Jackson School District gets favorable grade by auditor

An annual audit of the Jackson School District and filing dates for school board positions were among the several items approved Tuesday at the board's monthly meeting.

The audit, conducted by CliftonLarsonAllen, is completed every year, said superintendent John Link, and shows the community the district is doing the right thing with its funds.

"The auditors spoke very kind words about the way we process our expenditures and receipts," Link said Wednesday, adding Wade Bartels, associate superintendent of finance and business operations, and his staff do a "phenomenal job of making sure we're good stewards of the taxpayers' money."

The board then set opening and closing dates for those who plan to file for a school board position. The opening date was set for 8 a.m. Dec. 15 and closes Jan. 19.

Any day the school is in session will be open for candidates to file, Link said. Two members' terms will expire: Dan Stover and Alaina Hinze.

During Link's superintendent's report, he discussed the district's intent of completing a strategic plan, starting after Christmas and wrapping up after six months, he said.

"Our goal is to build a community forum, some committees with school community patrons, discuss the future of Jackson schools and what direction we need to be going. Kind of what the community wants for their schools." he said. "We have some issues with growth in Jackson, with class sizes and things of that nature, that we want to take the strategic plan and incorporate a facilities plan and incorporate a growth model and try to get ahead of the growth as opposed to just react whenever it hits us."

Link added: "We're going to come up with strategies and actions for the direction we want to go for the next five years and look at that every year so that it's, what I would call, a living, breathing document -- a road map to success, we hope."

klamb@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3639

Pertinent address:

614 E. Adams St., Jackson, Mo.