By BARBARA PROFFITT | April 26, 2023

The USD 346 School Board met on Monday, April 17 in a meeting that was postponed a week due to the Easter holiday.

The meeting began with the approval of the consent agenda, which included the agenda for the meeting; the minutes of the previous meeting; the financial report; and the payment of bills and payroll.

It was reported that JES students will finish up state assessments on April 20 and then will do make up tests as needed.

JLHS students are currently working on makeup tests. The testing window closes on Friday, April 28, and results are supposed to be available one week after.

On the KESA update it was reported that cycle one has been completed and USD 346 is accredited through June 30, 2028.

JLHS has 32 students that have expressed interest in taking courses at STARS next year, which is double what the district had last year. All Jayhawk students that participated in STARS this year that aren’t graduating are planning to return next year.

It was noted that JES received the Challenge Award for 2022 recognizing “outstanding achievement and uncommon accomplishment based on Kansas math and reading assessment results and other qualifying factors.”

Superintendent Shawn Thomas gave a brief legislative update beginning with the fact that as of now, the legislature still hasn’t passed a K-12 budget. It was previously a part of a piece of legislation that failed – House Sub for Senate Bill 83. This bill also included the voucher portion, which establishes an education savings account for qualified students (ex: private school and home-schooled students). House Bill 2080, which allows virtual students to take virtual state assessments passed. House Bill 2238 which requires that “female athletic teams only include members who are biologically female” passed after being vetoed by the governor, but overridden by legislature. House Bill 2236 passed in both chambers and includes the parent’s bill of rights as well as the ability for parents to object to curriculum or coursework, requiring schools to provide alternative to said class or coursework. House Bill Sub for Senate Bill 113 was voted down, which included a funding increase of 3 percent based on the Consumer Price Index. 

Thomas stated he has met with a few people about upgrading deck space above the gym locker rooms into a dedicated wrestling area and will be meeting with the fire marshal in a few days to look at the space.

The board discussed whether to move forward with OPAA Food Service Management for next school year. No action was taken at this time and it will be discussed further at next month’s meeting.

Health insurance providers were discussed. Currently, USD 346 is a member of Kansas Educational Insurance Trust (KEIT). Renewal numbers should be announced soon. Thomas will continue gathering information to be further discussed at a future meeting.

Following an executive session for personnel matters, the board accepted, with regrets, the retirement intentions of Lisa Avery, JES 5th grade teacher effective Sept. 1, 2023. They also hired Alyssa Coleman and Jessica McGriff as licensed elementary teachers for 2023-2024. Lastly, they updated the classified staff list to include the hiring of Amanda Stahl as JLHS custodian.

Note: This report was completed from meeting notes provided by the district.