The Emporia Board of Education met in executive sessions that lasted almost as long as its regular meeting Wednesday evening at Mary Herbert Learning Center.
At the end of the last session, members agreed 6-0 to release teacher Janet McAfee from her contract, pending payment of $1,380. Board attorney Tom Krueger was invited into both executive sessions.
McAfee, a special education teacher, had requested release because she is moving.
Board president Grant Riles said after the vote that resignations that occur after classes begin create openings that are difficult to fill. Protocols for handling such matters are included in the contract between certified staff members and the district.
The board approved a portion of policies that are being changed on recommendations from the Kansas Association of School Boards. The changes, primarily in verbiage, were discussed initially at a meeting in August.
Assistant Superintendent M. Theresa Davidson went over KASB suggestions in detail with board members and will ask for further clarifications from the state group. The board will consider defining “bullying,” as well as wording of other sections within that policy.
“I think that’s something you all ought to think about,” Superintendent John Heim said, who said he had only just received the legal definition of “bullying.” “We’re not in a hurry to approve this.”
Among items approved on the consent agenda were:
F A request to dispose of numerous surplus items that were leftover after improvements at several schools during the summer. The items will go to an auction house for disposal.
F A request from the Village Parent-Teacher Organization to purchase new cafeteria tables for the school at a cost of $9,917. The cost of the tables would have exceeded the school’s capital outlay budget for the year.
F A request from Shelby Harvel, transportation director, to get bids for two 71-passenger buses because of increased demand for transportation of preschool children to classes at Maynard Early Childhood Center.
F A request to sell surplus technology items on eBay. The items include 15 Apple Macintosh clamshell laptops; 15 white iBooks; 30 desktop iMacs, eMacs, and PowerMac AIO; five desktop computers, and 25 monitors.
F Requests to use district buses and drivers for Leadership Emporia class tours within the city limits and for transportation of approximately 70 Sacred Heart students for trips to Atchison and Williamsburg. Costs for the latter will be provided by the transportation office.
F A consulting agreement between the district and Educational Solutions for Diverse Populations LLC at a cost of $15,000. The money will come from a foreign language grant received this spring from the U.S. Department of Education. The consultant will gather information and data necessary to complete two required reports for “Project ASSIST” for the first year, will serve as external evaluator for the project, and will complete necessary steps to meet requirements of all federal evaluation reports.