London BOE seeks a treasurer
By Jane Beathard
Staff Writer
Wanted: a treasurer for London City Schools.
Board of education members contracted with the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio (ESCCO) on Monday to facilitate the search for a new district treasurer.
The ESCCO provides a variety of staffing services to school districts in Union, Franklin and Delaware counties. It charges no fee. However, London schools will pick up the tab for routine travel and other expenditures.
Former treasurer Britt Lewis parted ways with the district in February, following months of friction with the school board. Lewis received a $65,000 cash settlement and payout from the district in March. Local resident and veteran school treasurer Shirley Dodge is currently serving as interim treasurer.
Target date for hiring a new treasurer is July 1, but might take slightly longer, according to school board president Vici Geer.
Also on Monday, parent Jodi Tipton urged board members to fill current teacher openings from within the district.
“How often do we hire internally?,” Tipton asked. “If you are asking teachers to take pay cuts, are we allowing existing teachers to grow?”
Geer said she was uncertain about the rate of internal hiring in London schools. Tipton volunteered to research the issue and furnish a report to the school board at an upcoming meeting.
For the second month, board members debated filling middle school art and guidance counselor positions left vacant by recent retirements. The issue appears to divide the group, with Geer advocating to hire a counselor, while board members Marv Homan, Melissa Canney and Martha Geib, M.D. appear to balk at spending the money.
“They (counselors) do a whole variety of tasks,” Geer said, noting middle school administrative and support staff is already reduced.
Geib asked if the two high school guidance counselors could cover duties at the middle school. Homan and Canney want to put hiring on hold until after the May 3 special election.
“We need to see where we stand financially,” Homan said.
Board members agreed to postpone the decision until their May 24 regular meeting.
In other meeting action on Monday, school board members:
• Hired Denise Congleton as the English Language Learner teacher to replace Connie Dwyer, who will retire in June. Congleton once taught English in Japan and many of London’s ELL students are Japanese, Allen said.
• Hired Amanda Alice as director of special education to replace Kim Pareso, who resigned in March. Alice’s salary is $82,110 for 260 days of service. Allen said he received 29 applications for the job.
• Heard Jacque Burke, director of curriculum and instruction, report the district will fund 2011 summer school via grants. London’s pared-down summer school program is open to high school juniors and seniors who failed to pass the Ohio Graduation Test, as well as third-grade students who failed the Ohio Achievement Assessment in reading. London will offer additional summer school courses in physical education, health and algebra.
Summer school is free to London students. Those from outside the district will pay $100 per course.
