BLUE EARTH — Blue Earth Area School Board members welcomed the new high school principal, Greg Ewing, to the district on Monday.

And they voted to accept his contract, with some changes. Superintendent Evan Gough explained that Blue Earth Area will “share” Ewing with his former district — Butterfield-Odin — for a little while.

Ewing has been the K-12 principal at Butterfield-Odin, which wants him to help with many of the items necessary “to get the school year off on the right foot,” according to Gough.

“We will adjust his contract eventually to reflect his actual start date for full-time employment,” he added. “We expect that to be the first or second week of school.”

Ewing said he will be in Blue Earth for things such as the eighth-grade and high school open houses, as well as the teacher workshop days.

Ewing replaces Rich Schneider, who left to become the new superintendent at Yellow Medicine East in Granite Falls.

Meanwhile, Blue Earth Area K-7 assistant principal Dave Dressler gave the school board an update on all of the back-to-school preparation work going on the past few weeks at the elementary, middle and high schools.

The report included information that fall sports practices have begun, with 164 students out for the four sports. This includes 67 for football, 28 for girls tennis, 45 for volleyball and 24 for cross country.

He also reported there are four new teachers in the K-7 school.

In other business, the board:

o Approved the purchase of a new 10-passenger mini-van.

o Approved the sale of general obligation bonds for the improvements of parking lots and boiler plants.