Horenziak appointed to L-B school board

FINDLAY — Liberty-Benton Local Schools has announced Katie Horenziak as its newest school board member. Horenziak, who recently took the oath of office, fills a vacancy left following the Aug. 1 resignation of former board member Heather Franks. When a school board member cannot complete their entire term, it is up to the board of education to appoint a replacement. Superintendent Bruce Otley said each individual school board can determine their own process for soliciting applications and conducting interviews. "Ohio Revised Code (ORC) has tight timelines for how quickly an empty seat must be filled," said Jim Mace, president of the school board. "So while the board has flexibility in its approach, we followed our normal process to meet the state's required timelines. We selected candidates for interviews, conducted the interviews and ultimately appointed Katie Horenziak." Mace said Liberty-Benton's board uses the Carver model to govern the district, which not only establishes desired outcomes but guides how the district goes about achieving those outcomes. The board was "looking for candidates with a passion for helping Liberty-Benton continue building on our tradition of excellence: developing well educated students that are prepared to become productive citizens and to do it in a cost-effective manner," Mace said. "And we're looking for candidates that are willing to learn and operate our governance model." "Katie and her family found a welcoming home in the Liberty-Benton community after moving to Findlay. She is currently in her second season coaching junior high girls cross country and has a strong passion for supporting students and giving back to the community," states a recent district Facebook post. "As a board member, Katie looks forward to supporting Liberty-Benton's tradition of academic excellence, encouraging a love of reading, stewarding district resources responsibly and helping every student reach their full potential." Mace said Horenziak is involved with Liberty-Benton cross country. Upon joining the board, he said, "she transitioned from a paid coaching position to an unpaid volunteer in the program. This avoids potential conflicts of interest and is a requirement for joining the board." Horenziak said she has worked and volunteered at schools in five different states over the last 16 years as a substitute teacher, junior high school cross country coach and volunteer in youth reading programs. She said her experience seeing how other school systems operate can be a useful perspective to the board. Her goals include "to help Liberty-Benton continue its academic growth and tradition of excellence" as well as "to be a good steward of the resources that the community has entrusted to the school system, and help all the students achieve their full potential." She added that she wants to continue to inspire an enthusiasm for reading, which she called "one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children." Franks was elected in November 2023. Otley said Horenziak will serve the remainder of Franks' term, which ends Dec. 31, 2027. She can run for office in November 2027 if she is interested in serving beyond that time.