When Brian White became superintendent of Butler School District last month, we expressed confidence that Butler was getting a valuable administrator, judging from what the people in his former district of Chartiers Valley told us about him.

We acknowledged that many questioned the pay rate White will receive: $182,000 the first year, increasing 2 percent annually to $200,942 in the fifth year. At the same time, we quoted a Butler school board member, Al Vavro, when he said, “In my opinion we have identified a visionary leader.”

It’s still a little too early to discern White’s vision, but some preliminary budget calculations from the superintendent’s desk give us a glimmer of what lies ahead — and it’s hopeful.

The calculations surfaced after a board meeting on Monday. At that meeting, the board hired a communications coordinator. Kara Droney of KD Communications will work at an hourly rate of $53 for a maximum of 32 hours per week. White said Droney will work on the district’s communications, branding, website and social media. She previously worked with White at Chartiers Valley.

The budget calculations reveal a bigger picture. They indicate White’s intention to eliminate two administrative positions — superintendent’s secretary and maintenance supervisor — and drastically reduce the duties and pay for a business manager.

All told, the staff reductions more than offset the additional cost of a communications professional. By White’s calculations The net savings will be $187,823. That’s even before any charter-schooled families return to the Butler district — on Monday, White said it would take just five district residents to switch from charter school to back to the Butler district to cover the cost of the communications coordinator position.

If he’s right, then that $187,000 in savings is $5,000 more than White’s entire first year of salary.

That’s not money in the bank — not yet anyway. However, evidence might be emerging of the capabilities of our new superintendent that prompted the school board to hire him. It appears that White has correctly diagnosed a top-heavy administration that’s weak in the realm of marketing and communication, and careless in the way it spends the public’s money.

It’s still too soon to see how the communication director deal will work out, but the diagnosis appears to be a step in the right direction for our district.