K12 representative outlines treasurer search options as Miami East Local board sets interview schedule

Penny, a representative from K12, presented search options to the Miami East Local Board of Education at its June 2 organizational meeting and helped the board set a timeline for hiring a new district treasurer.

Penny described two paths: a traditional standalone treasurer search or a shared-services arrangement in which neighboring districts contract for treasurer services. She said the shared-services model can lift pay and reduce turnover in small districts but acknowledged it is sometimes unpopular. "The talent pool is just... it's just really hard to find people," Penny said, urging the board to plan for active outreach.

Board members agreed to begin with a traditional search and reserve shared services as a backup if recruiting proves unsuccessful. Penny proposed a recruiting calendar: finish the candidate brochure by Friday so it could be posted the following Monday; open applications through June 19 with an application deadline of June 20; and hold a screening meeting around June 24 to review application materials and select interviewees. Penny said she would provide a secure web link and password so board members could review candidates' application materials.

On interviews, members discussed availability and logistics and settled on holding first-round interviews July 2, starting at 4:00 p.m., with finalist interviews to follow the week of July 6–7 (members discussed a 5:00 p.m. start for finalist interviews). Penny recommended planning for at least three candidates and estimated roughly 45 minutes per interview. The board noted that, if finalists are selected quickly, contracts could be turned around rapidly, though same-day contract finalization would be a heavy lift.

Procedurally, the board approved the meeting agenda earlier in the session and voted to enter an executive session under the Ohio Revised Code for matters pertaining to appointment and employment of public employees. The board chair said any parts of the search materials that needed confidential discussion would be handled in executive session as allowed by statute.

Next steps the board set on the record include finalizing and posting the brochure, opening the application period through June 20, convening a screening meeting on or about June 24 to select interviewees, conducting first-round interviews July 2 at 4:00 p.m., and scheduling finalist interviews the week of July 6–7. The board asked Penny to update contact information in the packet and to include the agreed timeline in the meeting minutes.

The board did not take a hiring vote at the June 2 meeting; members said they expected to return to the matter after screening the candidate pool.