“Ginger Smith always fixes our messes…and she anticipates them, even. She always has a smile for us, and I appreciate that so much!” – Mrs. Telena Haneline, Elementary Principal
Ginger Smith is Licking R-VIII School District’s Bookkeeper in the Superintendent’s Office where she has worked since September 2015. In addition to serving as accounts payable supervisor, Mrs. Smith manages financial software, troubleshoots purchase order processing, handles Core Data for submission to Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, partners with our human resources supervisor, and shares financial data with the district’s food service director and month-end clerk. While she has a reputation for being thorough in monitoring revenue and expenditures, Mrs. Smith is known for her easy smile, generous spirit, and friendly nature.
Mrs. Ginger Smith graduated from Licking High School in 1996. Mrs. Smith fondly remembers many of her classmates and says she is thankful that she still sees several of them at work and in the community regularly. Mrs. Smith remembers being part of a very academically competitive class which encouraged each student to do his/her best.
After high school, Mrs. Smith started working at Hills Computer Programming Service in Licking where she was responsible for payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. Mrs. Smith worked there from 1996 until 1999. Between 1999 and 2001, Mrs. Smith worked as a bookkeeper for Lewis & Sons after taking over for her grandmother. Mrs. Smith did the bookwork for the business and washed and detailed cars. In 2001, Mrs. Smith returned to Hills Computer Programming Service. Mrs. Smith worked in an office with one other staff member, Paul Whittaker, a programmer. While reflecting on this position, Mrs. Smith says this is where she learned all aspects of bookkeeping and how to provide telephone customer service to clients. “While I had lots of independence on that job, I worked mostly on my own,” said Mrs. Smith. “This gave me flexibility with raising a young child, but it was very different from the environment of a school district where we have over 130 staff members and more than 800 students!” Mrs. Smith continued her employment with Hills Computer Programming Service until early in 2015.
Licking R-VIII School District’s bookkeeper position became open in the fall of 2015, and Mrs. Smith settled into her current position that September. Over the years, Mrs. Smith’s responsibilities have increased with a larger budget to help create, adding Core Data reporting, more purchase orders to process, and supporting all financial operations within the district including tuition to other agencies, local tax effort, and even checking in buses in the absence of the superintendent. Mrs. Smith recalls, “It took a solid year to touch everything I do because some things pop up only once in twelve months”. Mrs. Smith says she loves working as a team with staff members and enjoys supporting students every day.
Mrs. Smith has been married to Ryan Smith, who owns his own mechanic business, since 2002. Mr. and Mrs. Smith celebrated the birth of their son, Brayden, now a senior at Licking High School, in 2004. They are parents to Chelsea, an RN-BSN in St. Louis and Courtney, a vet tech in Houston. Together, Courtney and Christian (a welder) are parents to Grayson, age four. Many cows, Winnie the dog, Charlie the dog, and Katie the dog round out the Smith family. Mrs. Smith volunteers regularly making meals for Licking Christian Church. She enjoys gardening, canning, kayaking, camping, and traveling with family when she can. Mrs. Smith has a heart for everyone she meets, and she is rarely seen without a smile. Because of her incredible work ethic and care for the community, we are proud to recognize Mrs. Ginger Smith as Spotlight Staff Member for September.