MANSFIELD — Barbara Donohue has no time to waste.
The Mansfield City school board voted 5-0 Tuesday to appoint Donohue as interim treasurer. She’ll begin work Wednesday morning.
Donohue, whose recent experience includes time at Crestview and Shelby City Schools, will take over for outgoing interim Judy Forney. The new treasurer’s contract with the district runs through July 31.
The board spent more than two hours in executive session prior to the vote, interviewing Donohue and outgoing Clear Fork Supt. Janice Wyckoff.
Wyckoff was one of seven candidates who applied for the position after the job was posted in March. She earned her Ohio School Treasurer’s license in February.
Other applicants for the position had little-to-no recent school treasurer experience, according to resumes obtained by Richland Source through a public records request. More than half did not own a valid Ohio Treasurer License — a requirement for the job under Ohio law.
“After thorough deliberation, it was determined that none of the current applicants meet the needs for our permanent Treasurer role,” read a statement from the school board issued Tuesday night.
“We are committed to finding the best match for our district’s needs and plan to resume our search for a full-time Treasurer in the near future.”
Donohue did not apply for the role, but heard about it from Supt. Kevin Kimmel at the Mid Ohio Educational Service Center (MOESC), which aided the district in its treasurer search.
“They’ve been doing searches and I said I would help them out. I wasn’t really ready to retire when I retired,” Donohue said.
“With my experience and my background, I felt I could be a good asset for Mansfield City Schools.”
Board president Chris Elswick said the district will repost the treasurer position soon in hopes of securing a permanent candidate by the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
“We’re thrilled that (Donohue) is experienced and she’s willing to come in and help us,” he said.
Donohue has two decades’ experience in school finance
Donohue’s career as a school treasurer spanned two decades. She’s served as the chief financial officer of several Ohio school districts, including Crestline Exempted Village, Mapleton Local, Lucas Local, Mount Vernon City, Amherst Exempted Village Schools, Cuyahoga Falls City, Shelby City and Crestview Local.
She has a bachelor’s in business administration from Mount Vernon Nazarene University and a master’s in education/school treasurer from Ashland University.
“I like the work. I love numbers,” she said. “Most districts, they’ve ended up with a higher fund balance when I leave than they had when I came. So I’m proud of that.”
Donohue’s most recent position was with Crestview, where she worked until July 2022.
Donohue said she’s been involved in three different school facilities projects over the course of her career, including the development of Shelby’s new PreK-8th and 9-12th grade buildings.
While she genuinely enjoys crunching numbers, she said the most rewarding part is knowing her work positively impacts kids.
“When I do my best in budgeting, we get more educational things for children,” she said. “You’d be surprised — save here, save there, save here — what it will get for kids.”
She said her goals are to ensure a clean audit and a transparent office.
“My goal is to make sure the community and the staff know where we’re at financially all the time and that they feel, by knowing this stuff, that we’re good stewards of the taxpayer’s dollars,” she said.
“Being transparent and putting it out there helps them trust more and believe in the district.”