Oakwood ends deal with school treasurer

The Oakwood School District has parted ways with its treasurer, Julia Belden, and now will use the Shared Resource Center to handle its financial duties.

The Oakwood School District has parted ways with its treasurer, Julia Belden, and now will use the Shared Resource Center to handle its financial duties.

The Oakwood School District has parted ways with its treasurer, Julia Belden, and now will use the Shared Resource Center to handle its financial duties.

In January, Belden was selected as the district’s new chief financial officer/treasurer, taking over for Kevin Philo, who left the job after 24 years to take the same position for Fairborn schools.

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Belden served as the CFO of the Community Blood Center and Community Tissue Services from 1993 to 2016. In her role as CFO, she was pivotal in the development and implementation of strategic plans that saw revenue for the center increase from $13 million to $120 million.

She also served as the CFO at Five Rivers Health Centers, where she was responsible for all finance and accounting functions, including budgeting, payroll, purchasing and facilities.

Oakwood school officials thought the idea of having the SRC take over management of the district’s finances was the way to go.

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“The Board of Education decided the shared service model utilized by the Shared Resource Center was a better fit for Oakwood,” Superintendent Kyle Ramey said.

Belden was not cited for any performance issues and had recently completed state certification for the position.

“We reached the end of the initial contract with Julie, and the board decided SRC was the right path forward for the district,” Ramey said. “At the Sept. 9 Board of Education meeting, members made the decision to enter into a long-term contract with them, with Dan Schall as treasurer and Tiffany Hiser providing support.”

Belden was not paid a severance package, according to Ramey, and the terms involved with SRC involve $13,700 per month to handle the contract with increases set over the duration of the contract, which runs through 2022.

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Board President Todd Duwel said at the time of Belden’s appointment in January that she “will be a tremendous partner for those of us who love to call Oakwood home.”

At the time, he challenged her to “conduct feasibility studies around alternative revenue streams for operational expenses and economic development potential, drive charitable and planned giving, and partner with anyone, anywhere who shares our commitment to the value of an Oakwood education and continuous learning and growth.”

Attempts to reach Belden for comment on this story were not successful.

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