(KIWA Staff Photo)Graettinger, Iowa (RI) — An accounting firm hired to review sharing agreements between the Graettinger-Terril and Ruthven-Ayrshire School Districts has found delayed payments and incorrect calculations dating back to mid-2022 — but no fraud.
CPA Murray Stanley, who briefed area residents Thursday night, says Ruthven-Ayrshire was overpaid, and Graettinger-Terril is owed $134,000.
Last month, the superintendent of the two districts were placed on administrative leave, but no official reason has been publicly announced. Ten days ago, Jeff Dicks was hired as interim superintendent. He told residents he promises to be transparent as the review continues.
Dicks says his goal is to shield students from the noise surrounding the investigation. He retired in 2024 after 19 years as Newell-Fonda’s superintendent and has recently served as interim superintendent at Estherville Lincoln Central.
Stanley told residents the formal sharing agreements outlining shared positions between the two districts could not be found for the past three years. His firm relied on school board minutes, staff interviews, and paperwork from the 2026 fiscal year to complete its analysis.
Graettinger-Terril and Ruthven-Ayrshire have shared athletics since forming a sports co-op in 2011. Superintendent Marshal Lewis, currently on administrative leave, was hired in 2020.
