Perrysburg board restores assistant treasurer role and hires Angela Adams after heated debate

The Perrysburg Board of Education voted to restore the assistant treasurer position and approved hiring Angela Adams as assistant treasurer effective Aug. 1, 2026, on a two‑year contract, after more than two hours of public comment and board discussion.

The decision came during the board’s July meeting after members debated whether reinstating an administrative role was appropriate while some frontline positions and classroom supports remain reduced following last year’s failed levy. Board President (chair) opened the discussion saying the conversation would focus “only about the position” and not individual employees. The motion to hire Adams passed on a roll‑call vote.

Why it mattered: Board members who supported the hire said the assistant treasurer is necessary to ensure legal compliance, continuity and segregation of duties in the fiscal office. Treasurer Randy argued the district currently lacks a robust backup signer and cited Ohio Revised Code provisions that create risk if a single person alone controls payroll and payment authorizations. “If Randy is incapacitated for any reason, there is no legal way for us to process payroll or vendor payments,” one board member stated, urging a backup to pass the “bus test.”

Opponents and teacher representatives pushed back on optics and priorities. Rachel Davis, president of the Perrysburg Education Association, told the board that teachers and support staff have borne cuts—citing reductions in intervention specialists, social workers and copy limits—and questioned restoring an administrative position before reinstating classroom resources. “When the district says we do not have any money to give the teachers and students, but we have enough money to reinstate an assistant treasurer, how does this look?” Davis said.

Board members proposed and debated compromises: some suggested hiring an exempt assistant-to-the-treasurer role initially (fewer benefits and lower cost) and converting to a full administrative position later, tied to future levy outcomes. Others emphasized that prior audits and work practices had depended on the assistant‑treasurer’s functions and that reassigning duties had left the office with fewer segregations of duties than is optimal for a district Perrysburg’s size.

Votes and motions: Earlier in the same personnel package the board also approved eliminating (riffing) an Integrated Systems Specialist position to offset costs tied to the reorganization. The formal hiring motion for Angela Adams (16.3) passed on roll call with the attending board members recorded as voting in the affirmative. The board also approved a separate motion designating the assistant treasurer (or a board‑appointed designee) as the district’s credit‑card compliance officer to meet ORC requirements.

What the administration said: Randy, the treasurer, told the board he has confidence the new hire can perform the required duties and that part of the assistant treasurer’s salary will be offset by administrative fees from grant and auxiliary funds. He said some duties previously assigned to the assistant treasurer will be redistributed among staff and the integrated systems specialist role or built into other positions as appropriate.

Next steps: The board asked administration to provide clearer job descriptions and to bring related operational recommendations—such as adjustments to copy‑limit policy or specific staff restorations—back to the board. The board also said it will include the formal appointment of the credit‑card compliance officer on the organizational meeting agenda each year.

— Actions recorded: motion to riff ISS position (passed); motion to hire Angela Adams as assistant treasurer, effective 2026-08-01, two‑year contract (passed); motion to appoint the assistant treasurer as credit‑card compliance officer (passed).