Eastwood school board mulls income tax, superintendent search

12/21/2005

PEMBERVILLE, Ohio - The Eastwood Local Board of Education will most likely conduct a superintendent's search at the same time district officials are trying to garner support from voters for an income tax.

Board members unanimously accepted the resignation of Superintendent William McFarland during their regularly scheduled meeting Monday night.

Mr. McFarland, who was hired as superintendent in February, 1998, retired less than two years ago but was immediately lured back with an extended contract that ends July 31. He will finish his contract but declined to accept another.

Board President Denis Helm said the board will begin discussing an action plan for a new superintendent at the beginning of the year.

The board also discussed placing an income tax on the May ballot.

The district's five-year, 8.9-mill operating levy that generates $1.5 million a year expires in 2006. Instead of asking for a renewal, the board plans to ask voters to approve a five-year, 1 percent income tax that is expected to raise $1.7 million a year for the district, allowing it to keep up with inflation.

The board unanimously approved asking the Wood County auditor to certify the income tax amount, and plans at its January meeting to ask the county elections board to place it on the May ballot.

The last time the district was on the ballot was in August, when voters approved a five-year, 4.8-mill emergency operating levy that raises $878,000 a year. That same issue was rejected in May.

In other action, the board voted to appoint Tim Shank to the seat recently vacated by Tim Meyer, who was elected on Nov. 8 to serve on the Wood County Educational Service Center board.

After interviewing five candidates last week, Mr. Shank was selected by a 3-1 vote, with board member Bob Kuhlman voting no. Mr. Kuhlman said he voted no because he favored another candidate the board had interviewed.

Mr. Shank, 47, a commodity-risk manager who unsuccessfully ran for a school board seat in November, was sworn in last night at the beginning of the meeting to fill the remaining two years of Mr. Meyer's term.