South-Western City Schools has a new treasurer on board and it might be a name you recognize.
At a July 31 special executive meeting, the board of education voted to hire Hugh Garside, 39, as the new treasurer. He signed a three-year contract.
Garside has spent the past two years with Columbus Public Schools as the executive director for budget and financial management. Prior to that, he was the treasurer for SWCS from 1999 to Aug. 2004.
He resigned after he failed to submit the proper paperwork to the Franklin County Board of Elections that would have placed the district on the fall ballot for that year. He stated that he mailed the paperwork but it never arrived. Garside also worked as treasurer for the Logan Elm Local School District in Pickaway County from 1994-1998.
Board member Cathy Johnson said Garside stuck out to the board partly because he had worked for the district previously but mostly because of his work record.
"He worked for Columbus Public Schools, which is the third largest district in the state, and everybody we spoke to there had nothing but positive things to say about him," she said.
Garside was one of three interviewed for the job. He joined Jeff McCuen of Dublin City Schools and Scott Gooding of Westerville City Schools.
"Mr. Garside is one of the strongest treasurers and school finance minds in Ohio," said board president Jim Lester. "He is an excellent communicator, and we feel fortunate to attract a person of his caliber to South-Western."
The search for a new treasurer began in May when Catherine Bulgrin announced her resignation effective July 1. Since then, the district has had an interim treasurer, Mark Paprocki who is a fiscal consultant for the Ohio Department of Education. They closed the search on June 25 and began scanning resumes.
Garside is a resident of the SWCS District. His contract will take effect on Sept. 1 and he will make approximately $115,000 a year.
