Board Approvals:
  • minutes from November 11, 2020
  • minutes from November 20, 2020
  • minutes from November 23, 2020
  • minutes from November 24, 2020
  • fiscal payments 
  • treasurer’s report for October 2020
  • donation of $500 from Dr. Michael and Joyce Reynolds for the EHS cross country team
  • donation of approximately $1,000 from William Allen White (WAW) to the staff and students of WAW for a subscription to education.com
  • SPARK Grant Funding for online resources for teaching staff
  • let bids for furniture, fixtures, and equipment for renovated classrooms at Walnut Elementary and the new Early Learning Center
  • revised job descriptions
  • revised job descriptions
  • FY20 audit report as submitted
  • contract with Remco to perform asbestos removal at Emporia High School for $25,920
  • modifications to the HTK contracts, Amendment 002 - Early Childhood Center, add $237,000.00 Amendment 003 - Emporia High School, add $3,829.00
  • strike the information on section 2A Rule 10 coaches on the current supplemental Guidelines MOU for 2020-2021 and replace it with, if a sport or activity is shortened or canceled due to COVID-19, coaches and sponsors will seek ways to maintain engagement and provide support with students involved in their programs. With the addition that they would submit a plan to the principal or athletic director.
  • Emporia Middle School course catalog for 2021-2022 as submitted
  • superintendent search agreement 

Board Discussion:
Emporia Middle School Enrollment Course Catalog for 2021-2022:
Keith Glotzbach EMS assistant principal and Steven Bazan EMS Principal outlined the changes in the 2021-2022 EMS Course Catalog. Click here to review the catalog changes 

Academic Report, Kindergarten Readiness, Graduation Rate, and Postsecondary Sucess:
Dr. Ryan Karjala, Associate Executive Director of Assessment and Accountability reviewed district data regarding Kindergarten Readiness, Graduation Rates, and Post Secondary Success. Highlights of the report include the district’s graduation rates for both the four-year and five-year class cohorts with a 91.3% and 92.9% from 2016 through 2020.  

Build for the Future Executive Committee:
The committee met this week and reviewed each of the current construction projects. Highlights included a discussion on being able to renovate additional classrooms at Walnut Elementary, prioritizing options for Emporia High School, and a review of requested changes for the Early Childhood Center. Additionally, Eric Woltje, McCownGordon, provided construction updates on each project:
  • Walnut Elementary - the concrete slab will be poured for the new edition and walls will begin to go up next week
  • Early Childhood Center - the footings and foundation will be dug out next week
  • Emporia High School - the fencing and mobile unit is in place and the site demo will be starting soon

Superintendent Timeline:
Dr. Brian Jordan, Deputy Executive Director of the Kansas Association of School Boards, presented the search agreement and tentative search timeline to the board. As part of the agreement, KASB will work with a screening committee who will be responsible for reviewing applicants and recommend finalists to the Board of Education. There are four phases in the search process which include: vacancy announcement, interview preparation, interview process, and the hiring and negotiating process. The search officially began with the approval of the search agreement with interviews anticipated to be in mid-February. Click here for the superintendent search timeline

COVID-19 Advisory Update:
Dr. Allison Anderson-Harder, interim superintendent shared information from the COVID-19 Advisory Committee regarding the current state of COVID in the Emporia community. Additionally, Harder led a discussion on the future role of the committee and how to best utilize the information that is gathered to make future learning plan decisions. Current recommendations include maintaining the current learning plan until January 18th and continuing to be cautious as future decisions are made to add more students on-site.

Future Board Calendar Dates:
  • Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 5:30 p.m., Board Meeting, Mary Herbert Education Center
  • Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 7:00 p.m., Board Meeting, Mary Herbert Education Center
  • Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 7:00 p.m., Board Meeting, Mary Herbert Education Center