A rendering of the middle school shows the addition of a new secure entrance.
Teacher recruitment and retention is a nationwide problem, but Eudora is implementing new tools to try to keep and recruit new staff to its schools.
Human Resources Director Amy Shanks and communication and engagement specialist Jaylie Postlewait gave a presentation on employee retention and growth during Thursday night’s School Board meeting.
Postlewait said the district is attending more recruitment fairs and bringing branded Eudora swag. The district is working to be memorable in recruits’ minds, Postlewait said.
“Beginning this past school year, Eudora schools have been rebranded so that we have a consistent, bright, lively presence at recruitment fairs, including our regular schools that we go to but also a new market of community colleges,” Postlewait said.
Having a consistent brand to make connections with graduates who visit their table will help better recruit staff, Postlewait said.
The district will also begin using Qualtrics, a survey to measure employee feedback. The tool will help tell the district about teacher concerns in hopes of increasing retention, Shanks said. The survey will ask for specific information on why staff are deciding to stay or leave, Shanks said.
“Turnover in a school district, like everywhere else, is costly,” Shanks said. “It can sometimes exceed the cost of a position by 100%.”
To show potential employees how wonderful the district is, they will host the first Explore Eudora as a way to get people in the building to learn about the schools, Shanks said.
“What I appreciate, that Amy’s brought to this, is a true systematic approach that we’re not just pulling things off the shelf and trying that and that’s a testament to her skill,” Superintendent Stu Moeckel said.
The school board also heard updates on bond construction projects.
Moeckel showed the board new renderings of an additional high school gym and classrooms, middle school entrance and the early childhood renovations. The new gym with 225 bleacher seats, storm shelter and weight room will be attached to the existing men and women’s locker rooms. The rendering has space for new storage and offices as well. Construction is slated to start in February.
Moeckel wants the space to be multi-purpose and flexible to account for growth.
“You would have two very large practice gyms side by side with a curtain going down the middle to be able to practice,” Moeckel said. “Visiting with both high school varsity basketball coaches, they’d feel very comfortable practicing in that gym.”
The board decided to move forward with the biggest gym option to best plan for future growth. Board member Heather Whalen said she favored the largest option because of the amount of community input she had heard who considered it a priority.
“I just think that, and repeatedly even our community, we just have one shot to do this,” Whalen said.
The early childhood center renderings include open, flexible space for kids with eight classrooms. The goal is to start renovations this spring, Moeckel said.
In other business, Moeckel presented updates on the implementation of the open enrollment policy beginning next year.
The board will consider the specific policy and procedures this fall with a policy being adopted by Jan. 1. Before a policy is adopted, the board will have to publish and conduct public hearings. A date for these is not yet set.
The district has to determine a capacity and how many new students from outside districts it can fit after considering the number of in-district students.
After the district sets a capacity by next May, the nonresident application window opens from June 1 to June 30 next year. More information about open enrollment requirements can be found here.
In the other business, the board heard a report on this year’s summer academy. Over 350 students and 63 staff members spent four weeks learning. Each week had a different theme: safari, neon, space and baseball.
Jamie Grado, assistant principal of the elementary school and summer academy coordinator, said the academy is something students look forward to and helps to expand their experiences. First grade teacher Sarajane Haney also helped make sure the academy ran smoothly.The program can also help acclimate students to a new building if they’re moving up to middle school, she said.
“A lot of the students didn’t even realize they were expanding their knowledge through play and exploration,” Grado said.
Students got to take cooking classes, art classes, trips to downtown, the movie theater, the zoo and the fire station.
In other business, the board approved new hires, including Ami Bruce as the new administrative assistant, Shai Copeland as early childhood lead instructor and Mandi Holsten as the high school agriculture science teacher and FFA sponsor.
The board also approved a request from Cara Kimberlin related to her plans to retire in four years and the district’s early retirement plan.
The board also voted to keep meal prices the same as last year, with breakfast for $1.85, lunch for $2.90 for pre-k and elementary, $3 for middle and $3.05 for high schoolers.
In other business, the board set a public hearing as it plans to exceed the revenue neutral rate. The hearing will be at 6 p.m. Sept.14 and the yearly budget hearing will follow at 6:10 p.m.The district will vote on exceeding the rate and by how much at the September meeting.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]