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Wellsville BOE puts hold on hiring of new treasurer

WELLSVILLE — The hiring of a new school treasurer was placed on hold after the current president of the Wellsville Education Association brought up accusations made by Dawn Welsch’s current employer at Sebring Schools about her job performance.

A check of the Sebring School District’s most recent audits showed no findings for recovery, however a letter of written reprimand and improvement plan provided to the newspaper shows the president of the Sebring board had some concerns. The letter was dated on Dec. 6, 2021, six months after the last audit of the school.

According to media accounts from that time, the Sebring Local Education Association teachers’ union had voted “no confidence” regarding Welsch’s handling of their deduction of retirement benefits and health insurance contributions, as well as obtaining signatures.

Wellsville Teachers Association president Christine Willison said told Wellsville’s board on Monday the union has concerns about Welsch, who was on the agenda to be approved as the treasurer to replace Nancy Francis, who leaves on July 31.

“I would like to strongly discourage the hiring of Ms. Welsch,” Willison read from a statement. “Instead, I would like to encourage the board to continue the search for a treasurer, who would serve the district and our students with strong ethics, diligence, financial accuracy and integrity. Continuing the search is crucial for the longevity and stability of our district.”

The Wellsville Board of Education tabled the vote after taking an executive session to discuss personnel matters.

An email requesting comment from Welsch went unanswered, but Board President Gary Althiser said on Wednesday that Welsch has since withdrawn her name for consideration for the position. Althiser said the board would either advertise the position again or choose from the other applicants for the position to interview again.

“We’re just trying to do what’s best for the district,” Althiser said, adding there are limited numbers of people with the qualifications needed for a treasurer position and a lot of districts looking.

In other matters:

— The board voted to approve the extension of the contracts with the WTA and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees with pay increases of 3 percent. According to Superintendent Richard Bereschik, there are only a few other minor changes to the contracts.

— The board approved the five-year forecast presented by Francis, which includes information about the income expected for the district through the state budget, possible increases anticipated when tax reappraisals are completed, ESSER allocations and $1.5 million from the South Field Energy agreement, although $300,000 of that is going into the permanent improvement fund. The salary increases were included in the five-year forecast. Wages and benefits make up 84 percent of the school district’s expenses.

At this point, the forecast shows the district having an unencumbered balance of nearly $2.7 million at the end of fiscal year 2023 and $2.8 million at the end of fiscal year 2024, before tailing off in 2025 and 2026.

— The board approved the property, fleet and liability insurance through McBane Insurance, which will cost $60,000 more than last year. It was noted prices have increased due to increases in cyber insurance.

— The next meeting of the board of education will be moved from Monday, June 20 to 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 13. The move is due to the Juneteenth holiday, which will be recognized by the district on June 20 because June 19 is on a Sunday.

djohnson@mojonews.com

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