ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Administrative reports took up most of the USD 480 school board’s time at its most recent meeting Monday evening.
After hearing updates from Director of Operations Chad Mease and Technology Director Rusty Tuman, Superintendent Dane Richardson shared some updates of his own with the board.
“There’s been a lot going on in the Central Office, and we’re all really proud,” Richardson said. “Every two weeks, we meet to really dig into what needs to be done, and that’s to help change the overall culture and make sure everyone feels like they’re being heard. One thing we went over recently is hiring and that overall process and clarifying standard operating procedures. We had every department make a list of everything they needed in order to hire someone, and that was really helpful – on average, it takes 16 people at minimum to catch one hire. It really opened everyone’s eyes when we did that.”
Building principals will also continue working hard, Richardson said.
“Building principals will be sharing their parts in terms of what’s needed as far as communication with the Central Office, and once we have all of that, everyone will be working to establish how to go forward and then have one standard operating procedure,” Richardson said. “In terms of a strategic action plan, there are a few areas I’ll be pursuing, including with the federal programs side of everything. With that, I want to align the USD 480 federal programs fund and make sure it’s being used sufficiently and we’re being good stewards of those funds. Another area is student achievement, and that will involve curriculum and working to raise scores in ELA, math and science as well as address chronic absenteeism. We want to also implement a recruitment and retention program to increase the number of certified positions throughout the next five years, and there are other benchmarks we want to meet. We’re also working on the Principals’ Building Reports to get to the board soon so you have all of that information.”
Another goal, Richardson said, is to address tardy and absence procedures and consequences at Liberal High School.
“Darla [Forney] and her team have been working on what they would like to implement in terms of addressing chronic absenteeism. There’s a big tardy problem especially with first period,” Richardson said. “Again, we want to make sure those procedures are the same and everything is on the same page in the handbook and everywhere else. We’ll be bringing something before the board sometime soon, and I know there are a lot of factors being looked at with that.”
For the meeting’s new business items, the board approved a bid from Shawnee Mission Ford in the amount of $61,193 for the purchase of an eight-passenger SUV and the the Youth Teacher Apprentice Program as presented. The board also approved the final payment to French Construction in the amount of $40,681.08 for the front entryway at Bright Start Early Learning Center and a quote from Southern Office Supply in the amount of $11,594.50 for new furniture for Liberal High School. All new business items were approved 6-0, with board member Kaylee Ruiz-Lopez absent.
