Public Hearings for exceeding the Revenue Neutral Rate and the 2023-24 Budget were held during this meeting. Executive Director of Business and Finance, Amy Droegemeier, presented the estimated local tax rate will decrease from 61.901 to 61.707, with slight changes possible due to the final assessed valuation later this fall. This rate does exceed the Revenue Neutral rate by 6.899; however, it is a decrease from 2022 by 0.194 mills.

The revenue neutral rate and budget approval process, along with important dates, is as follows:

• June 15 - District receives Revenue Neutral Rate from County Clerks with estimated assessed values.
• July 20 - District Notifies County Clerks of Proposed Intent to Exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate.
• After July 20 - County Clerks notify individual taxpayers of the new tax levy.
• August 9 - KSDE & Finance Committee Review of Budget.
• August 14 - Board approval to publish Revenue Neutral Rate information and budget (Code 99) in the Gardner News for a minimum 10-day period for public review.
  
• August 23 - Wednesday edition of Gardner News publishes the budget and begins a 10-day period for public review.
• September 11 - Board meeting public hearing for exceeding the Revenue Neutral Rate and formal budget approval.
• September 20 - The budget is due for submission to KSDE and the Johnson & Miami County Tax Administration Offices.

Students from Edgerton Elementary presented information related to their Community Garden, built on their campus.

To view pictures and the slide deck, click HERE.

The Board of Education recognized the following individuals for their service during the recent heat wave:

• First Student Manager: Daniel Cain and Team of Bus Drivers
• HVAC Team: Joseph Burger and Tony Farmer
• Grounds Team: Michael Green, Loren Baugher, Tyson Thomas, and Greg Hamm
• USD 231 Crossing Guards

Our HVAC Team played a critical role, arriving early and closely monitoring the system for outages while responding promptly to emerging problems. Throughout the week, our dedicated team reset chillers, replaced a phase monitor, addressed power surge-related issues and resets air handling units, swapped out belts, and even replaced VAV damper motors.

The Grounds team also faced the pressure of preparing sporting fields for the upcoming fall sports season. Their efforts were focused on getting ready for football and soccer by laying out and striping seven fields. In addition to fieldwork, they made significant modifications to the cross-country course, including leveling a 320-foot segment to ensure a safe and even terrain for cross-country runners. They also installed two coverts to provide spectators with a unique vantage point to

observe the cross-country races. Our dedicated team went above and beyond to ensure both the

comfort of our students and the quality of our sporting facilities during this challenging period.

A positive outcome during the heatwave was the successful collaboration between our district

and First Student to prioritize the safety and well-being of our students and dedicated bus drivers.

Thanks to this careful planning and teamwork, First Student managed to navigate the entire week

without any delays in safely transporting our students to school and back home, even during the

challenging conditions of the extended heatwave. This outcome highlights the effectiveness of

our partnership in facing adversity and putting the well-being of our students first.

Our crossing guards also endured the heat to ensure students crossed safely.

THANK YOU!!!

USD 231 is proud of our partnerships with many stakeholders (students, parents, employees, churches, local vendors, etc.). Often, due to these partnerships, our students and employees are the recipients of generous donations.

To view a list of recent donations and grants, click the icon on the right/above.

Karla Reed, Director of Mentoring and Professional Development, provided an update related to the professional development occurring on an ongoing basis in our school district.

The Gardner Edgerton School District is committed to ongoing, job-embedded, professional learning by and for all employees that will further the district’s vision, mission and strategic initiatives.

The responsibility for professional learning is shared. Each educator is responsible for their own development, while the district and its leaders are responsible for supporting professional learning through conducive structures and opportunities.

To view the slide deck, click HERE.

Dr. Daniel Pollitt, Coordinator of Social-Emotional Health, provided an update related to the work he has engaged in during the first two months of his tenure.

In addition to developing systems designed to increase capacity and lead to improved student behavior, Dr. Pollitt has modeled instructional strategies aimed at strengthening student-teacher relationships and standardized responses to student misbehavior.

