ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The USD 480 school board made quick work of its agenda at its most recent meeting Monday evening.
Near the beginning, the meeting started by recognizing Meadowlark Elementary School Interventionist Kristin Classen as the final Educator of the Month for the school year.
“Kristin deserves this nomination because of the extraordinary leadership, compassion and dedication she brings to Meadowlark Elementary School each day,” Principal Ashley Bruce said. “While serving as an interventionist, she continually takes on additional responsibilities that positively impact staff, students and the overall school culture. She serves as Meadowlark’s building union representative and 504 coordinator. She is also an active member of our culture committee, behavior team, and crisis team. Her leadership, professionalism, and willingness to support both students and staff make her an invaluable part of our school community. She consistently steps in wherever she’s needed and approaches each challenge with a calm and focused solution. She is greatly respected by students and staff because of her kindness, strong work ethic and willingness to serve others without seeking recognition. She leads by example, instills trust in those around her, and continually goes above and beyond to meet the needs of the Meadowlark Elementary School community. Her impact reaches far beyond her job title, making her truly deserving of this honor. She has completed 35 years of service to the district, which is an incredible feat, and we all greatly appreciate her service and dedication to the staff and students and the rest of the community.”
Classen then briefly shared her journey.
“35 years ago this summer, this small-town girl moved to the big city of Liberal,” Classen said. “I was initially scared to come, and I remember there was 11 inches of snow on the ground that Halloween, and we did inside recess what felt like forever. I came out here initially for two years, then I met my husband at church, and I’ve been here ever since. My entire career has been with USD 480, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’ve been in three buildings, and I’m now teaching with some of the kindergarteners I taught early on. I don’t feel like I’ve been teaching 35 years, I’ve had a great run in this district overall. I appreciate this district and how good everyone’s been to me throughout the years, so I want to say thank you very much.”
The board then moved quickly through the agenda’s new business, first by approving the WebKIDSS IEP Management System for the 2026-2027 school year and a braille service agreement between USD 480 and Southwest Kansas Area Cooperative. The board also approved a contract with Motor Mouth to provide Special Education Extended School Year (Summer School) Speech Services for June. Also approved were Teaching Tuition Agreements for Jessica Winner Dalila Gonzalez-Morales and Teaching Tuition Amendments for Sydney Minor, Margarita Washington and Philip Kinsinger. The board also approved the addition of an ESL-certified position at Eisenhower Middle School and Bright Start Early Learning Center and Relay Education Training in the amount of $15,000 as part of a School Improvement Grant which was accepted by the board at its May 4 meeting.
