Poignant comments from Fort Dodge Community School District Superintendent Josh Porter headlined Monday’s meeting of the school board.

Porter reflected on an extremely difficult recent period for the district in the wake of the passing of Assistant Middle School Principal Aaron Miller, who was killed in a vehicle accident early Saturday morning.

“On behalf of the district, I want to commend the middle school staff and local health professionals who were on hand at the building and also at the high school today,” Porter said. “It was all hands on deck — a very tough day. Mr. Miller had a huge impact on staff and students.”

“Our prayers and sympathies go to the family,” he added. “I appreciate the board’s support and feedback and support, too, from other local individuals, too. We will be OK — we’re Dodger tough. Tomorrow will be another difficult day, but each day should get a little better. We will continue to support each other.”

Porter informed the board that visitation will run from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium, with the funeral scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium.

In action items, the board approved the 2024 audit report prepared by TrustPoint. The report was spotlighted by a net position increase of 11.56 percent to $93.966 million.

General fund revenues were $49 million with expenditures of $49.4 million.

The big key to the net position improvement was spending efficiency and properly aligned categorical expenses with designated revenues. Fiscal year 2023-2024 revenues did decrease 1.3 percent, but it was still an improvement of better than 7 percent (8.43 percent) from 2023. District expenses rose 4.36 percent, which was an increase from 2023 (0.96 percent).

The board also approved moving forward with an Apple MacBooks pilot program. Kevin Bailey, the district director of information technology, told the board he feels the proposed program will be beneficial for students and staff.

“The goal is to evaluate MacBooks into being beneficial and provide benefits,” he said.

Bailey noted the initial layout will be a limited deployment with a cost of $25,000. The expenditure includes purchasing MacBooks, licensing, and technical support included.

“We want to see if we can enhance the digital learning experience,” Bailey said. “From this start, we can consider if a broader adoption is viable.”

The program will begin in lower grades as they are using Apple products.

The board also heard updates from Transportation Director Ben Niemeyer and Executive Director of Educational Services Aaron Davidson. Niemeyer noted two drivers will be coming in during the week.

“We’re also awaiting delivery on four buses, with two each coming on Jan. 28 and Feb. 21,” he said.

Niemeyer also announced the adoption of a parent portal called MyRide where parents can check to see where buses are. The application will go into effect during the 2025-2026 school year.

Davidson talked about good numbers to date in absenteeism, with numbers down in all buildings from August through December, the need for a secondary mental health therapist and rising costs in certified mail.