
Apr. 2 - From the Superintendent
April 2, 2024

April 2, 2024
Hello, USD 231 Patrons and Employees.
It appears spring is finally here! This past weekend's weather was gorgeous.
I'm writing with two informational items today:
Bond Planning Process
The Gardner Edgerton School Board is embarking on a pivotal journey in our district's bond planning process, and we are reaching out to passionate advocates in the community, such as yourself, to contribute your invaluable insight and feedback.
As we strive to enhance our educational facilities and programs for the benefit of our students and community, your perspective is crucial. While we welcome the interest of all individuals willing to contribute, we regretfully inform you that due to logistical constraints, we can only accommodate a maximum of 22 community advocates.
To ensure a diverse range of perspectives, we are seeking individuals from various levels within our community, including Chamber members, Gardner Gold representatives, HS/MS/Elementary school parents, and parents with students in special education.
Your feedback and experience within the system uniquely qualify you as an ideal candidate to participate in this vital planning process. We believe that your insights will significantly contribute to the development of comprehensive and impactful strategies for our district's future.
Scheduled meetings will be held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on the following dates:
- April 17
- May 15
- August 21
- September 18
- October 23
Additional meetings, if required, will be scheduled for November 20 and December 11.
If you are committed to advancing education in our community and available for these meetings, we encourage you to apply and become a part of this crucial endeavor. Your participation will play a significant role in shaping the future of education in Gardner Edgerton.
Community Group - District Bond Planning Team SIGN-UP
Strategic Plan
In my last newsletter, I shared that an important part of our Strategic Plan was the aspect of Professional Learning. Today, I write to share more about the fifth and final aspect of our plan, Wider Community.
Positive reciprocal relationships between the school and community are essential to the continued growth and success of each. Because we value our relationship with the Gardner and Edgerton communities, the district will continue to build and maintain a culture of trust and collaboration with our stakeholders. We will provide accessible, transparent, and actionable information to all stakeholders, enabling us to engage families more effectively as true partners in their child’s educational experiences.
In addition to our work with families, our district will develop reciprocal partnerships with local and regional industries as well as local government, educational, business, community, and civic organizations to ensure the skills we teach are transferable. These partnerships will enable rich learning experiences through volunteering, internships, and client-connected projects while providing a variety of support resources.
Two-way communication between our district and the community is critical to our collaboration. Frequent and consistent messaging, both internally and externally, will provide our stakeholders with a clear view of our strategic goals, innovative practices, and decision-making processes across the district. We will regularly engage our students, families, and the community to learn more about their experiences in our schools and needs for improvement.
To support our partnerships with our families and community, Gardner Edgerton District 231 facilities will serve as the community hub for learning. Our buildings will be safe, accessible, comfortable, resource rich, and of a professional standard so they can be used as meeting spaces for businesses and civic organizations; venues for community events, performances, and athletic competitions; outreach branches to higher education; and information centers by anyone throughout the community.
Frequent stakeholder engagement is essential to growing and maintaining the thriving Gardner Edgerton school community. We strongly emphasize collaboration and partnerships that promote reciprocal relationships with our local and regional community, which ensures our learners make a positive contribution now and in the future.
Closing
Thank you for taking time to read this message. Have a great week!!!
Sincerely,
Brian
#Forwardas23ONE #WeAreUSD231
P.S. - Please follow me on Facebook (@usd231superintendent) and Twitter (@usd231supe) for more frequent updates!
Now Hiring!!!
Do you know anyone looking for a great job with the school district? Do they like to work outside and are unafraid to get their hands dirty? Our Grounds crew has an immediate opening and the job description is here - Grounds Crew Job Description.
Grounds crew members work 260 days per year (12 months) 40-hour weeks (4-10's in June and July with every Friday off).
Eligible for all benefits, including health/dental insurance, PTO with Vacation and Holiday pay.
Starting wage is based on experience ranging from $17-22/hour
Click HERE to apply.
Please contact Mark Meyer, Executive Director of Human Resources, with any questions at (913) 856-2019.
Board Briefs
Board Briefs are provided as a service to our community in order to quickly learn what transpired during the most recent Board of Education Meeting.
These summary documents can be found HERE.
Community Volunteer Program
We are looking for caring volunteers to engage with students at our elementary schools. Come make an impact in the lives of children in our community!
Volunteer opportunities include:
- Before/ after school activities Classroom helper
- Student tutor Library assistant
- Breakfast/lunch buddy Bus greeter
- Watch DOGS Dad Lunch room helper
- Classroom helper
- Library assistant
- Bus greeter
- Lunch room helper
To learn more, click HERE.
Week-at-a-Glance
The newest edition of our "Week-at-a-Glance" document is now available!
We encourage you to bookmark this PAGE, as it will always host the most recent version.
If you feel like we've missed an event or found an inaccuracy, don't hesitate to let us know.
Share Good News!!!
One of the priorities of the USD 231 Community Relations Department is sharing our stories!
If you have student or staff awards, accomplishments, interesting story ideas to share, or fantastic programs to highlight, please submit them via this FORM.
Additionally, we hope you will keep Community Relations and district leadership informed about upcoming events. To do so, please be sure to fill out this FORM in order to:
- Let Community Relations know about potential story ideas and consider the event for coverage on the district website, social media channels, and potentially through local media.
- Invite the Superintendent, Superintendent’s Leadership Team, or Board of Education to an event.
Thank you!!!
To view events occurring at the district-level, please click the image on the right/above. To view school-specific calendars, please visit each building's respective website.
As a district parent, guardian, alumni or community member, you will receive A Message from Gardner Edgerton USD 231, our email newsletter with updates, celebrations and upcoming events, in your inbox.
Please be sure to follow USD 231 Schools on social media to keep up with all the great accomplishments happening across our district!