By AMY RICKER
Great Bend Post
In gratitude to USD 428 School Board members, January has been designated as School Board Recognition Month. In honor of the critical role school board members play in serving the district's students and community, Eagle Radio will be featuring school board members during January.
Susan Young is in her second term on the USD 428 School Board and starting her 5th year. A Great Bend resident for over 30 years, Young taught Kindergarten for 13 years at Riley Elementary and then moved to Lincoln Elementary and taught 2nd grade until she retired.
"I was born in Kansas, went to school at Chatman, was accepted at Emporia State, and then we moved to Gainesville, TX and taught there. I helped set up a preschool at my church and then taught Kindergarten before moving here. I interviewed at several places back then before making my decision to move to Great Bend," explained Young.
Young says she enjoyed school as a child, although she admits she wasn't "exuberant" about classwork in of itself.
"I enjoyed the interaction with my teachers. I could pick the ones I preferred, and that was important to me because those were the ones that were more appealing to study for. My grandmother was a teacher, and my mother was a teacher. It was kind of played out that I would explore that after graduation."
Young said that when she graduated high school, women didn't have many avenues to travel down in regards to careers.
"I remember some of my friends going into secretarial school, some went into nursing, and some started their families. The other choice was to go into teaching. So, I was fortunate. I was fortunate that I had a plan. Probably not as firm of a plan as we like to see kids graduate today with, but for the time, it was good for me," says Young. "I don't remember a time that I didn't want to teach. I grew up on a farm, and I realistic about what was expected as far as work ethic. Southwest of Junction City, it was a farming community where the village brought you up. It was a support system that I am very grateful for."
When it came to running for a USD 428 school board position, she fell back on her roots in education. Young was very active in the Kansas National Educational Association (KNEA). That brought to the forefront what she thought was important, and she served as President of the local chapter of that organization.
"It was gratifying to know that I could help represent teachers in that capacity as far as negotiations and knowing what was helpful to teachers on many different levels. That's what I thought about when I decided to do this. I had a little bit of encouragement, but I really didn't take it seriously until a year after I retired," explained Young. "At that time, there weren't any teachers on the school board, and I looked forward to representing the teachers and students."
Young acknowledges that times are different than when she graduated when it comes to the number of kids who go to college to become teachers. She says these days, there is a lot to think about when considering a career as a school instructor.
"For most individuals who choose to teach, they have to consider if they are or will be the breadwinner of the family regarding the financial earnings. If so, that does not necessarily peak with teaching. It's difficult to work hard as a teacher and then work a second job due to the typical salary. Teaching in the rural areas is very different than in the urban areas because we just don't have the pull a lot of times to keep those who are trained in specialty areas," says Young.
Young gives credit to the new teachers who have had to teach for the first time during the pandemic.
"My hat is off to them. This could not have been a more difficult time to become a first-year teacher. It's amazing to me that we have the successes we have in our district. I see the enthusiasm; I see teachers going the extra step. I need to also give credit to those who support the teachers. I'm talking about the para's (paraeducators), I'm talking about the custodians, and of course, the principal. That whole family that brings up students has never been more crucial. It's never more crucial than it has this year."
Young sees as an essential topic that USD 428 is facing, along with many other school districts, is how to attract and retain good teachers. She says she always hopes that teachers don't view Great Bend as merely a stepping stone until they have the opportunity to transfer to a more prominent district. Young wants to continue finding ways to keep reliable teachers in the area when presented with a different option.
She also says the bond issue is another subject that must be focused on in the future.
"We were getting ready to regroup it and look at it differently since it didn't succeed, and we had to realign priorities. That was going to happen this past year, and of course, it didn't. Now we are looking at meeting the school buildings' needs, meeting the programs' needs, and regrouping students, such as moving the 6th grade to the middle school building. We need to make sure we have safe and secure entries, and even though it sounds simple, the dropoff and pickup of the students. All of it supports the education getting these students ready to meet their challenges moving through school and beyond. As times have changed, the buildings' needs have changed, and most of our buildings are at least 50 years old. It's a challenge."
When asked to name one of the school board's most outstanding achievements in recent years, she immediately replied, "Superintendent Kris Thexton."
"That was one of the best things we could have done for our district. We have some difficulties before that. When goals and priorities didn't match up with the previous superintendent, we were fortunate to have already someone to fill that spot that was already on staff in the Assistant Superintendent position. He was and continues to be a great answer to what we needed. He's so devoted along with his family to this district, and it's just been a positive impact on this district and community," explains Young.
Young says other goals she has include advocating for school districts and teachers at the state level. She says using that venue to learn what's on the horizon to stay current on what district needs will be five and ten years from now.