ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The beginning of the USD 480 school board’s most recent meeting Monday evening was all about teacher recognition.

Starting the recognition was the Liberal Chamber of Commerce recognizing Ariana Parral from Liberal High School as the Educator of the Month.

“Those of us who know Ariana and have had the privilege of working alongside her know just how deserving she is of this recognition,” LHS Assistant Principal Brandi Fowler said. “Ariana is one of those special educators whose impact is difficult to contain within just one job description. She makes students better, she makes her fellow colleagues better, and quite frankly, she makes the school and rest of the district better. Ariana has an incredible heart for the students and is a fierce advocate for students in Special Education programs, but her commitment to students never stops there. Whether she’s serving as an interventionist working along the student intervention team or simply noticing a student who needs some extra help, Ariana steps in. She never asks, ‘Is this my responsibility?’ she asks ‘What can I do to help?’ Her leadership has continued to grow because people trust her – last year, she took on the significant responsibility of overseeing our Special Education paraprofessionals. This year, her influence has expanded as she serves as the Department Head for Secondary Special Education for the district. One of the things we appreciate about Ariana is her ability to bring people together. Having taught on both the general education side and the Special Education side, she understands both worlds and has become an incredible bridge between them. She reminds us through her actions how we don’t have Special Education students and general education students, we have OUR students, and serving them well is a responsibility we all share. Rather than allowing those two worlds to operate separately, Ariana brings people together, improves communication, and keeps the focus where it belongs: on what students need to be successful.”

All of Parral’s work, Fowler continued, has created big ripple effects.

“Every teacher she supports, every paraprofessional she encourages, every team she strengthens, and every student she advocates for, extends Ariana’s impact more and more,” Fowler said. “At LHS, one of our core values is to Champion for All. Ariana does not simply represent that value, she lives it. She champions all students receiving Special Education services, she champions students who simply need some extra help, she champions teachers, paraprofessionals, and colleagues. Most importantly, she works every day to ensure that special education and general education are not separate missions, but one collective responsibility to serve every student well. She does all of this with positivity, humility, and a genuine desire to make things better for everyone around her. On a more personal note, Ariana and I go back way to when I was at Eisenhower Middle School, and she’s definitely a product of the Grow Our Own we’ve been working to do for years – she started as a long-term substitute teacher, and she’s gone through everything else on her own and while raising her four children.  Ariana, we’ve seen what you do, we appreciate it, and we’re excited for the district to see what everyone at LHS already knows.”

Parral then spoke to the board about being recognized.

“It’s been a long road, and I’m so incredibly honored to be recognized like this,” Parral said. “I go into my office every day wanting to work hard for all the staff and students, and I don’t do it for the recognition, I do it because I love what I do. Thanks so much!”

After Parral was honored, multiple members of the district staff were also recognized for having completed their licensure to become full-time teachers.

In the meeting’s new business, the board approved a resolution to exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate, as well as Resolution No. LOP 9-14-2026, which sets the Local Option percentage consistent with the statewide average of 32.4 percent. After some quick discussion, the board also approved the budget for the 2026-2027 school year.

The board also approved the purchase of a 77-passenger bus from Midwest Bus Sales in the amount of $174,624.00, and approved an invoice from Pinnacle Fire and Automation in the amount of $10,480 for annual fire alarm inspections. The board also approved a four-year beverage proposal from Coca-Cola as well as agreements with Subbey (which assists in managing substitute teachers and filling jobs with subs externally and internally when teachers request leave), and the AVID agreements for Eisenhower Middle School and Seymour Rogers Middle School.