Enrollment projections approved by school board

The 2024-2025 enrollment projections, along with bids for flooring and asbestos removal, were approved by the Concordia Unified School District 333 board of education during its regular meeting Monday night in the USD 333 CTE building.

Passed in 2022, Kansas House Bill 2553 allows students to select and transfer to a school of their choice, rather than attend a school based on where they live, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.

The state statute requires school districts to permit any Kansas student to enroll in and attend their schools.

It is also required by the bill that all school districts determine and publish how much extra capacity they have for transfer students.

The 2024-2025 enrollment projections approved by the school board states that USD 333 will have unlimited capacity for qualified nonresident students at the Concordia schools.

Also approved by the board was the application that must be submitted by students living outside of the district boundary to attend schools in USD 333. The application must be completed no later than June 30, 2024.

Also during the meeting, the board approved bids for the installation of flooring in the Concordia Junior-Senior High School and the Concordia Elementary School.

A bid of $50,854.33 from Design Central LLC, Salina, to replace the flooring in the junior-senior high school cafeteria was approved.

The board approved a bid of $99,881.35 from Wall to Wall Carpet & Interior, Concordia, to replace flooring in the elementary school cafeteria, music classroom, office spaces and corridors.

Also approved was a bid from Associated Insulation, Inc., Manhattan, of $14,820.50 for asbestos tile and mastic remediation.

Concordia Police Chief Brent Gering and City Manager Amy Lange met with the board to discuss reintroducing a school resource office (SRO) into the district.

Gering reported to the board that the city is pursuing a grant to fund the SRO position.

“Kind of the outline is, with your blessing, we will apply for the grant, and if we get and accept the grant, we will work up an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the city and school board and move forward on that,” Gering said.

Gering presented the proposal for the SRO position to the Concordia city commission during its meeting on April 3.

Information presented to the city commission stated that the SRO initiative aims to foster a safer educational environment and enhance the relationship between youth and the police department. It will supply a direct line of support for students, faculty and administration.

The police department is looking for possible grant funding through the Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Program to fund the SRO position.

Gering said he had an officer in mind to serve as the SRO.

Included in the certified staff changes approved by the school board was the hiring of Shane Traughber as an English language arts instructor.

Traughber was also hired as the new head high school boys’ basketball coach. He was previously the head coach at Dodge City High School.

The other certified staff hires approved by the board include the hiring of Joy Traughber, Title I reading teacher at Concordia Elementary School; Sidney Ripp, fourth grade teacher at Concordia Elementary School; Ryan Peroo, physical education teacher and weights coach at Concordia Junior-Senior High School; and Rachel Scott, instructional coach at Concordia Middle School.

The transfer of Kylie Snavely from fifth grade teacher at the Concordia Middle School to second grade teacher at the Concordia Elementary School was approved.

Included in the classified staff changes approved by the board was the hiring of Kayla Garst as the head volleyball coach at Concordia High School.

Abigail Rose was hired as the junior high school cheer coach.

Amy Wildeman and Alison Snyder were hired as summer Concordia Afterschool Program teachers.

Resignations accepted include Gerald  Sorell, assistant high school softball coach; Brad Wildeman, assistant high school boys’ basketball coach; Bobbie McWhorter, junior high cheer coach; Angela Beams, Learning Cooperative of North Central Kansas social worker; and Cassidy Stensaas, interrelated teacher at Clifton-Clyde Middle School.

Board members Nancy Owen and Lindsay Metcalf were appointed to the negotiations team.

The board met in executive sessions for 10 minutes with superintendent of schools Quentin Breese for the purpose of discussing non-elected personnel.