Kimberly Zedalis is the new director of financial services, while Christopher Berdnik is the new business administrator
The Times
The Pennsbury board of school directors named Kimberly A. Zedalis to be the new director of financial services, effective March 18. The announcement was made during the public school board meeting held on Feb. 21.
Zedalis will replace long-time Pennsbury administrator Joanne Godzieba, who is retiring from this position, which she has held since 1988. Zedalis will be re-joining former colleagues in the Financial Services Department when she arrives later this month. She served as the staff accountant for Pennsbury from 2007–2015, when she left to take the position of financial officer for Valley Day School in Morrisville.
Since 2016, she has served as the financial services manager for the Neshaminy School District. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from La Salle University and a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Widener University.
“Ms. Zedalis rose quickly to the top of our candidate pool,” said district superintendent Dr. William J. Gretzula. “She was well-respected for her prior work in the district, and returns with great support from those with whom she will interact most closely on a daily basis.”
The director of financial services is directly responsible to the business administrator and ultimately to the superintendent for all official financial, accounting, and bookkeeping activities of the district. This includes budget preparation and control; determination of cash flow and placement of investments; determining scope and conduct of internal audits; accounting for general fund, capital funds, cafeteria, federal programs, student activities, and other funds; and payroll and accounts payable functions and operations.
Also during the Feb. 21 meeting, the board appointed William R. Gretton III, a retired professional with many years of school district experience, to serve in a consulting capacity to provide business administration services for Pennsbury, effective Feb. 27.
Gretton will bridge the gap between the previous consultant, Jeffrey Bader, who until recently served as an interim business administrator for the district, and the arrival of the new, full-time business administrator, Christopher Berdnik, to ensure continuity of services and support.
Gretton will receive a per diem rate of $700 for a period to be determined at the sole discretion of the district to handle daily operations of the business department. Gretton has served since 2008 as an interim and acting business administrator for a number of school districts since he retired from the position of assistant superintendent of business affairs for the Harrisburg School District.
The board also approved Christopher Berdnik as the new Pennsbury business administrator, effective upon his release from his current position as chief financial officer for the Centennial School District.
He has held this position since 2016, having also served there previously in the same role from 2011 to 2014. Berdnik worked as director of business operations in the Bensalem School District from 2014–2016, and previously as chief financial officer/chief operations officer for the School District of Pittsburgh from 1995–2010.
He earned a master’s degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University and holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Berdnik is a registered school business administrator through the PA Association of School Business Officials, and has received numerous awards from PASBO and the Association of School Business Officials International, among others.
The Pennsbury business administrator is responsible for all business affairs of the district and serves as the board secretary. This individual also oversees Pennsbury’s implementation of the state’s Act I legislation, which mandates specific regulations with regard to school district budget planning.
Responsibilities of the position include leading the preparation, control, and reporting of the annual general fund and capital budgets, as well as future year operating and capital budget projections. The business administrator is responsible for the management of financial services, plant facilities, transportation, warehouse, print shop, purchasing, and payroll departments.
In addition, the position calls for administration of professional service agreements and contracts, including those for food services, KidsCare, the district’s aquatics program, architectural and engineering services, legal services, insurance, financial advisor services, accounting, auditing, and health benefits. In Pennsbury, the business administrator also serves as the open records officer for the district.
