Board Briefs
SM
March 2016
An informal report from Eudora Board of Education regular meetings
The following are highlights of discussion and action
from the board meeting on March 9, 2016.
CONSENT ITEMS. All items listed on the agenda were
approved without discussion.
EMS REPORT. Principal Denise Kendall delivered the annual
administrative report about Eudora Middle School, sharing
updates from the school that relate to the district’s 2016-2018
strategic plan. She began with the benefits and challenges of
the McRel evaluation system, as well as the work being done to
support all students’ needs, both academic and social/emotional.
She then highlighted the addition of the EES-EMS assistant
principal next year and the advantages that will provide to
students and families during the transition from elementary to
middle school.
After sharing progress in engaging parents and developing
a volunteer program, Denise concluded with an overview of
activity participation and highlights from the year so far. She
also noted feedback about the instructional teams, helping
students learn fundamentals and build skills needed to compete
at a higher level. Copies of these reports are available on
BoardDocs.
SUPERINTENDENT REPORT. Steve Splichal began with a
report about work being done to create a new school finance
formula that will be both equitable and adequate. One priority of
state superintendents is a system that will provide stability and
predictability so that districts can budget each year and operate
accordingly. He expressed serious concern about other plans and
bills being expedited in the statehouse, many of which would
severely limit funding and operational authority for school
districts.
He briefly reminded the board that preparations are underway
to deliver the annual stay interview in May; results from this
anonymous survey help the board and other leaders provide a
rewarding work environment for employees across the district.
Steve concluded his report by inviting board members to join
him in sending off the volunteers from Game On for Kansas
Schools, who are walking to Topeka to advocate for legislative
support of Kansas public education. The Day 2 sendoff for the
walking group will be outside Eudora Elementary around 8:30
a.m. on Saturday, March 12, and the public is invited..
ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS. Rob Swartz of RSP Associates
presented the enrollment projection report that the board
commissioned for planning purposes. After sharing demographic
and development data from across the community, he provided
the board projections for enrollment that show steady increases
in all buildings. He said that enrollment growth may well begin
to force capacity concerns by 2021, likely sooner at EES where
student counts are growing the most quickly.
14TH & CHURCH DEVELOPMENT. Representatives of the
City of Eudora shared an update on plans for the property at 14th
and Church. Developers are currently preparing proposals for the
property, which will be reviewed over the next few weeks. City
officials currently anticipate potential requests for a TIF district.
TIF, which stands for Tax Increment Financing, is a financially
attractive incentive often requested by developers. The approval
of a TIF district, if proposed by a developer, would require the
approval of the school district and county. It could also reduce
the district’s tax income from business development on the
property over a specified period of years.
2015-2016 CALENDAR CHANGES. Following a brief
discussion, the board approved a revised 2015-2016 calendar.
The new calendar moves the final teacher inservice day of the
school year, originally scheduled for May 13, to April 29. As a
result, May 13 will be the last day of school.
STUDENT TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE. The board reviewed
a plan for increasing classroom technology devices for students
in all schools. After discussing such areas as implementation,
communication, fees and academic results, the board voted to
proceed with plans to request bids for the purchase. The bids are
expected to be presented to the board to consider in April.
Want to know more about board business?
•Attend a board meeting! Meetings are open to the public and usually take place at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of
each month at West Resource Center. Check the calendar on www.eudoraschools.org to see the date of the next meeting.
•Go online! A full, searchable record of minutes and agendas is available online through BoardDocs. The Eudora section
of BoardDocs can be accessed from the district website under School Board > Meetings.