Barberton City Schools is investigating what caused its outgoing treasurer to provide flawed financial forecasts that led officials to believe the district’s financial outlook was better than it actually was.
Treasurer Craig A. McKendry, the district’s treasurer since 2021, has not been accused of wrongdoing.
The school board placed McKendry on work-from-home status in late November. It accepted McKendry’s resignation Dec. 10 and agreed to allow him to use his unused personal, vacation and sick time until his contract expires July 31.
Craig McKendry, who had been a math teacher and coach at Green High School for 15 years, served as treasurer for the Sandy Valley Local School District from 2015 to 2018 and for the Ravenna City School District from 2018 until joining Barberton City Schools in 2021.
McKendry, who had been a math teacher and coach at Green High School for 15 years, previously served as treasurer for the Sandy Valley Local School District from 2015 to 2018 and for the Ravenna City School District from 2018 until joining Barberton in 2021. His current annual salary is $131,000.
McKendry did not return a message seeking comment. An email to school board president Dave Polacek, whose 16-year term on the board ends Dec. 31, was not returned. Other school board members did not respond to an opportunity to comment.
Jennifer Sudhoff of the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio will serve as the district’s treasurer in the interim. Her services are provided under Barberton’s contract with the service center.
New forecasting software found errors
Superintendent Jason Ondrus said the inaccurate financial projections were discovered when the treasurer was preparing to submit his October financial forecast to the state.
Ondrus said the district had moved to a new financial forecasting platform that gave the treasurer better live reporting of district financial reconciliations and cash flow. The updated software revealed inaccurate projections affecting both revenue and expenses.
“I don’t believe there was any wrongdoing or anything done intentionally,” said Ondrus, who said no money is missing.
While the treasurer’s May financial forecast had anticipated a shortfall for the 2027-2028 school year, the new calculations showed the district was facing a multimillion-dollar shortfall a year earlier.
District officials are now scrambling to provide a financial plan to the state by Feb. 21 that explains how it will eliminate a $9.2 million deficit before next school year. As of Dec. 22, leaders expect to cut as many as 80 staff positions.
Ondrus said the district is working with the Ohio Auditor’s Office and the Shared Services Alliance, which is an agency available through the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio that can provide financial, business and operational help, to better understand what led to the inaccurate financial forecasts and how long they have been wrong.
The state’s performance audit, which also will provide recommendations on areas where the district can become more efficient and potentially save money, is expected to be completed this summer.
Ondrus said he believes the school board will begin searching for a new treasurer after the state auditor’s review.
Reach Akron Beacon Journal education writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kweir@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Barberton school treasurer Craig McKendry resigns after errors found