Michael Lindley received a fond farewell during his last school board meeting as acting superintendent of Niles Community Schools.

Lindley, who was hired on an interim basis 15 months ago after the resignation of former Supt. Richard Weigel, will finish his term at the end of the month.

Dan Applegate will take over for him July 1. He was selected by the board in January.

School board President Greg O’Toole presented Lindley with a plaque and, on behalf of the board, thanked him for his leadership.

“Although your time here was brief, your legacy will live on for many, many years to come,” O’Toole said.

“Our district and indeed our community is left a better place for having been led by you.”

Lindley, who helped facilitate the successful passage of a $40 million bond proposal in May, thanked the board for the opportunity to lead the district.

“You have a lot of great people here and you’ve hired a great person in Dan [Applegate],” he said. “I have the utmost confidence in him that he is going to continue working on improving the good things happening and identifying areas we can improve upon.

“I can’t say enough how much I appreciate how I was received in the last 15 months and I appreciate your support.”

Although Lindley intends to take some time off for vacation, he said he would remain with the district in a consulting role to help with the transition and during the bond construction.

Also Monday, the school board adopted the budget for the 2015-16 school year. It includes $34,780,328 in revenue and $34,754,858 in expenditures, giving the district a surplus of just more than $25,000.

The district’s projected fund balance, or reserves, would be $3,410,183 on June 30, 2016.

Lindley said they are projecting a reduction in enrollment of about 20 students.

The district ended this school year well in the black.

According to district figures, the district had $37,439,593 in revenue and $36,962,267 in expenses during the 2014/15 school year. That allowed the district to add more than $480,000 to its fund balance, which sits at $3,384,714.