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Board approves multiple hires including ECC principal, HR director and varsity football coach amid pickup‑pay debate
Summary
The Little Miami board approved 43 personnel items, hiring Lindsay Eckstein as ECC principal, Mike Malone as executive director of human resources and Nate Mahan as varsity head football coach. The approvals prompted public and board debate over pickup payments and timing of board discussion.
The Little Miami Local School District Board of Education approved 43 personnel items on March 4, including the district’s new ECC principal and executive director of human resources, and appointed Nate Mahan as varsity head football coach. The board recorded a roll-call vote with four members in favor and one opposed to the personnel slate.
During the personnel discussion a board member asked that two positions be separated for individual votes; the request was not adopted and several board members raised concerns about “pickups” (employer contributions or supplemental pay tied to those hires) and how additional district compensation should be handled relative to classroom spending and prospective levies.
Board discussion included differing views on process and timing. One board member said the district should discuss pickup pay and comparable pay across districts in a work session before approving similar future actions; other board members said some retirements preceded the openings and that early hiring helps secure candidates.
At the vote the motion to approve the personnel slate passed with the following roll call: Mrs. Grice — yes; Mrs. Horvath — yes; Mrs. Elmer — yes; Mr. Seibert — yes; Mr. Wallace — no. After the vote the superintendent announced hires by name, including Lindsay Eckstein (ECC principal), Mike Malone (executive director of human resources) and Nate Mahan (varsity head football coach), and noted the district’s practice of hiring early to secure preferred candidates.
Board members agreed to set a future work session to discuss pickup/pay structure and district compensation comparisons. Several board members expressed that further conversation as a board would be healthier for transparency and priority‑setting.
The hiring approvals were recorded as motions and the superintendent moved to implement the personnel slate as presented; no individual employment terms beyond pickups or general STRS pickup percentages were spelled out in the public minutes.
