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Search firms present plans to help Garfield Heights board fill treasurer vacancy
Summary
At a special Garfield Heights City School District meeting in July 2026, two search firms (OSBA and Finding Leaders) outlined recruitment strategies, timelines, assessments and guarantees to help the board fill an upcoming treasurer vacancy; Finding Leaders proposed a $7,900 fee.
The Garfield Heights City School District Board of Education on Monday in July 2026 heard detailed presentations from two firms offering to conduct the board's search for a new treasurer after the districttreasurer told the board they will leave the post effective July 31.
Terry Morgan, representing the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA), told the board OSBA would run an objective, national search and handle logistics including a two-stage interview schedule, use of the Revelus application portal, behavioral assessments and background checks through Baker Eubanks. "We are in until you find the right treasurer," Morgan said, adding OSBA would reopen the search at no extra cost if the board did not find a satisfactory candidate on the first cycle.
Ryan Pendleton of Finding Leaders, a mechanism of the North East Ohio Educational Service Center, presented an engagement-focused model that emphasizes local recruitment, stakeholder focus groups and tailored interview questions. Pendleton said Finding Leaders charges an upfront fee of $7,900 (half due up front) and described a process of initial screening, first- and second-round interviews, finalist presentations and due diligence. "We want them not to use you as a stepping stone," Pendleton said, stressing the firm screens for fit as well as technical competence.
Both firms recommended background checks and structured interview scripts to ensure fair comparisons among applicants; both said the board would review candidate slates directly. Finding Leaders noted a guarantee to repeat the search at no cost if the hire does not work out within the first year; OSBA offered a similar reopen guarantee. Neither firm presented specific candidate names or timelines tied to exact calendar dates in the transcript.
The board will decide which search option to pursue; the meeting continued with agenda items including administrative-contract adjustments and a separate vote on a teachers' negotiated agreement.
