The Haxtun Board of Education honored three outgoing board members in a Tuesday evening, Nov. 21 meeting. Abby Henry, Richard Starkebaum and Steve Hadeen each completed their current terms on the Board. With elections in November, the local board of education will see several new members when they are sworn in during an upcoming meeting.

Henry, Starkebaum and Hadeen served a combined 24 years on the Board, Starkebaum leading the way with 14 years of service. Henry and Hadeen each served one, four-year term on the Board. Both ran in elections this fall but were not elected to a second term.

New board members, Ross Edwards, Val Wilson, Lee Salyards and Trever Fix will be sworn into office in a meeting slated for Dec. 5 at 7:30 a.m. They will be joined by incumbent Amy Kilgour, who was elected to another term during elections earlier this month.

In the most recent meeting of the Haxtun Board of Education, members received a report on the annual audit conducted by Scott Szabo with Lauer, Szabo and Associates. According to Superintendent Marsha Cody, the audit went very well.

"A huge thanks to Debbie Myers on all her great work. The auditor complimented how smoothly it went," she said. "The fund balance went up around $200,000, so we have approximately six months of expenses in reserves ($2.2 million), which is the recommended amount of reserves for a school district."

Cody said the District is not planning on increasing the fund balance at the end of this fiscal year.

Following the presentation from Szabo, board members voted to accept the audit as presented.

In other business the Board:

• Approved staff Christmas gifts;

• Approved the purchase of a new oven and stove from the food service fund not to exceed $23,000. The top oven went out and the pilot light continues to go out on the stove;

• Approved the following list of winter coaches: high school cheer, Jessica Firme; junior high cheer, Danyell Horton; high school girls' basketball, Alicia Schram, Casey Goddard, Dustin Seger and Kyle Wilson; high school boys' basketball, Jayden Stieb and Lance Chapdelaine; junior high girls' basketball, Edwards and Noah Toops; junior high boys' basketball, Brandon Biesemeier and Rob Martinez;

• Approved Georgia Rogers as part-time elementary music teacher; Mariah Wagner, Megan Rain and Grey Rain as substitute teachers; and

• Received word from Cody that the average student number is 302.2 for 2023-24.