The Mariemont City School District will have a new person in charge of finances this fall.
Tom Golinar will take over for the district’s current treasurer, Natalie Lucas, who is retiring after 25 years with the Mariemont schools.
Golinar signed a three-year contract with the school district and starts Sept. 1 with a base salary of $112,000.
“I really feel (Mariemont) is one of the premier school districts in the state … and I want to continue that tradition of excellence,” he said.
Golinar said he is looking forward to working with the new superintendent, staff and getting to know the community.
He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Cincinnati and is a certified public accountant.
Golinar is the treasurer for the Southwest Local School District in Harrison. He also was the treasurer for the Winton Woods City School District from 2005-2011 and assistant treasurer for the Northwest Local School District from 1998-2005.
Mariemont Board of Education President Peggy Braun said they picked Golinar as the new treasurer because of his integrity and passion for fiscal responsibility and transparency. “We believe that his enthusiasm for open and mindful financial reporting will help guide our district into the future,” she said.
Golinar said the uncertainty surrounding state funding, which has been declining in the past several years, is one of the biggest financial challenges facing the Mariemont schools and other school districts across Ohio.
“The biggest challenge is gauging what kind of support we’re going to get from the state and how much funding we’ll get or how much they’ll take away,” he said.
The amount of a possible levy request, currently at 5.95 mills, could change once school district officials learn how much funding they will receive from the state in Ohio’s next budget, which is expected to be approved by the end of June.