A top financial official in the District of Columbia’s schools has resigned, leaving the stricken school system without a comptroller as it attempts to pull itself off of a federal “high risk” list.
Abinet Belachew tendered his resignation last week. He is at least the 16th official to leave the schools finance office in the last six months. The federal government has rated D.C. schools “high risk” for federal funds.
Finance office spokeswoman Maryann Young did not respond to requests for comment.
But Belachew, the only certified public accountant and fraud examiner in the school finance office, received high marks from school observers.
“He’ll be sorely missed,” said Mary Levy, an attorney who monitors the schools for the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights. “He was a real ‘Dr. No.’”
The school finance office has suffered high turnover.
“I have to conclude that it must not be a very nice place to work,” Levy said.
