USD 428 Board of Education meeting
March 4 - 5 p.m.
District Education Center, 201 S. Patton Road, Great Bend
Agenda
1. CALL TO ORDER
1.1 Roll Call
1.2 Adoption of Agenda
1.3 Recognition of Visitors
1.4 Request to Speak Reminder
• Persons may present ideas or concerns regarding USD 428. The Board will take no action at this meeting. Such items will be referred to the appropriate administrator(s) for future information and researched and reported back to the Board at a later meeting. Personalities and behavior of employees are not to be presented during this period but are to be reported to the employee’s immediate supervisor. The president shall determine the amount of time to be spent on citizen participation.
1.5 Citizen’s Open Forum
2. RECOGNITIONS / PRESENTATIONS
• USD 428 Career Milestone Program
The Milestone Program is based on five-year increments, recognizing years of service of licensed and classified employees. Employees reaching milestones will receive a token of appreciation from the district for their longevity and commitment. The Board of Education will recognize employee milestones beginning at twenty years of service: 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45.
• Special Education Funding Information
Ashley Riley, Director of Special Education, will discuss special education funding and the legislative school finance formula.
3. COMMUNICATIONS
• Board Member Comments
• USD 428 Education Foundation
• Written Communications / Correspondence
4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Second Reading of GBMS Program of Studies
The GB Middle School Program of Studies book describes all the courses available to Great Bend Middle School students for the upcoming school year. GBMS Principal Mr. Myron Ellegood discussed several course description updates, wording, and curriculum changes previously approved by the Curriculum Steering Committee. The administration will recommend approval.
B. Second Reading of K-6 ELA Curriculum
USD 428 uses a two-year process to review standards, select and pilot potential programs and make a selection. At the First Reading in February, the K-6 English Language Arts curriculum committee presented HMH Into Reading as their recommended curriculum. The HMH proposal includes both print and digital resources, interactive videos, and components that connect and adapt well for English Language (EL) and diverse learners. Student workbooks, paired with teacher guides, are easy to follow and provide the opportunity to print additional work pages and options for differentiation. Illustrations in the book reflect diversity and are visually appealing and engaging text for K-6 students. The Administration requests approval to purchase the suggested curricula.
5. NEW BUSINESS
A. Approval of JAG-K Memorandum
The administration recommends renewing a Partnership Agreement/MOU to extend the Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas program (JAG-K) for the 2024-2025 middle and high school year. The program costs $38,250 ($12,750 per program), with a $2,940 increase from 2023-2024.
B. First Reading of School Calendar
Review of the 2024-2025 and development of the 2025-2026 school calendars are in process, and drafts are being presented for BOE review and input.
C. Approval of Kansas Preschool Pilot Grant Award
USD 428 has been awarded $388,370 from the Kansas Preschool Pilot to assist in efforts to provide quality preschool programming for three and four-year-olds. This is an increase of $44,960 from the grant award for 2023-2024. These funds will be used for Little Panthers School 2024-2025 expenditures.
D. Approval of Little Panther Preschool Furniture Purchase
Furnishing the classrooms is the next step as the completion of fifteen functional rooms at the new Little Panthers Preschool location approaches. Mrs. Blevins will discuss a government quote from Lakeshore Learning for $45,267.95 to purchase instructional items and $112,111.72 for furniture for ten classrooms. Three of the new classrooms will use existing furniture from the current preschool. The administration recommends the purchase of these materials for a total amount of $157,379.07.
E. Approval of Capturing Kids’ Hearts Agreement
Capturing Kids’ Hearts is a school-wide program with proven techniques to help educators model positive behaviors in the classroom to impact every aspect of the school community directly. CKH was implemented in USD 428 in the 2021-2022 year. A Capturing Kids Hearts Service Agreement renewal includes a two-day training for new licensed teacher hires, one on-site visit in the spring for each school, and digital platform access for staff for implementing processes throughout classrooms, buildings, and the district. The administration recommends approval for the 2024-2025 Capturing Kids Hearts service agreement for $65,000.
