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Saints!

Friday
March 29th, 2024

usd 480 logoELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

The USD 480 school board will have an easy evening at its next meeting Monday evening. 

Up first in new business for the board will be discussion of Liberal High School foreign language textbooks. 

“The current Spanish textbooks and ancillary materials are eight years old. After review by the foreign language department, McGraw-Hill and Cengage publishing were selected,” the agenda information noted. “McGraw-Hill materials are for the Heritage I and II courses. Cengage materials are for Spanish I, Spanish II, Pre-AP Spanish, and AP Spanish. Staff is recommending the board approve the purchase of Spanish textbooks and ancillary materials from McGraw-Hill in the amount of $10,079.01 and Cengage Learning in the amount of $30,180.40.”

Also in new business will be the board’s discussion of changes to the 1:1 Chromebook Initiative Handbook. 

“The purpose of the USD 480 Board of Education’s 1:1 Chromebook Initiative is to create a collaborative learning environment for all learners. It is the expectation of the Board that district staff and community members will all play a role in the development of these effective and high quality educational experiences,” the handbook’s opening noted. “In furtherance of this goal, USD 480 is supplying all high school students/staff and middle school students/staff with a Chromebook personal computing device. The Chromebook will allow student access to educational applications, web-based tools, and many other useful sites. The Chromebook is an educational tool not intended for gaming, social networking, or high-end computing, and all users will be expected to follow the District’s Acceptable Use Policy as well as other state and federal laws, Board Policies, and Administrative Code of Conduct.”

“Staff would like to remove the Chromebook bag (carrying case) and microfiber cloth from the handbooks, we will no longer be providing these items,” the agenda information noted. 

After coming back from executive session, the board will  be discussing face masks and gating criteria for staff and students, and will conclude the meeting by discussing raises for the USD 480 classified staff and administration.

“The teachers received a 1.65% average pay increase for the 20-21 school year,” the agenda information noted. “The recommendation is to provide the classified staff with a 1.65 percent pay increase and administration a 1.5 percent increase for the 20-21 school year.”