For the first time in 25 years, longtime Vicksburg Warren School District Financial Director Dale McClung will not be handling the district’s business.

The school district is now advertising for qualified applicants who will work alongside McClung for remainder of his term before he leaves June 30.

McClung, who served as director of financial operations since 1988, said after 25 and a half years he was ready to step down.

“I’ve got four grandchildren and they live away from here, so I’ll probably do some travelling to visit them,” McClung said. “I’d like to watch them grow up as well as try to do some traveling to other places.”

District 1 Trustee and School Board President Bryan Pratt said finding a financial director of McClung’s quality would be difficult.

“There’s a specialization related to school board finances,” Pratt said.“It’s going to be a very tough position to fill and we’re going to have to do our homework to make sure we’re getting the right person for the job.”

Pratt went on to say that McClung played an unheralded, but important role for the district.

“Over the years, Mr. McClung has been a valuable part of our district and has done a great job keeping track of our money and making sure we’re good stewards of the money,” Pratt said. “He’s one of the unsung heroes in the trenches doing a job that probably no one wants to have, but that someone has to do.”

Because school district finances are handled differently than private businesses, Pratt said they hoped to hire McClung’s successor before McClung steps down.

“The recommendation is that since this is such a valuable position, if at all possible we’d like to bring someone on to work with him to learn the ropes of how things are accounted for and anything unusual that goes with the job,” Pratt said. “On this specific position I think it’s very warranted.”

“There’s things that I knew that somebody needs to know,” McClung said. “It’s governmental accounting. It’s just different because you don’t have that profit motive. But you do have to be concerned with revenues and expenses and how that translates into the goals of the school board and what the community desires to have as far as their schools.”