All Eudora students may soon have an option for free breakfast after the School Board discussed the program at Thursday’s meeting.
Superintendent Stu Moeckel presented the board with the concept of a universal free breakfast program for all schools, with consideration for food insecurity throughout the county and district.
The program would not be state funded, as Eudora does not meet the requirement for that funding, but there would be reimbursement to the district if enough students use it. By raising participation rates by giving breakfast for free, the district will receive more funding to potentially not lose any money.
Moeckel also noted about 35% of students are receiving free or reduced lunches in the district now. This program can help eliminate the stigma associated with receiving free meals and allow all students to receive them with no questions asked. It also will help students learn better in the mornings while potentially positively impacting the district budget.
Moeckel said for the program to be sustainable the district would need to hit 50%. He thinks that won’t be hard for the district to hit. About 25% of students currently eat breakfast at school.
“I think this is part of trying to solve some of the needs that our kids have when they come to our schools,” Moeckel said. “I do know that it will certainly help reduce some sort of disruptive behaviors based on, ‘Hey, I’m hungry.’”
Board member Claire Harding agreed the program sounded net positive in a lot of ways, especially if it made sense from a budget perspective.
Board member Joe Hurla said he wanted to see more financials on the project, and wanted to make sure the program would still provide a complete healthy breakfast like those currently served in the district.
Moeckel said the meals provided would still have to match those current standards. He said more financials would be presented at the July meeting before a vote would occur.
In other business, Director of School Improvement Heather Hundley presented the board with the most recent state assessment data.
Students scoring at levels 2, 3 and 4 in the Kansas assessment went up from 73% to 75% from 2023-24. Math scores went from 74% to 77% during the same timeframe.
Level one represents limited ability, two represents basic ability, three is effective ability and four is excellent ability. Levels 2 through 4 are considered best to prepare for college and career post-graduation.
Fewer students performed in the level 1 category for English/language arts and math, which meant improvement for the district, Hundley said.
The district goal was for 80% of students to hit level two, three or four. When broken down by grade levels, three grade levels in math met this goal, and one grade level met the goal in English/language arts. This is an increase by one grade level compared to last year’s scores – a step in the right direction, Hundley said.
Moeckel said the district purposely sets hard goals, and recognized these results are impressive.
“You can see we’ve made a lot of gains and seen growth, and that is a tribute to our teachers and our students and the process, so that’s what we’d like to see,” Moeckel said.
During the superintendent’s report, Moeckel gave an update on findings from the schools listening tour as part of the strategic plan.
The district gathered action items after having conversations with parents, teachers, students and community members:
- Developing a life skills class or integrating these topics into Cardinal Time: daily life skills like cooking, personal finance management, basic car management
- Providing more flexibility for high school juniors and seniors: exploring options for juniors and seniors to take college classes, do internships, leave early for work
- Enhancing science curriculum: increasing pathways for those with STEM interest
- Optimizing Zelo for course planning and career exploration
- Expanding real-world learning opportunities: partner with local businesses and technical schools for opportunities with hands-on experiences
- Revising high school schedule: work study periods, etc.
- Supporting middle-performing students: implementing strategies to challenge middle-performing students
- Enhancing parent-teacher communication: holding biannual parent-teacher conferences at all grade levels, potential virtual conference options
- Improving communication channels: using Parent Square and other communication tools
Conversations surrounding the strategic plan and these action items will continue at a work session next week.
As bond construction continues at all buildings, Moeckel presented some new aerial photos so the board could see the progress.
Brick work has started on the new front entrance at the middle school, and work has begun in the interior of the new office.
Work on the high school’s new classrooms are also starting with framing underway. The new auxiliary gym precast walls are coming at the beginning of July. The foundation for the gym has also been poured.
At the Early Learning Center, the new curbs for the new entrance are poured, and crews will continue to work on the rest of the driveway area.
The elementary school’s old playground has been torn out to make room for the new play area, which will be significantly bigger than the old playground. It should be done before school starts.
Moeckel said all projects are on schedule.
In other business, After ongoing conversations about changing the English/language arts curriculum within the district, the board approved a new curriculum from Amplify. The materials cost about $347,000. There are also additional costs, about $60,000, for the professional development training for teachers.
Moeckel gave an update on nonresident student enrollment. He said the district has seen some interest in the Early Learning Center, but the enrollment applications for other grades are the same as usual.
The board also voted to add a new line in its policy regarding students having to remain in good standing to be out-of-district students. This is a recommendation from the Legislature.
The board also approved a bid to purchase a new 2024 Ford Transit for $55,000 to add to the district’s vehicle fleet. The vehicle was ordered in October and discussed by the board then, but took until recently to come in.
They also approved an amendment to the 2023-2024 budget as general fund money has come in $131,000 higher than planned. Expenditures for all categories, including virtual ed, capital outlay, professional development and special education, were all slightly higher than expected.
To be able to use these funds, the district has to approve an amendment to the budget.
The board also recognized boys golf, softball and track state qualifiers.
Track and field head coach MaryJo Swann recognized both the boys and girls track and field teams. This year, the teams had 28 state qualifiers.
The girls team placed first overall in 4A, a first in school history. Kole Manley was also highlighted for receiving a first place medal for his javelin performance at state.
The Eudora Times will publish a recap of state track over the weekend.
Golf assistant coach Scott Keltner highlighted Ty Deterding’s season, saying he was able to have a good season despite battling health issues at the beginning. Deterding finished 11th at state.
“We really look forward to a senior campaign from him, and him dragging a bunch of buddies along with him so that he can be the tour guide when we go back to Sand Creek Station in Newton for his senior year where he had his freshman year state golf tournaments,” Keltner said.
Softball coach Bill Finucane recognized his team for taking third at state. The senior class is the first class in the school’s history to go to state all four years.
Finucane said the team finished with 24 wins and 5 losses, and had a successful season.
He gave a shout out to Reese Pattison since she appeared in front of the board as well. She hit 13 of the team’s 38 home runs during the season, breaking the record of seven. She also had 50 RBIs this season, breaking that record as well.
“I believe this season this team understood what it meant to play as a team for the entire year. That was a lesson that was well learned,” he said.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]
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