Schools budget chief put on leave

Modesto City Schools' chief business official was placed on paid administrative leave Monday, according to Superintendent Arturo Flores.

Debbe Bailey is the 28,000-student district's deputy superintendent of business services and is in charge of the district's $270 million budget.

Reached at home Tuesday, Bailey referred all questions to Flores.

Board of trustees President Steve Grenbeaux did the same. Trustees were notified of the move when Flores e-mailed a copy of a memo he presented to Bailey on Monday, Grenbeaux said.

Flores did not return phone calls to his work or cell phone Tuesday afternoon. Instead, he had deputy superintendent of human resources Chris Flesuras call to confirm Bailey's status. When tracked down at a district meeting Tuesday night, Flores confirmed the news but would not discuss details, citing confidentiality rules regarding personnel issues.

He would not discuss the timing of his decision: placing the district's chief budget administrator on leave during painful spending cuts in preparation for the 2009-10 budget year, which will July 1.

Bailey has worked at the district for more than 20 years and was named to her current post in 2000. In many districts, the chief business official is second in command.

Bailey earns $165,000 a year, and her contract expires at the end of the 2009-10 school year.

The move appears to have caught most employees and trustees off guard.

Bailey was working through last week. She called teachers union officials late Friday to get the results of a vote to accept reductions in salary and workdays for 2009-10.

Trustee Cindy Marks, had nothing but high marks for Bailey.

"I did not see this coming," Marks said Tuesday afternoon. "I haven't talked to the superintendent. He said he'd tell us May 11 (at the next board meeting) and that's a long way off," Marks said.

In her 12th year on the board, Marks is the longest-serving trustee on the seven-member board.

Marks described Bailey as responsible, loyal and intelligent. She said Bailey has been recruited by other school districts and private companies from across the state and nation.

"She's the one who knows the most about our district," Marks said.

Bee staff writer Michelle Hatfield can be reached at mhatfield@modbee.com or 578-2339.