The Audubon Community School District’s Board of Education, Monday, approved a sharing agreement with the Coon Rapids-Bayard School District, for the services of Audubon Superintendent Brett Gibbs. Gibbs told KJAN News they’ve been sharing with CR-B for years, including elementary counselors and industrial technology instructors. Beginning with the next school year, July 1^st, Gibbs will be splitting his time, 40-percent of his time at Coon Rapid-Bayard, 60-percent in Audubon. He said the agreement will allow both districts to split the cost of a superintendent, and each district gets to count eight additional students, which will show-up in the F.Y. 2018 budget.

Gibbs said also with the Audubon School District is seeing a decline in enrollment and low State Supplemental Aid, the School Board instructed him to find ways to cut costs, even though he predicts enrollment numbers will balance out and start growing in a couple of years. Meanwhile, the district was left with little option but to find ways to save some money.

Sharing Gibbs’ position with CR-B is one way to do that, he says. Gibbs said also, the Board approved a quote from Feld Security for additional cameras and door entrance systems. Feld will be upgrading the district’s current 11 security cameras and installing new door locks on both buildings that will require people to identify themselves in order to be allowed access to the building. They will also install additional cameras to cover areas not currently monitored. The board gave the administration authority to add more cameras, for an amount not to exceed $60,000.

And, the Audubon School Board approved a contract with Deluxe Driving Academy in Carroll to provide one driving instructor. The decision means students will pay $350 instead of the projected $275 for Driver’s Ed. Gibbs said for the last couple of years they’ve struggled to find two instructors. The district currently has one instructor but needed a second one.