At the Jan. 2 Chelsea School Committee meeting the superintendent introduced Billie Jo Turner as the district’s new finance and operations leader, replacing the district’s previous finance administrator whose last day was Dec. 31, 2024.

Turner was presented to the committee with an overview of her background: more than 24 years of experience in financial and operational management, including accounting, payroll, purchasing, human resources, grant management, transportation, food service, facilities and risk management. Meeting remarks said her most recent position was chief financial officer for Lowell Public Schools and that she holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a master’s degree in education from Cambridge College.

The superintendent described Turner as someone who understands the balance between relationship building and accountability and said Turner’s experience positioned her to lead district finance and operations. Turner was seated near the committee during the introduction; the presentation was made for the record and no separate roll call was recorded for the introduction.

What this means

The hire fills a district finance leadership vacancy that the superintendent said occurred at the end of December. The new leader will be responsible for completing FY2024–25 financial operations and supporting procurement, payroll and grant management during the remainder of the fiscal year.

Provenance

This article is based on the superintendent’s personnel report during the Jan. 2, 2025 meeting.