Facing financial uncertainty Byron picks new interim finance director

The Byron school district will have yet another interim finance director, after current interim finance director Julie Cink and the school district mutually agreed to part ways at the end of her contract.
“In the Fall, Julie Cink started with Byron Public Schools as a consultant working as an Interim Finance Director,” Superintendent Mike Neubeck wrote in a memo. “Her agreement was for 40 days that went into December. Julie has done a terrific job in this position and has helped Byron Public Schools to have better organization and efficiency as she has worked through our audit and budgets.”
Neubeck said after December, the contract would not be extended “for various reasons.”
When asked what those reasons were Neubeck said her original agreement goes into December.
“Because she drives from the metro area and it is winter, Ms. Cink would prefer not to continue with the agreement past December 17th,” Neubeck wrote in an email. “She presently was onsite two days a week and virtual one day a week. The work she has done and her presence in the office has been invaluable. She will be missed.”
Instead, the district will rely on Dan Pyan, a retired school Business Director who has worked in Stewartville, New Prague, and most recently the South Washington County School District.
“He is available to work as a consultant as our Interim Finance Director,” Neubeck said. “We would schedule him consistently at 20 hours per week starting December 2 but would bring him in a few different days before that to assist the leadership team to retrieve data as planning begins for 2025-26 staffing. Dan’s hourly rate is $90 an hour and he would be available for board meetings and other meetings as needed. Dan will plan to stay until June 30 or until we find a fulltime replacement.”
There is also the financial side of things, Neubeck said, noting the district would save about $50,000 over six months by having Pyan.
“Another reason for the move is that his fee for the work is significantly less than Ms. Cink’s. In a district that just failed an operating levy, that is also important,” Neubeck said.
Neubeck said the plan will be to post for the full-time finance director position sometime in February.