Senator-elect Dr. Roger Marshall has signed and donated five early reader books, titled “House Mouse, Senate Mouse,” to Great Bend USD 428 – one copy for each of the district’s five elementary schools. Marshall’s wife, Laina Marshall, recently delivered the books, said USD 428 Public Information Director Andrea Bauer. The donation was one of several contributions approved at Monday’s USD 428 Board of Education meeting. Others were:
• Lincoln Elementary School received $31.55 in incentive rewards from Coca-Cola and $50.38 from Shoparoo.
• The Food Service department received a $250 incentive refund from Brakebush Brothers Inc.
• Jefferson Elementary received a $50 contribution from an anonymous donor for flexible seating in Deena Smith’s 2nd-grade classroom.
• Two Credit Union Teach, Grow Inspire the Future (TGIF) grants were awarded to teachers to provide innovative teaching environments for students. Shelly Post at Helping Hands Preschool received $300 for Parenting our Future materials and Kenzie Unruh at Lincoln Elementary School received $500 for Osmo Interactive Learning items.
Meeting at a glance
Here’s a quick summary of Monday’s Great Bend USD 428 Board of Education meeting:
• The board had its first reading of the Great Bend High School Program of Studies for 2021-2022. GBHS Principal Tim Friess discussed several course description updates recommended for next year. Although there is typically a second reading before approval, the board followed Friess’s recommendation and approved the plan Monday to “get the ball rolling” on publishing it.
• Superintendent Khris Thexton discussed the current Simplex 4020 Fire Panel System at GBHS. The board approved a quotation of $29,368 from Johnson Controls Fire Protection to replace the system with an upgraded Simplex 4100ES.
• An agreement with the Mahaney Group, based in Wichita, was approved to properly maintain and repair all of the roofs in the district. The rate is $9,500 for inspection period, with additional fees for time and materials for projects and for reactive leak calls.
• Assistant Superintendent John Popp reported that administrators met with the district site council on a Dec. 2 Zoom meeting to gather feedback and discuss the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) process, and the impact COVID-19 has had on both in-school and remote learners.
• Popp and Director of Teaching and Learning Tricia Reiser reported that a virtual learning committee is reviewing the potential for developing a small virtual school option for students and families who may want to continue with virtual learning in the future. The state process can be complicated and the district is researching if this would be a worthwhile addition to bring to USD 428.
• Reiser reported that the math adoption committee is moving forward with its study of potential curricula. The next step will be to choose two of the top five options for pilot programs.
• The board approved increasing the pay rate for teachers who choose to give up their planning time to cover for other teachers’ classrooms due to a shortage of substitute teachers. The rate would increase from $20 to $30 for the loss of the planning time, for the 2020-2021 school year only. The rate is retroactive to November 1, 2020.
• Thexton’s superintendent’s report includes updates on the USD 428 Education Foundation fundraiser, the Panther Activity Center boiler and other district projects, and COVID-19 news.
• The board approved grants and contributions, as well as personnel changes.
• Three executive sessions were held, each for 30 minutes, to discuss the superintendent’s evaluation.
• It was noted that Winter Recess starts on Monday, Dec. 21, and continues through Jan. 4, 2021. Jan. 4 will be a teacher workday, and classes will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 5. The next board of education meeting will be Jan. 11.
