until June 30, 2018.

Mr. Finger will concentrate primarily on the district’s budget problems, looking for innovative solutions to reduce the deficit. He will also be responsible for preparing the district’s 2018-2019 budget in cooperation with the State Fiscal Monitors.

Mr. Finger previously served as Lakewood’s Business Administrator/Board Secretary from February 2008 to November 2010. Upon his appointment in 2008 he inherited a district with serious financial problems including a deficit from the 2006-2007 school year in the amount of $(1,050,591) an annual audit with 15 serious recommendations and an adverse audit opinion. When he left the district, there was a surplus as of June 30, 2010 in the amount of $5,360,656, of which $2,586,865 was designated as Budgeted Fund Balance for the 2010-2011 school year, an annual audit with only four minor recommendations and an unqualified audit opinion, the highest level opinion that could be given by an independent auditor. The turnaround over three years of $6,411,247 was the result of enhanced procedures, continuous oversight and improved internal controls in the Business Office.

Mr. Finger possesses forty years of experience as an accounting and audit professional, thirty of those years working exclusively in the field of school business administration.

Mr. Finger previously worked for the New Jersey Department of Education for fourteen years as an auditor, audit supervisor, and his last two years as Hudson County School Business Administrator.

In addition, Mr. Finger served for more than five years as Business Administrator/Board Secretary for the Keansburg school district and for five years as Business Administrator/Board Secretary for the Teaneck school district.

Mr. Finger retired in February 2015 from Teaneck and has worked as a consultant for the Plumsted school district and as Interim School Business Administrator for the Watchung and Lyndhurst school districts.