Chuck Bonjour took the oath of office Monday night during the regular board meeting.

Bonjour, who retired in 2015, was the principal at Sunset Heights Elementary School. He is filling the unexpired term of Michelle Walters who resigned last month. Walters and her family moved to Michigan where she had accepted a new job.

Also Monday night, board member Rich Stroner was elected as vice president of the school board.

The 2017-2018 district audit report was approved by the board. Board Secretary Cathi Hildebrand said the report was received last month from the audit firm of Nolte, Cornman and Johnson, PC, based in Newton.

“Chapter 11 of the Code of Iowa requires that we have an annual audit,” she said. “The auditors usually come in October and are here for a few days. It’s usually pretty painless.”

Hildebrand walked the board members through the report and explained that there are three types of audit opinion — unmodified, qualified or adverse.

“Once again this year, we received an unmodified opinion, which is what you want, except for our component for the school foundation. We have to supply them with information about the foundation since it is a large donor to the district,” Hildebrand said. “Since (Nolte, Cornman and Johnson) don’t do the foundation’s audit, they can’t give an unmodified opinion. We have a qualified opinion for that section.”

According to a release from the audit firm, the district’s revenues totaled $23,289,895 for the year ended June 30, 2018, a 3.06 percent increase from the prior year. Revenues totaled $6,429,108 in property tax, $755,403 in income surtax, $1,436,420 in statewide sales, services and use tax, charges for service of $2,178,511, operating grants, contributions and restricted interest of $2,364,979, capital grants, contributions and restricted interest of $11,300, unrestricted state grants of $9,778,797, unrestricted interest of $11,818 and other general revenues of $322,559.

Expenses for that period totaled $23,284,887, a 5.92 percent increase from the year before. Expenses included $7,578,501 for regular instruction, $3,052,666 for other instruction and $2,764,015 for special instruction.

The board also discussed the proposed Career Ag Academy and what part the district might have in the venture. Superintendent Mandy Ross and Board President Beth Van Diest will be meeting the ag academy officials and asked the board for any questions they might wish to direct to the group. Board members offered questions about what the district’s contribution will be and how that figure will be determined. It was also asked how many seats would be designated for Webster City students.

Board member Rich Stroner said he was concerned with the costs considering the district pays more than $2,000 per seat for Webster City’s 23 positions at the Career Academy in Eagle Grove, regardless of whether those seats are filled or not.

The board approved a bid from School Bus Sales for a 65-passenger school bus at a cost of $97,997. Ross said the purchase is part of the district’s replacement rotation.

Contracts were approved for Jeff Lyons as the 7th grade baseball coach, Lanette Willems as the central registrar and Brennan Meyers for a maintenance position. The board also accepted the resignation of Anita Witte, a part-time custodian at Sunset Heights Elementary.

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