Interviews begin for TPS interim treasurer

7/26/2006

The Toledo Board of Education's human resource committee has interviewed its first candidate to serve as interim treasurer for the school district.

District leaders said they are confident they will have someone in the job before the current treasurer's last day, averting a total shutdown of the 30,000-student system.

Board members Deborah Barnett and Robert Torres spent more than an hour yesterday interviewing Dan Griscom, who was treasurer of the Ridgedale Local School District in Ohio's Marion County.

"We are looking to interview two others," Mr. Torres said. "If those candidates have the same background [and] if the interviews go as well as this one, we are going to be in a good position."

Current Treasurer James Fortlage is retiring Sept. 1 and joining former Superintendent Eugene Sanders in Cleveland, where Mr. Sanders is now chief executive of the public school system. Mr. Fortlage will be the chief financial officer for Cleveland schools beginning Sept. 5.

The Toledo school board is looking for a short-term replacement for Mr. Fortlage until a permanent replacement is found.

The committee asked Mr. Fortlage to contact Bill Kobbeman, the district's former director of fiscal compliance, to ask if he is interested in interviewing for the job.

Mr. Fortlage also said the treasurer of the East Cleveland City School District, Mary Ann Nowak, may be interviewed.