Four candidates seeking to fill the presently vacant Chief Financial Officer for the Demopolis City School System faced an hour long interview before the Board of Education Friday.
Each candidate endured a battery 16 prepared questions.
Paula Bird, former Demopolis City Clerk, began the afternoon as the first interview.
Bird resigned her post as city clerk nearly a year ago.
Bird previously served as a Certified Public Accountant in Tuscaloosa before coming to Demopolis.
“I think the position is somewhat similar as what I had as city clerk in that you work directly with the superintendent but are accountable to the board,” she said.
Given the status of the General Fund and coming proration, each candidate was asked how they would balance a shrinking checkbook.
“You really have to get down and look at what expenditures you have and how they’re being expended,” she said. “The best thing you can do is to see what services that you have and see what services you cannot do without.”
Properly funding those services, Bird said adding that funding would be allocated “lean”, would help preserve the most critical services and identify those which could be eliminated with minimal impact on the classroom.
Also, at the conclusion of the interview, each candidate faced the obvious question: Why they think they are the best fit for the job.
“I am a good accountant,” Bird said. “I have my CPA. I’m experienced in accounting and finance and cost accounting and I’ve had experience in governmental accounting and experience in auditing government agencies. I think that I’m a good worker and would be able to provide the City of Demopolis and the school system with honest, integrity and good accounting skills.”