A state audit found that former Liberty Local School District Treasurer Tracey Obermiyer inappropriately wrote herself checks for nearly $5,000. Compared to the district's $2.5 million deficit when it went into state fiscal emergency, this is a pittance.
Nonetheless, Liberty's administrators should clamor for the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office to press charges against Obermiyer. We've always urged those in the public trust to be held to a higher standard and this is no exception.
According to the audit, Liberty agreed to allow Obermiyer to perform fiscal officer duties for a charter school formerly housed in Liberty and to reduce the amount of time she worked for Liberty by an equivalent amount. Instead, Obermiyer paid herself $4,920.
''The power to write the checks doesn't give you permission to write extra ones to yourself,'' Ohio Auditor Dave Yost said. The findings for recovery were passed on to the prosecutor's office.
As Liberty struggles through its fiscal disaster, one step toward regaining public trust is demonstrating how no inappropriate behavior is too small. The Liberty Board of Education and Superintendent Stan Watson should strongly and publicly demand more than mere restitution.