ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

USD 480 will be continuing its recruiting efforts with a new program approved at the USD 480 school board’s most recent meeting Monday evening.

“This is actually a two-part approval – the first is the pay scale, we want to make it one unified pay scale for all pre-certified staff like the ones in our Grow Your Own program and similar staff members,” Director of Recruitment and Education Ashley Kappelmann said. “What is in place now, which the board approved previously, is an interim pay scale, an advanced student teaching rate, and an apprenticeship pay scale. This would take everything and put it on one pay scale so it’s unified and more predictable for those who are going through the Grow Your Own program. It also includes, on that scale, the benefits and other similar information, which really helps with clarity and predictability and consistency so everything is there in writing and everyone knows when they sign up exactly what their progression would look like. The second part of this is putting together a handbook for what we’re calling SEED, which was approved by the board in December 2022. This would be taking up to $300,000, or up to $5,000 per year, for pre-certified staff and give them financial assistance and support in becoming certified. The goal of that handbook is to provide a lot more accountability and a lot more structure to what we’re doing so again, we’re consistent and predictable and equitable so someone doesn’t go to the wrong person with a question and they get a wrong answer.”

ELLY GRIMM

  • Leader & Times

Saturday began and ended clear and bright in Liberal, which extended to the evening’s annual Downtown Christmas Parade.

The night saw many bright floats and many from the community who turned out to see the town become merry and bright, which pleased parade coordinators.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The 2026 International Pancake Day Race will be here before everyone knows it, and there will be a big change coming.

As Pancake day Board President Mike Brack tells it, there had been some discussion about the change before.

“Between Liberal and Olney, we've always tried to maintain the same rules when it comes to the International Pancake Day Race so everything's fair – there has been some minor flexibility in some areas, but for the most part, all of the rules are the same here as they are in Olney,” Brack said. “With how we have everything in Liberal, we have to set a deadline roughly 30 days before the race in order to make sure we have women signed up to run in the International race, while in Olney, women had the opportunity to sign up for the race the day of, and they always have more than 15 racers. With Olney being a small community, they've allowed women from the surrounding areas, if they're employed in Olney, to run in the race – and in Liberal, we have people driving in from Hugoton and the Oklahoma Panhandle for work. So starting with the 2026 race, ladies who don't reside in Liberal but work here are eligible to participate in the race, and they still have to follow all the other race rules and everything else. In years past, it's been a bit disappointing to not have a full slate of racers in the International Race, so we're hoping this change will help motivate not only Liberal ladies to run in the race and sign up earlier, but also women from other communities in the area.”