With the new Support Services facility at 625 East 10th St. completed for Great Bend USD 428 and with plans to move preschoolers and administrative offices to the former CPI Complex at 1809 24th St. in 2024, the school district will soon be ready to sell property it no longer needs. The logistics of that will be discussed at Monday’s school board meeting.
A public hearing on a different matter will precede the regular USD 428 Board of Education meeting. The hearing will include a quick review of a proposed policy for enrollment of nonresident students and is set to start at 5 p.m. on Nov. 13 at the District Education Center, 601 South Patton Road. The regular board meeting will follow around 5:05 p.m. and the board may approve the new policy at that time.
New business on the agenda includes adopting a resolution that serves as notification of intent to sell three buildings that will no longer be needed in the future. The three properties are the former Maintenance & Transportation Building, the former Central Kitchen and, eventually, the District Education Center, which will most likely be vacated in the fall or winter of 2024, said USD 428 Public Information Director Andrea Bauer.
The resolution that will be reviewed by the school board is required because the Kansas Legislature passed a law last session that all district properties must receive legislative approval to either be purchased by the state or allowed to be sold by the district. “Submitting the resolution now for all three buildings will allow our plans to be reviewed by the Legislature in their next session,” she said. “This will likely mean that the buildings will not be cleared for sale until the spring. More information will be provided on Monday during the meeting.”
The Support Services facility on 10th Street now houses the central kitchen and maintenance. In early October, renovations at the former CPI Complex on 24th St. began transforming the facility for the Little Panthers Preschool and District Education Center.
Enrollment policy
The new enrollment policy is required because of new legislation that allows students to enroll in schools outside of their assigned districts.
The proposed policy is to determine the number of nonresident students that the school district has the capacity to accept in each grade level for each school of the school district. Pursual to the new law, K.S.A. 72-3123, the policy will clearly specify the reasons that the board may use to deny continued enrollment of a nonresident student who is not in good standing. The public hearing was also required by law.
Recognition
Recognition items on the agenda include congratulating the individuals elected to the board on Nov. 7; recognizing Shannon Wedel, 2023 Outstanding Art Educator of the Year; and recognizing USD 428’s nominees for 2024 Teachers of the Year, Sergio Ramirez and Casey Hatzenbuehler. The board will also learn about this year’s Great Bend Reads Initiative and about why USD 428 has received the Kansas Can Bronze Star Award for its exceptional high school graduation rate.
Other business
The board will also make a recommendation for who will represent USD 428 on the Great Bend Recreation Commission’s board of directors.
Other action items include a proposal to address a chiller at the Panther Activity Center (PAC) that is not functioning property; computer purchases; and approval of grants and contributions and of personnel changes.
Reports from administrators will include updates on the Vape Policy, district phone system, capital outlay, therapy dogs, the 2024-2025 calendar and more.
