The board discussed the findings of the Capital Planning Committee at the meeting Thursday. The board will meet for work session in the coming weeks to discuss a ballot issue.
The School Board discussed next steps in hiring Eudora High School Principal Ron Abel’s replacement during Thursday’s meeting due to his pending retirement at the end of the school year.
These steps included approving an updated job description for the position, which requires five years of experience in teaching or administration, and a master’s or doctorate. The principal must provide leadership in curriculum planning, review and implementation, as well as professional development.
Abel graduated from Eudora High before coming back to the district to teach in 1996. He has served as principal since 2015.
In other news, Rich Eckert, a representative of Mid-States Materials, presented to the board about a potential quarry coming to Eudora.
Eckert requested the board consider rescinding a letter of non-support for the quarry to Douglas County commissioners.
“I’m under no illusion that I could stand up here and ask you to write a letter of support, and I’m not asking for that,” Eckert said. “If your main objection is actually the haul route and we are here to fix that issue, we could at least get the letter withdrawn, so that is what I’m asking for.”
Eckert said he hopes Douglas County will send the proposal back to the Eudora and Douglas County planning commissions so the process can start over again.
Eckert also said he hopes his company can fund the improvement of East 2300 Road and get trucks off Church Street. The improvements may cost $3 million, but it is not guaranteed the improvement would occur before quarry operations begin.
Board member Becky Plate questioned if there was a way to enforce the promised routes.
Eckert said a conditional use permit would set a provision that they have to be in accordance with the permit or they would lose their license to do business from Douglas County. While his company does not control all of the trucking, he said they take the permit seriously and will not sell rock to those not following the haul routes.
Ultimately, board members were concerned about the traffic the new quarry could bring to the road in front of the school, as well as other issues.
“As I sit here as a School Board member representing the needs and the interest of the school district, I think some of the concerns that exist maybe are outside the purview of us as a school district,” board member Joe Hurla said. “I do think that the change here has addressed the concern of the school district.”
Hurla and board members Heather Whalen agreed the change addressed the school district’s concern, but Whalen doesn’t know if the quarry would be a benefit for the district.
The board did not vote to rescind its letter during the meeting.
The issue will be taken to the Douglas County Commission on Wednesday.
In other news, the board approved a hunting course for middle schoolers, reviewed the results of a staff survey and received updates on district goals.
The hunter education class includes six hours of classroom instruction at the middle school from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 8 during early release and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Feb. 17 during a professional development day.
The presentation noted no weapons will be on school grounds. The four hours of field instruction will occur offsite from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 4.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks offers the class to any school in Kansas. The program comes at no cost to schools and allows students an opportunity to obtain their hunter education certification. The certification is required to hunt in the state.
The class would be instructed by Caleb Lewis, who is already a licensed hunter safety instructor, and by Ty Pattison and Jeremy Thomas, both of whom were trained through the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Enrollment will be limited to 40 students.
In other news, Director Daniel Wray from the East Central Kansas Cooperative in Education gave an update to the board.
The organization provides autism support teams, elementary autism programs, behavior support teams, early childhood programs and more.
Eudora has about 300 students with disabilities. In addition, Eudora has 42 gifted education students.
It is getting more expensive to pay for special education due to the cost of paying occupational therapists and paraprofessionals, Wray said.
Kansas law requires the state to fund excess education costs at 92% to help districts manage costs, but they have not met requirements since 2009. They are currently at a little under 70%, Wray said.
“I have already met with many of our legislators. In fact, Mr. Moeckel and I met with one here in Eudora, talking about how we need their support on the floor to get our motions passed,” Wray said.
Student growth in special education has seen about a 20% increase since 2012, yet staff growth is just under 10%. Wray said the student increase is slightly higher than the national average, and may be due to learning loss due to the pandemic.
Director of School Improvement Heather Hundley gave an update on district goals in reading, math and post-secondary success.
Hundley projected Eudora schools will increase reading and math proficiency by 5%, as well as post-secondary success, by the end of the school year.
Eudora’s post-secondary success rate has increased to about 58% in 2022, a growth from almost 52% in 2021.
The presentation defined post-secondary success as increasing student opportunities for success beyond graduation.
Hundley discussed a questionnaire that teachers voted on a scale out of 6. Responsiveness of leadership and effective systems of interventions and advanced teacher influence was given a 5.
“The progress we are making is due to the collective efficacy of our staff buying in and coming to work trying to make a difference in our lives,” Superintendent Stu Moeckel said.
During his report, Moeckel reviewed the results of the staff survey. The survey asked about employee engagement and experiences. The survey uses an employee net promoter score to measure experience and loyalty.
Any number above zero is positive and anything negative is cause for concern. The scoring system is most helpful for comparing groups over time — Eudora’s overall score for December 2022 was a 40. In March 2022, the overall score was a -7.
Out of the 77 people who took the survey this month, almost 90% of people either strongly agree or agree the district’s values are consistent with their personal values.
Moeckel also reviewed recommendations from the Capital Planning Committee, a group organized to plan ahead for the city’s future.
Some of the ideas include a new secured entrance at the middle school, a sixth pod at the elementary school, a new outdoor playground, and additional classrooms and auxiliary gym at the high school.
The committee, which includes both members of the community and other professionals, met six times to determine what the biggest construction and renovation priorities were.
The board will set a date for a work session to determine top priorities.
In other news, the board adopted the newest calendar draft for the 2023-2024 school year. School will begin Aug. 14 and end May 21.
The board also voted to reelect Mark Chrislip as board president for the 2023 calendar year, with Joe Hurla reelected vice president.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].