The Perry School Board convened Monday evening in regular session.

The meeting started with a report by Board Secretary Kent Bultman on the key points of the annual audit. Later in the meeting, the Board approved accepting the audit as presented. Also in reports, Superintendent Clark Wicks discussed the successful bond referendum vote, and Board Vice President went over the annual Iowa Association of School Boards Day on the Hill Conference. In general business, the Board approved the 2019-20 school calendar, which included a start date of August 23rd and end date of May 28th. Other items of note from the calendar were that winter break will end on Thursday, January 2nd, and the early out Wednesdays will now be 90 minutes, instead of one hour.

Next, the Board approved the creation of a financial literacy course at the high school, which will be taught to 9th graders starting with the Class of 2022 next fall. They then approved the purchase of 560 Chromebooks, cases, and licenses, for which the low bidder was CDWG. The total price is under $150,000, and the computers are for grades 2, 4, and 7. Other items approved included: maintaining the current price on instructional and extracurricular activity fees; revisions to Board policies; two early graduation requests; and a professional services agreement with UNESCO to continue serving as construction managers for the industrial technology and wrestling room project.

The meeting concluded with the approval of two school bus purchases, to replace a bus damaged in a deer wreck and a bus deemed too rusty to continue use. The replacement buses cost $94,500 and $102,000 and will be paid for out of the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) and the Statewide Penny for Infrastructure funds. To learn more about the Perry School Board meeting, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.