Shay Carter, Executive Director of Special Education, provided an update related to the professional development that will be provided for both certified and classified employees during Early Release.

The Special Education Department intentionally planned this year's learning based on

• requests to incorporate collaboration time

• staff feedback via surveys

• requests to provide job-alike time together

• requests to differentiate for Early Childhood

To view the slide deck, click HERE.

The BOE adopted the proposal to levy property taxes in an amount exceeding the Revenue Neutral Tax Rates calculated for 2023-2024, as adjusted pursuant to 2022 HB 2239 amending K.S.A 79-2988.

The BOE adopted the proposed 2023-2024 budget for USD 231 prepared in conjunction with the Buildings Needs Assessments and establish maximum spending authorities in each identified fund.

Dr. Huff reviewed the goals set by the Board of Education for the 2023-24 school year. These goals can be found below and they will be posted in the Board room to remind everyone of the priorities when making decisions.

Gardner Edgerton Leadership Priorities 2023-24

Developed August 22, 2023. Adopted September 11, 2023.

Priority

Develop a plan and timeline for creating a common curriculum for all classes throughout the district.

Priority

To maintain the district focus on academic success and performance with an emphasis on the development of the whole child through strategic academic, social and behavioral interventions.

Priority

Assess the level of parental participation and involvement in their child’s education and develop ideas to increase their engagement.

Priority

Continue the work of implementing suggestions from the SPED audit with an emphasis on making the IEP identification process more appropriate.

Priority

Identify strategies to strengthen the recruitment and retention of high-quality staff in all areas of the district.

Priority

Develop a 5-10 year plan to address district facility and infrastructure needs.

Priority

Working collaboratively with the board, develop a process to address operating (governance) principles, school board self-evaluation and continued team building.

The Board of Education has expressed interest in developing a self-evaluation tool. The BOE approved the establishment of a temporary subcommittee to complete this work with the goal of having a process in place later this year.

The Board of Education learned more about joining a class action lawsuit (at no cost) for social media.

The impact of social media on students and schools continues to be detrimental to our students health, including:

• Negatively impacts the educational process
• Distraction. Major distraction for students, teachers, and administrators.
• Drain of resources. Teachers and administrators spend a significant amount of time developing lesson plans and training for staff and educating students. Time and energy that could and should be spent elsewhere.
• Student support services. Demand for counseling services has increased dramatically. Many districts have hired additional counselors or paid to outsource counseling services.
• Policing. Requires investigation and intervention in potentially harmful or destructive conduct and confiscating devices.

To view the slide deck, click HERE.

A one-page summary of the litigation can be found HERE.

A Social Media addiction brochure can be found HERE.

• 7.1-7.7 - Approval of minutes of regular meeting held on August 14, 2023; Approval of Memorandum's of Understanding, for USD 231 and their partners; Approval of Contracts/Purchases attached; Approval of the disposal of identified district property per Education Statute K.S.A. 72-3216; Approval of 2024 group insurance monthly rates and board paid benefits for health, dental and vision insurance; Approval of Financial Statements; Approval of Claims.
• 11.1 - Approval of the superintendent's recommendation to adopt the resolution to exceed the Revenue Neutral Tax Rate for financing the annual budget for 2023-2024.
• 11.2 - Approval of the total published budget in the amount of $137,464,201 for the 2023-2024 school year.
• 11.3 - Approval to adopt the BOE goals as presented.
• 11.4 - Approval to establish a subcommittee to develop a process for BOE self evaluation.
• 11.5 Approval of action to join the class action lawsuit for Social Media led by Wagstaff & Cartmell, Goza Honnold, and Beasley Allen.
• 11.6 Approval to appoint Jeff Miller to serve as the School Board Representative on the Gardner Edgerton Schools Foundation Committee.
• 11.8 Approval of Personnel report.

​Board Briefs are informal reports from the Gardner Edgerton Board of Education's regular meetings. They are typically released a day or two after each meeting and are not meant to be accepted as meeting minutes.

To view previous Board Briefs, click the image on the right.

Monday, October 9, 2023 - 6:00 p.m.