6. CURRICULUM REPORT
A. KESA Information/Update
Dr. Amber Miller with KSDE met with district leadership to discuss the progress of Great Bend Schools as it pertains to Accreditation. She shared the direction accreditation is going in the state and reflected specifically on USD 428 data and assessment scores.
B. State Assessments in USD 428
State Assessments in Kansas are a rigorous assessment of what students have learned and are used to predict college readiness and are comparative to the ACT. State Assessments begin March 18 and continue through April.
C. Preschool Expansion
With the expansion and consolidation of three district preschool programs, 3 and four-year-old classrooms will be integrated to maximize the number of students who can receive a quality preschool education from licensed teaching staff when the new Little Panthers Preschool opens in August. Mrs. Blevins will share more details regarding LPP classroom capacities and student-teacher ratio.
D. Preschool and Kindergarten Pre-Enrollment Information Fair
USD 428 will host a come-and-go Pre-Enrollment Information Fair for parents/guardians of incoming preschool & kindergarten on Wednesday, April 10, from 1-6:30 p.m. at the Great Bend Events Center. The event connects families with information about USD 428 Preschool and Kindergarten programs and other community resources that serve young learners.
E. USD 428 “Foundation for Success”
USD 428 uses evidence-based practices that form the foundation for success for students and staff. This document outlines how USD 428 will leverage components of our system to improve student achievement to realize our district's mission and vision.
F. Revised District MTSS Process Handbook
A draft document is in the process of review by various district teams as it works to realign our district Multi Tiered System of Support to the latest MTSS guidelines. This is the first significant revision of our handbook since the initial MTSS implementation.
G. Curriculum Meeting Minutes
▪ Curriculum Steering Committee: Minutes 3/5/24, Next meeting 5/7/24
▪ Professional Development Council (PDC): Next meeting 4/1/24
7. BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS REPORT
A. District Health Insurance Update
The district health insurance committee met on February 27, 2024, to discuss details of the final options to consider as the TPA (Third Part Administrator) for the district health insurance. Mr. Popp will provide an update on this meeting.
B. Project Updates
▪ Little Panthers Preschool, District Office
▪ District Phone system
▪ District Camera system
C. Personnel Updates
Recruitment continues, and a Transition to Teaching program has been an effective resource for placing education-minded individuals with college credits into teaching positions. There may be opportunities for people interested in career changes to become teachers.
8. SUPERINTENDENT REPORT
A. Legislative Update
Mr. Thexton will discuss current Legislative issues affecting school districts.
B. Mini-Grant Update
Twenty-two applications were received, and 19 teachers will be awarded minigrants in the spring. The total of approved applications is $16,012.18.
C. Building For the Future Campaign Update
The USD 428 Education Foundation launched a capital campaign to support the LPP expansion and the 13 classrooms that will accommodate up to 288 three and four-year-old students. Mr. Thexton will discuss the “donor wall” that will be prominently displayed, listing the names of supporters.
D. KTOY Banquet
E. Staff Appreciation
As a small token of appreciation for USD 428 dedicated employees, all USD 428 staff members are invited to enjoy complimentary bowling, appetizers, and door prizes at Walnut Bowl this Friday, March 8, from 3:00-5:00 p.m.
F. Approval of Grants / Contributions
9. FINANCIAL PRESENTATION
10. CONSENT AGENDA
A. Approval of BOE Meeting Minutes (February 12 and February 27, 2024)
B. Acceptance of Bills and Financial Reports
C. Personnel Report
11. UPCOMING DATES
• No School on Friday, March 8, for Teacher Grading/Collaboration.
• Employee Appreciation: Friday, March 8, at Walnut Bowl
• Spring Break: USD 428 will observe Spring Break March 11-15, 2024.
• Board Work Session: 5:00 p.m., on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at the District Education Center.
• BOE Luncheon Meeting: March 27, 2024, Eisenhower Elementary School
• Preschool and Kindergarten Pre-Enrollment Fair: 1-7 p.m., on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at the Great Bend Events Center.
• BOE Regular Meeting: The next BOE regular monthly meeting is scheduled for April 8, 2024, at the District Education Center.
• IBB Negotiation Meeting: 8:00 a.m., on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at the District Education Center.
12. ADJOURNMENT