MELANIE MAPLES LOVES NUMBERS

We all know that Elkmont's Melanie Maples is wonderful but now anyone who reads the Decatur paper knows too. 
She was recognized in the Decatur Daily, February 22. It is a great article about all she does to help the Decatur Schools keep their books in order and save money as well. There is a link to the full article at the end of this post. 
 

Melanie Maples has been successfully keeping Decatur City Schools financially sound for almost a decade and half while also devising ways to accomplish the district's education goals.

As chief schools financial officer, Maples is one of the main reasons the school system has withstood the repeated hits of proration and the recession in the past decade.

“I consider Melanie the finest CSFO in the state,” said Ed Nichols, one of three superintendents Maples has worked for in her 14 years with the school system.

School board President Karen Duke called Maples “phenomenal. She just knows where the money is coming from and where it is. She knows how to get the biggest bang for the buck.”

Melanie grew up in the Elkmont area and attended Elkmont High School. She said she fell in love with numbers and accounting during a bookkeeping class with teacher Ida B. Terry.  She married her high school sweetheart, Tommy Maples, and lives on the old Maples farm that has been in his family for 200 years. They raise Angus cattle and fantastic  children.  Her four children (Ben, Josh, Will and Sara) are working in or studying agriculture in college. She also has one granddaughter, Jane.

Duke said Maple’s farm background may be one of the reasons she has done well in managing the school system’s money.
“She’s been close to the dirt. Melanie has a very honest, open way of looking at things. She has to make some decisions on the farm.”

Melanie says  she feels like she’s in the perfect job.

“I enjoy the details, the numbers and putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together," she said. "I also enjoy I work with in the central office and the schools.”

DECATUR DAILY LINK: MAPLES CONSERVATIVE APPROACH