MANSFIELD — The Mansfield City School board voted unanimously to approve a contract with Rockmill Financial Consulting at its meeting Tuesday.
Rockmill is an independent municipal advisor and financial consultant based in Westerville, Ohio.
In the one-year, $40,000 contract, Rockmill agrees to advise on the district on its “planned facilities project,” including “taxation options, community education and engagement.”
Board president Chris Elswick and vice president Linda Golden praised Rockmill’s founder and owner David Conley following a recent meeting.
“David has worked with almost a third of the school districts in Ohio,” Golden said. “He is an amazing person, he just blew my socks off. I’m really excited about him coming in and helping.”
Elswick thanked interim treasurer Judy Forney for making the introduction. Forney, also the treasurer of Mount Vernon City Schools, said she had worked with Conley when Mount Vernon built its new field house and bus garage.
“David Conley has advised many school districts across the state of Ohio in connection specifically with building projects, looking at the finances, ways that we can help with the district’s portion,” Forney said.
“There are a lot of legal things that you have to make sure that you do and you have to do them in the right order. And he made sure that everything was done exactly right.”
Mansfield City has closed several of its neighborhood elementary schools over the last 10 years in the face of declining enrollment. Supt. Stan Jefferson has previously said one of the district’s goals is to construct new, 21st-century facilities.
On Tuesday, Jefferson said he’ll have a better idea of the district’s position and what comes next after speaking more with Conley.
Partnership with Avita Health System will introduce students to medical careers
The board also approved a new agreement between Avita Health System and the career tech health technologies program at Mansfield Senior High School.
Nikia Fletcher, director of career and college readiness, said health technologies students will visit an Avita hospital, tour each department and meet with department chairs.
Fletcher said students will get to tour departments including radiology, surgery, sterile processing, pharmacy, respiratory, catheter labs, endoscopy and the intensive care unit.
“They’ll spend an entire day kind of doing a rotation with these departments and learning what it is they do,” Fletcher said.
“If you ask a student what it is they want to do in health, they’re probably gonna give you one of two answers: ‘I want to be a nurse’ or ‘I want to be a doctor.’ This allows our students to see the variety of opportunities that are available to them in the hospital system.”
Fletcher said the program will start in February and noted Avita has similar partnerships with Pioneer Career and Technology Center and Tri Rivers Career Center.
