ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The USD 480 school board saw most of its action near the beginning of its most recent meeting Monday evening.
New Director of Human Resources Mary Foster gave her first official report to the board by giving some less than positive news about interim teachers.
“On May 8, we had a meeting with a representative from the Kansas State Department of Education, and we discovered we will no longer be able to employ Level 6 Interims as teachers on record because we would be out of compliance since they don’t have the college credit hours,” Foster said. “This impacted 18 Level 6 interims, and all were extended the opportunity to return as a paraeducator and/or apply for the apprenticeship program if they have the qualifications. As of Monday morning, there are seven who expressed interest in returning as paraeducators. 16 of those interims are at the elementary level, and the other two are at the secondary levels. With the other 11, I’ll be meeting with building principals again soon, and I’ll hear more thoughts about what those teachers want to do.”
“That is very unfortunate to hear,” board member Mike Brack said.
“And the state hasn’t come up with any solutions to help us with our teacher shortage? I can’t believe they’re willing to cut that many employees,” board member Nick Hatcher added.
“It is very unfortunate, but I’m very hopeful about the registered teacher apprenticeship program, I think that could be really helpful,” Foster said. “And we’re currently doing interviews for the apprenticeship program, and I’m very hopeful about how many we’ll be able to have with that.”
“If I recall correctly, wasn’t the goal to have two at Bright Start Early Learning Center, two for the elementary schools, and two or three for the secondary schools, right?” Board Vice President Sarah Thompson asked.
The meeting also saw the presentation for the final Educator of the Month award, which was presented to MacArthur Elementary School kindergarten teacher Erika Loesch.
“I’m super excited for Erika to have this honor, she was actually one of the very first people I met when I came to Liberal, so it’s great to be able to present this to her,” MacArthur Elementary School Principal Maureen Richard said. “Erika has 13 years of dedicated experience with USD 480 and continues to go above and beyond for all of her students, colleagues and the rest of the school community. She is always willing to lend a helping hand, share innovative ideas, and share new strategies in the classroom. Beyond teaching, she plays multiple key roles at MacArthur Elementary School – she organizes all of our Spirit Week activities and our beloved Pancake Day assembly, and also serves on our KESA team for the district and the Building Leadership team, among others. She always has great ideas to share with us, so it’s great having her on those teams. Her positive energy is contagious, and she brings so much joy and creativity to every corner of the school while also building strong, meaningful relationships with the students and their families at MacArthur Elementary School. She is truly a positive influence in our building.”
In the meeting’s new business, the board began by approving the renewal of a five-year quote with Renaissance Fastbridge in the amount of $62,432.50 for reading screening and the purchase of 30 Redcats with Flexmikes from Lightspeed Technologies in the amount of $37,370 (which will be funded through a donation). The board also approved a Letter of Intent contract with the Southwest Plains Regional Service Center (SWPRSC) in the amount of $67,315 for professional development and the purchase of additional ELA student workbooks at Sunflower Elementary School and MacArthur Elementary School in the amount of $22,490.01. The board also approved a payment to Navigate360 in the amount of $13,903.28 for the district’s emergency management software and behavioral threat assessment software, as well as the use of the WebKIDSS IEP management system for the 2025-26 school year. To conclude the meeting’s new business, the board approved a bid from Focus Camera LLC in the amount of $63,575.28 for the purchase of security cameras for the district and a quote from Varitronics in the amount of $118,582 for the purchase of Variquest machines.
