Youngstown schools expect interim treasurer this week

By Denise Dick

denise_dick@vindy.com

Youngstown

City school officials expect to have an interim district treasurer in place late this week and will meet next week with the firm that will conduct a national search for a permanent replacement.

Last week, the schools state-appointed academic distress commission placed William Johnson, treasurer since 2007, on paid administrative leave through the end of his contract, July 31. Johnson already had announced his retirement effective that day.

Although the district had narrowed to four a list of finalists for the job, the commission also directed a firm be hired to conduct a national search.

In an email to district and commission officials Monday, Adrienne O’Neill, commission chairwoman, wrote that the Mahoning County Educational Service Center will inform the district and commission of who the interim treasurer will be.

Lock P. Beachum Sr., school board president, read O’Neill’s email during Tuesday’s school board meeting.

The interim treasurer will work on the district’s five-year forecast that’s due next week with the understanding that it may not be possible to have it done by then, she wrote.

The interim treasurer also will work with the district’s data department to “get information straight” that’s needed for the five-year forecast, the commission chairwoman wrote in the email.

“In this manner we hope to get for Youngstown City Schools every dollar that is theirs,” O’Neill wrote.

While the commission didn’t state a reason for placing Johnson on paid leave, there was much discussion at last week’s meeting about the student count and financial projections that accompany it. Earlier this year, the district expected to lose about $4 million in state funding because of a larger-than-expected drop in student enrollment.

The commission passed resolutions based on that lower funding including one that increases class size.

Earlier this month, though, the district learned that the loss would be about $1 million in state funding.

O’Neill said she was disturbed that the commission made decisions based on information that was inaccurate.

Johnson said that he reported information that was accurate based on information at the time from the data department. The student count increased between February and this month, he said.

Beachum said the board will meet next week with representatives from Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates of Rosemont, Ill., a school executive search firm to discuss treasurer qualifications and a national search.