Lakota seeks ‘jack of all trades’ to fill vacant treasurer position

School board has enlisted the help of a firm to hunt for top candidates.

LIBERTY TWP. — A new treasurer for Lakota Local Schools must be a jack of all trades, Lakota officials said.

The board intends to hire a new treasurer within the next three to four months, and Board President Joan Powell said he or she must wear many hats with proficiency in law, communication, money management, investment and community engagement.

The board of education has enlisted the help of a firm, Lovett and Lovett, to hunt for a new treasurer to replace Craig Jones, who left in July for a position in Troy. The firm would earn 30 percent of the treasurer’s new salary, but Powell said costs should mostly be covered by the funds the district is saving through paying an interim treasurer — former Lakota treasurer Alan Hutchinson — for two days a week. He is the Educational Service Center treasurer for Central Ohio.

“This is an important job,” Powell said. “There are lots of important qualifications.”

The board expects to interview around six candidates and narrow the search to three finalists, who would then interview with stakeholders. Because the district already has a certified treasurer as its assistant, she said it is opening up the search to any qualified candidates with a finance background who could then get school treasurer certification.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5067 or lhilty@coxohio.com.

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