Decorah School Board approves reports and expenditures; makes Shareholder appointments

The Decorah School Board dealt with several standard business issues on Monday night.

•They approved the Certified Annual Report for 2013-14. Although the undesignated fund balance had been reduced by nearly $292K and the related "solvency ratio" reduced from 17.37 to 15.17 percent, Superintendent  Mike Haluska said the Iowa Association of School Boards considers any ratio over 10 percent as very good.

• They approved the 2013-14 Special Education Supplement, noting a significant deficit and forthcoming adjustments to the FY16 budget. Fluctuations in this area are normal but much of the deficit is attributed to more one-on-one paraprofessionals being used, and fewer students imported from other districts.

• Cindy Schissel was appointed as Board Representative to the Shareholders group, while Emily Neal was appointed as a new Shareholder.

• The Board also approved the purchase of a new truck from Decorah Auto Center to replace a 20 year old truck to be used primarily for snow plowing. The cost will be about $30K.

•They also approved a contract with Winneshiek Medical Center for a once a month consultation with the high school principal and counselor regarding mental health concerns. Individual mental health counseling is not done at the high school, but the consultations facilitate referrals to the Medical Center and elsewhere.