Interviews for the next high school principal will begin later this month with the goal to fill the position by March.
Superintendent Stu Moeckel said he hopes the position will be filled in time for the March School Board meeting. Principal Ron Abel is retiring at the end of the school year.
The district received 14 applications for the position, Moeckel said.
The School Board also reviewed the results of an audit, and heard updates about Food and Nutrition Services and Information Technology Services at Thursday’s meeting.
Sean Gordon, of Gordon CPA, reviewed the findings of the district’s most recent audit. Overall, Gordon reported the audit of the 2022 fiscal year found the district received the highest and cleanest ranking possible.
“That reflects very well on the financial management and internal control management by the district and its staff during the fiscal year 22 timeframe,” Gordon said.
The district also received the highest ranking for its financial management of grants.
Gordon said there was one recommendation that dealt with the cash balances in the food service fund. The Kansas Department of Education says cash balances cannot exceed a certain amount, so the school district has too much money in its account.
Gordon said it is a recommendation they are presenting to most of the districts they audit due to child nutrition and COVID-19 grants received during the pandemic.
Superintendent Stu Moeckel said the extra money will be used for kitchen repairs, new equipment and salaries.
“For the last two years, we had been having free school lunches, which drove up our number of students that took lunches, obviously,” Moeckel said. “On top of that, the federal government raised their reimbursement, so we have the double option of more kids eating and we had a higher reimbursement rate.”
The audit’s summary of receipts, expenditures and ending cash found the district had $8.8 million in cash on hand as of June 2022.
During the superintendent’s report, Moeckel discussed the newly updated bond election calendar.
The district will begin its informational campaign around March 29. The bond will go to a vote on May 16 with the last day of voter registration set for April 25.
At the Feb. 2 meeting, the board approved a bond resolution to not exceed $39,950,000. The bond will go to new classrooms and a new gym at the high school, security upgrades at the middle school and renovations to the West Resource Center.
The board also approved the posting of a new employee benefits clerk position. The position consists of compiling and accounting numerical data for billing purposes related to employee benefits. The hire will help with onboarding employees and assist with enrollment in benefits. The whole posting can be viewed here.
Updates to district food and nutrition
In other news, Robert Wood, director of food and nutrition services, gave an update on meals and fresh produce at the schools.
After serving free meals for the past two years, the food services staff had to adjust to charging for meals again. They have seen a drop in meal participation since they are no longer free, but Wood said the number of students eating breakfast at the schools is above average.
With extra cash on hand, Wood said he and Moeckel decided to not charge families on reduced lunches this year to help serve the community.
A new fresh fruits and vegetables program began at the elementary school, Wood said. There is now a fridge in each pod so students can get fresh snacks whenever they need one. At the end of the week, students can take extra items home with them.
“It’s a great way to encourage the nutrition side that will lead to eating those fruits and vegetables,” Wood said.
Elementary students will also see more options in their lunchroom as soon as March. Due to COVID-19, lunches were delivered to classrooms and students only had one choice.
After hearing parent questions and concerns, Wood said it was time to bring back another option. A survey will be given to students and teachers about what kind of dishes they would like to see at lunch.
The district will also get local produce from Juniper Hill Farms beginning in March, with fresh items going to each one of the schools.
Cybersecurity is priority for district
Ron Long, director of technology, gave an update on Information Technology Services across the district. Long said IT is aiming to have the district’s new site done in the spring. Long noted many updates are coming, whether the bond passes or not.
Becky White, a 25-year employee and the district’s data specialist, will retire at the end of June. Long said applications for the position will start in late March or early April. He hopes to have someone to shadow White in June since it is such an important position to fill.
“We’re going to be able to fill a position but we will never replace Becky,” Long said. “That’s gonna take a while, maybe a year, two years before we get somebody that’s really, you know, up to speed.”
Long also hopes to eventually add another member to their team so he can adjust some of his responsibilities over and focus on new planning.
“Cybersecurity is a big concern and we’re not paying enough attention to it, and I know that’s my responsibility to spend more time on it,” Long said “Then also future project planning to do if we pass the bond, or even if we don’t. I don’t feel like I give enough time to project planning and working on future growth.”
During his report, Long said there has been an increase in the amount of blocked sites students have attempted to open. There was an increase of about 132,000 blocked website attempts. Long said this was a significant increase, and he will take a look at what students are trying to get onto.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]
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