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School Board Briefs

By Staff | Nov 14, 2007

District in search of patron to fill vacancy

The School Board officially is in search of a patron to fill the unexpired term of longtime board member Bob DeHoff, who resigned at the Oct. 8 meeting.

DeHoff represented District 6, so anyone interested in replacing DeHoff must reside in USD 464 south of U.S. Highway 24-40 and south of Kansas Highway 16, excluding the city of Tonganoxie — except for the portion of the city that was annexed Oct. 12, 1992, west of 218th Street and south and west of U.S. 24-40 and Kansas Highway 16.

Interested patrons may submit a letter of application to the board office, 330 E. U.S. 24-40, or mail it to: P.O. Box 199, Tonganoxie 66086. Letters must be received by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14.

In an Oct. 9 interview, DeHoff said it was a decision he was contemplating for some time.

“I’ve been there for 10 years and came to a conclusion it was time for me to move on,” DeHoff said.

Transportation director hired

After meeting for a total 90 minutes in executive session to discuss personnel, the board approved the hiring of Sylvia Kesinger, owner of Kesinger Real Estate, as transportation director.

The board also hired Lynn Taylor and Tracy Wyrick as custodians, as well as Bryan Gurss as THS assistant boys basketball coach and Jared Jackson as golf coach. A resignation also was accepted: Herchel Martin as THS math teacher.

Board members Darlyn Hansen and Kathy Baragary were absent.

Board approves anti-bullying funding

After listening to TES counselor Lindsey Graf’s report on anti-bullying programs available to the district, the board approved two programs.

One is called Rachel’s Challenge, a school assembly program is based on an essay written by Rachel Joy Scott titled “My Ethics, My Codes of Life.” Scott was one of the students killed April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Colorado.

That program would cost $3,800 and would be open to students in grades seven through 12.

The other program, Olweus, would cost $2,800 and would be available for students in grades kindergarten through eight.

The program includes two days of training, establishing a committee and developing a plan. Then, for a year, the school has the program’s consultant, who is in Manhattan, as a resource.

Insurance bid review set for Nov. 26

A special meeting is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 26, to review insurance bids.

The meeting, which Superintendent Richard Erickson anticipated would last about 30 minutes, will start at 5:30 p.m.

Hawkeye Security has been the district’s property and liability insurance provider since June 2005.

Teacher urges incentives for subs

TES first-grade teacher Linda Vernon spoke during patron comment time about her concerns regarding a shortage of substitute teachers in the district.

She said that, especially with flu season starting to kick in, teachers could be out of school on short notice.

She presented the board with a list of signatures from other teachers concerned about the situation.

She suggested the board advertise for substitute teachers, increase pay to be more competitive with other area districts and think of other incentives to attract substitute teachers to the district.