School Board to Hire New Treasurer, Rick Berdine
Berdine comes from the Lakewood City Schools.
Rick Berdine brings the skills and experience the Brecksville-Broadview Heights schools need in a treasurer/chief financial officer, said Board of Education Vice President Mark Jantzen.
The board will meet Wednesday night to approve the employment of Berdine, the treasurer of the Lakewood City Schools. Berdine announced his intentions to retire from the Lakewood City Schools last August, according to Lakewood Patch.
The board has been searching for a replacement for Karen E. Obratil, who announced her retirement from the district in February. Obratil spent 11 years with Brecksville-Broadview Heights and will soon be headed to Nordonia Hills.
Berdine spent nearly 15 years in Lakewood serving in a variety of roles, including as a business manager. He has also worked in the Cuyahoga Falls and Sebring Local schools. Jantzen said Berdine has seen the way multiple districts operate, he has been involved in levy campaigns and he understands the importance of keeping costs down.
The board hires the treasurer and the superintendent, Jantzen said, and both report directly to the board.
Berdine said he was always interested in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District, calling it one of the premier districts in the state. When he saw the opening, he went for it.
Berdine said he enjoys working as a treasurer because no two days are ever the same. It’s a challenging job in this economic climate, but the end result—seeing students getting a quality education—makes it worth it.
“It’s very rewarding,” he said.
Berdine is set to begin on Aug. 1. Jantzen said his contract, including salary information, would be made available after Wednesday’s meeting.
Brad
10:23 pm on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Did I read this right? It says that he retired from the Lakewood Schools. Is he double dipping? In other words is he collecting 80% of his previous salary for a pension in addition to his new salary with Brecksville Schools?
Jill Gavin
2:59 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
We are giving him responsibility of the finances of our school district when he is taking advantage of the state by getting paid two salaries for performing one job. He is retiring from his $187,000 (obtained from state treasurer web site) as treasurer of Lakewood Schools and coming to Brecksville to perform the same job. He will be getting his pension (probably 80% of his $187,000) as well as his new salary. It sounds like he is pretty good at managing his own finances very well.
Rachel Abbey McCafferty
5:46 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012
Hi Brad and Jill—I'll look into these specifics as soon as Berdine's contract is available. Thanks for the question!