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Lakota faces surge in retirements; board approves new Liberty Early Childhood principal and other personnel
Summary
Board trustees approved the superintendent’s personnel recommendations April 28 and were briefed on a large increase in retirements, prompting significant recruiting and HR work.
The Lakota Board of Education on April 28 approved multiple superintendent recommendations including personnel actions and heard staff warn of an unusually large retirement wave that will require a major hiring effort.
Superintendent Dr. Whiteley announced the appointment of Tanisha Smith as Liberty Early Childhood School principal and invited the board and community to meet her; “She is going to be our new Liberty Early Childhood School principal,” Whiteley said during opening remarks.
Treasurer Adam Zink reviewed forecast assumptions and highlighted a steep rise in retirements affecting salary and severance planning: “When we initially had done the 5 year forecast in November, we had estimated 24 retirees. We’re up now to a 72, and it could be potentially a lot more,” he said. Zink and Dr. Whiteley both noted the human resources workload to replace staff if retirements continue to escalate; HR staff told the board STRS (State Teachers Retirement System) telephone support is slow and some employer inquiries have long waits.
The board also acknowledged that Assistant Superintendent Stacy Mainy has been named superintendent at Miami’s Berg (announcement noted by Dr. Whiteley), triggering a future process to fill that central office role.
What was approved: the board approved the superintendent’s recommendations A through H on the consent agenda, covering personnel items (hires and retirements), the 2026–27 calendar brought forward for approval, Ohio High School Athletic Association membership, several bid awards (pavement/resurfacing alternates), the expedited local partnership program application, and routine declarations such as impracticality of transportation for some field trips.
Discussion versus decision: the board formally approved the consent agenda items. Discussion focused on the scale of retirements, recruitment difficulties and the timeline for onboarding new staff.
Next steps: the district will hold a staff meet‑and‑greet for Tanisha Smith on Thursday; HR and hiring activity will increase to fill vacancies, and the board plans to address assistant superintendent replacement processes in future meetings.
