One-hundred seventeen seniors will receive their diplomas Sunday afternoon following tentative approval by the Webster City school board Monday night.

“We’ve taken semester tests today and tomorrow. Grades are due Wednesday morning,” said Webster City High School Principal Brent Jorth.

Jorth said he feels confident with where the students are right now.

“It’s just a matter of getting them to the finish line,” he said.

This week is a busy one for the seniors, he noted. Wednesday is the student awards ceremony, with non-monetary awards to be presented at an assembly at 2 p.m. The scholarship awards will then be presented at 5 p.m. Wednesday, followed by the senior dinner in the cafe. Baccalaureate will follow the dinner in the auditorium.

Thursday will bring the senior community service day. Students will take part in a number of projects around the community and will meet at Briggs Woods Park for a cookout at noon.

Other business

A tentative agreement with the Webster City Educational Services Association was approved by the board Monday night. Employees will receive a $.25 raise on the base wage and $25 for bus drivers. Superintendent Mike Sherwood said the total package increase was about 3.1 percent for the one-year contract.

The increases will raise the base wages as follows: custodians $14.35 per hour; $1,235 per month for bus drivers, $12.35 per hour for food service workers, secretaries, para-educators, ILS labs, ELL and technology associates, and a $.25 per hour raise for the school nurse.

Non-bargaining employees will also receive a 3.1 percent wage increase and administrators will have a 1.88 percent wage hike.

Substitute teachers will see a $5 per day increase in pay, from $105 to $110 in the new school year.

The board also approved bread and milk bids for the coming school year. Panagold was awarded the bread contract and Dean Foods was awarded the milk contract.

Student fees for the coming year were also discussed. Sherwood recommended that the district require no fees for registration and drop the $20 textbook fee that had been in place.

The board also reviewed school lunch prices for the coming year. Sherwood there will be a mandatory $.10 per lunch price increase imposed by the state. That would bring the prices for lunches to $3 for high school, $2.90 for middle school, and $2.70 for elementary. Adults would pay $3.75 for school lunches. Breakfasts prices would be $1.85 for students and $2.50 for adults. The board approved the change.

Sherwood reported that Webster City’s graduation rates remain above the state average.

Drop-out rates remain belowthe state average, he added. For 2016-17, the drop-out rate for Webster City is 1.85 percent, compared to the state average of 2.83 percent.

Resignations were accepted from Dr. Adam Zellmer, director of teaching and learning and Hayley Murphy, middle school special education.

Contracts were approved for Ben Schnurr, a University of Northern Iowa graduate who will teach at Hamilton High School, and Mary Embry, who will teach middle school special education. Schnurr’s contract is pending testing and licensure approval.