Nearly 50 students are interested in participating in the elementary school’s drama club, the School Board heard Thursday night.
Co-directors of the club Meadow Meier and Emily Shrimplin said last year’s inaugural show was a success, and they already have 46 students interested in this year’s show.
“The amount of growth that they made from the first rehearsal to the show was amazing,” Meier said. “Some of them had never even stepped foot on the stage before, and I was just really proud of how they were able to do the performance.”
This year’s show, called “Hard Boiled: A Nursery Crime,” will take place in April. Auditions begin on Monday. The show is a mystery about who cracked Humpty Dumpty.
“There’s going to be a bunch of different nursery rhymes that come in and get interrogated by the detectives,” Meier said. “It’s very funny and it’s full of humor that will just crack you up.”
Meier said the drama club is a good way for students to participate in new extracurriculars beyond sports.
“The goal of our drama club is to get kids exposed to other activities that could create a spark for them,” Meier said.
In other business, special education budget deficits were again a focus of discussion.
The executive director and assistant director of the East Central Kansas Cooperative in Education presented to the board. The cooperative provides special education services in Baldwin City, Eudora and Wellsville.
Director Lee Hanson said the cooperative started fiscal year 25 with a $300,000 deficit. She said the deficit was as high as $700,000 when she took over as director in 2024.
By the end of FY25, Hanson said the cooperative ended with a negative balance of $238,305. Hanson said the cooperative’s Medicaid revenue has been going down and the categorical aid, or state funding, has not increased with rising costs.
Superintendent Stu Moeckel also said local funding for the cooperative has been low in recent years. This funding has increased 30% from FY22 to FY26, though.
Despite the losses in FY25, Hanson said the cooperative is on track to finish within its budget for FY26. She said 91% of the budget goes toward instruction for students.
Board member Claire Harding, who is also president of the interlocal board, complimented the work of the cooperative.
“ECKCE is either the second- or the third-smallest interlocal in the state of Kansas,” Harding said. “We are doing some really incredible things for the size that we are, and we’re really proud of the work that our admin team did this evening.”
Sara Hoepner, assistant director, gave the board a special education enrollment update. She said the current Kansas state average for students with disabilities is 18%, and Eudora is just over that at 20%. She said the most common condition among students with special education needs are learning disabilities.
Board President Mark Chrislip asked about what’s causing the increases in students in special education, and Hanson said the COVID pandemic is still playing a role in the number of students who require special education services.
Both Hanson and Moeckel also said Eudora is known for its special education services, and Moeckel specifically highlighted the Early Learning Center programs.
“We have had students move in because of the quality of services we provide,” Moeckel said.
City Manager Zack Daniel also presented to the School Board about the Shadow Ridge and Holladay Woods developments.
Shadow Ridge and Holladay Woods are both reinvestment housing incentive districts, which are used to attract developers and bring housing to undeveloped property. In these districts, the increase in property taxes goes to the developer to pay for incurred costs or debt service on bonds.
For both Shadow Ridge and Holladay Woods, Daniel said the terms of the districts will be a 75% reimbursement increment for 20 years. The remaining tax will go to the city and district. Daniel also said the reimbursement could be paid off earlier.
Moeckel said the reinvestment housing incentive districts will not cause the district to lose money. He said the district will continue to receive its bond and interest levy in addition to the 20-mill levy from the state. Moeckel said he supports the district and thinks it will bring the school long-term gains.
“We are seeing declining enrollments, and that is not unique to Eudora, it is across the state,” Moeckel said. “We can do something about those pieces.”
Moeckel asked Daniel how many houses were built in Eudora last year, and Daniel said 12. The projections for the new developments predict 45 new houses and 40 new duplexes by 2028. New enrollment would increase state funding for the district.
“Either one of these properties is worth a small percentage of what it is, whereas I would rather have it full of houses and students,” Moeckel said. “This is a decision that this board is making for the sustainability of the community for 20 years.”
The City Commission will discuss the districts and hold a public hearing at its meeting on Monday, and if they are established, the board will have 30 days to submit a review or complaints.
Board member Joe Hurla asked when the 20-year term begins, and Daniel said it will begin after the 30 days to comment are over and the district is established.
In other business, the board approved the 2026-2027 draft calendar. It will remain a draft until negotiations are complete. Moeckel said the only major change is that the new calendar adds a four-day weekend from Feb. 12-15.
The board also approved the December Kansas Association of School Boards’ updated policies. New policies include emphasizing that teachers should leave their personal views out of discussions on controversial topics and a new religious objections section.
Moeckel said the updates were extensive, but he didn’t see anything he wouldn’t recommend. He said the academic team, including principals, will be talking about these new policies in detail.
The board reviewed written action plans created by principals following the district’s engagement survey sent out to teachers and staff. One such action is adding a “Why This Matters to EHS” section when forwarding district communications to high school staff.
Director of School Improvement Heather Hundley also gave an update on the district’s strategic plan. The district is working toward various six-month, one-year, 18-month and 24-month targets, like increasing early literacy and decreasing chronic absenteeism.
At the meeting, Chrislip was reelected as president of the board. Hurla was elected as vice president. Thursday’s meeting was also recently-elected Tony Barron’s first meeting on the board, and Chrislip welcomed him.
Board member Kelley Woods said the Eudora Schools Foundation is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. She said everyone is invited to the basketball game on Jan. 16, where people can sign a card and have some birthday cake. She also said March 3 will be the foundation’s 24-hour community give day.
In other business, Devin Purcell was hired as the new high school assistant softball coach.
Reach Bella Waters at [email protected].
