SHELBY — Madison Ratliff will have a much shorter commute to work next school year.
On Monday, the Shelby Board of Education announced Ratliff as the district’s new treasurer. He’s been serving since 2021 as Olentangy Local School’s assistant treasurer.
Ratliff will replace the outgoing Beth Lykins, whose resignation was accepted by the board at its February meeting. She will be departing from the district at the end of the school year to assume the same role at Willard City Schools.
Ratliff’s decision to apply for the position at Shelby City Schools was largely driven by family, he said.
His wife, Megan, graduated in 1997 from Shelby High School. The couple began a life in Columbus after meeting.
“Due to family circumstances, we moved back up to the area (Shelby) over Christmas,” Ratliff said. “While my original intent was to just commute, I’m always open to see what opportunities come along.
“When I saw Shelby open up, it was too good to pass up,” he said.
Ratliff brings a wealth of experience with him to Shelby. He was the budgetary accountant for Olentangy Local Schools from 2018-2021. Ratliff also spent time working at Hilliard City Schools and the state auditor’s office.
Board president says Ratliff will ‘fit in great’ at Shelby
Board President Scott Rose said the board is excited to begin working with Ratliff.
“He’s a great guy who has a great resume and a lot of great experiences,” he said.
Ratliff’s experience working at a district like Olentangy Local Schools, which currently has 23,602 students enrolled in grades K-12, is something Rose said will benefit Shelby City Schools.
“I think it will be good for our staff,” the board president said. “Some of the experiences he (Ratliff) has had might help us out.
“It’s a huge win for us. He’s a guy that wants to get involved in the community, which is a huge plus,” Rose said.
State budget
Similar to many treasurers around the state, the governor’s proposed state budget is something Ratliff is following closely.
That budget was put forward by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Feb. 3.
“Currently, Shelby stands to lose some of the state share percentage, which results in a decrease of funding they’ll receive starting next year a little bit and further reductions in fiscal year 2027,” he said.
“That’s something to definitely keep an eye on and it’s kind of hard to say what they may end up actually passing in the budget bill here in a few months.”
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Beth Lykins’ hiring as treasurer was approved by the Willard Board of Education on Jan. 13 at its organizational meeting.