Springfield City School District’s controller will become the district’s treasurer in April.

Board members voted unanimously Thursday night to appoint Controller Dale R. Miller as treasurer April 1, when current Treasurer Chris Mohr leaves after three years with the city schools.

“We’ve had the luxury and experience of working with Dale as controller for a number of years and have been able to see and evaluate his work on an ongoing basis,” said Ed Leventhal, board president. Leventhal said board members feel Miller is “very well-qualified (and) feel he will give us very good continuity.”

The district will pay Miller $112,000 a year, according to the contract. Mohr, who is retired and does not receive benefits, made about $122,000 last year. Miller made about $79,000 a year as controller.

“With all the innovative and aggressive things that we’re trying to do at Springfield, with the options and things that we’re trying to offer, it’s going to provide unique opportunities that as treasurer, I can be part of,” said Miller. “To me, that’s exciting.”

The district’s treasurer serves in an advisory capacity, helping the board and administration make financial and operational decisions, while the controller does the execution and management of the finances. Miller’s knowledge of the district’s budget and finances, through working as the controller since 2009, will be an asset in the role of treasurer, Mohr said.

The district will hire a new controller, said Miller. Depending on a district’s size and budget, a district may employ a controller or someone who fills the role under a different title, said Barbara Shaner, associate executive director of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials.

Miller became the district’s first controller in 2009, in a move that allowed the district to save $15,000 to $20,000 a year by restructuring positions in the financial department, said Mohr.

“When I go away, my whole desire is that I just won’t be missed,” he said. “I don’t want any hiccups. The district has had a long history of difficult financial times, and we certainly do not want there to be any rough road in that transition…. Dale will do that.”

Mohr pointed to several accomplishments during his tenure that Miller had been a part of such as a health care eligibility audit that saved $900,000, finding a new source of federal funding for about $3 million in technology upgrades and maximizing investment returns.

“I’ve had Dale involved in every one of those things, so that he knows all about how we got from point A to point B,” he said.

Mohr, who came to the district in an interim capacity, will continue to develop his consulting business.

Miller worked with the city of Urbana as director of finance for 24 years prior to coming to Springfield and served as a West Liberty-Salem Local Schools board member for 12 years.