FREDERICKTOWN — Fredericktown’s school board voted Tuesday to approve the resignation of superintendent Susan Hayward, which will take effect Jan. 2, 2022.
“I have submitted my resignation to pursue another professional opportunity,” Hayward wrote in an email to Knox Pages. “My sincere thanks to those who have supported me during my tenure as superintendent. I wish only the best for the students, staff, and entire community of Fredericktown Local Schools.”
Further details about Hayward’s next job were not shared during the special meeting Tuesday or with Knox Pages at this time.
“Congratulations on getting an awesome job,” board president Todd McClay said during the meeting, “and we wish you the best.”
The board also voted Tuesday for the district to pay out Hayward’s accrued and unused personal and vacation time. Board member Patty Miller initially made the motion to add this stipulation to the vote.
“We typically have not in the past awarded our employees accrued vacation time, personal leave, that kind of thing,” Miller said. “I would like to add that to the motion that we would consider paying out all time accumulated on her personal and vacation time, accrued and unused, by Jan. 2.”
The board approved another motion to begin the search for an interim superintendent, effective immediately, and board members Candi Gallagher and Miller were subsequently appointed to a committee to begin the search.
The board will retain Ohio School Boards Association for a permanent superintendent search.
The board also approved another resignation Tuesday, that of assistant treasurer Dawn Campbell, effective Dec. 21. Campbell also has secured a new position, McClay said Tuesday, but did not provide specifics.
Campbell did not respond to Knox Pages‘ request for comment.
In addition to approving the resignation, the board approved another motion made by Miller to reconfigure the treasurer’s office staffing. Fredericktown currently has three positions in the treasurer’s office: a treasurer, assistant treasurer and a fiscal support position.
“Essentially what we have in our current configuration is a full-time treasurer and a 50-hour position staffed with two people,” Miller said.
Miller suggested cutting staffing to two positions — a full-time treasurer and a full-time assistant to the treasurer.
Fredericktown is the only district in Knox County, aside from Mount Vernon City Schools, that has three employees in its treasurer’s office.
After approving the motion to reconfigure staffing, the board appointed board members Charles Streby and Miller to work on developing a job description for a 40-hour/week assistant to the treasurer position and the logistics of the office reconfiguration.
This is a developing story. Additional reporting on this topic is forthcoming.
