School board approves new social studies curriculum

Purchase of a new social studies curriculum for students in grades 3-12 was approved by the Unified School District 333 board of education during a regular meeting that lasted more than four hours Monday night.
Included in the social studies curriculum, that was presented to the board by Krystal Breese during the May meeting, are materials from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt at a proposed cost of $78,316.71 and The Kansas Journey, Second Edition materials from Gibbs Smith Education at a cost of $5,973.38.
The low bid from F&A Food Sales for delivery of milk products for the 2019-20 school year was approved by the board. The district also received a bid from Hiland Dairy Food Co., LLC.
The board also approved the proposed school meal prices for the 2019-2020 school year. The prices include: Concordia Elementary School, breakfast,$1.60, lunch $2.55; Concordia Middle School/Junior-Senior High School, breakfast $1.65, lunch $2.85; adults at all buildings, breakfast $2.20, lunch, $3.75; Headstart/Grants, breakfast $1.90, lunch $2.95.
A letter of understanding with Mapes & Miller LLP to prepare the district audits for the years ending June 30 2019, 2020 and 2021 was approved.
Also approved were the Concordia Elementary School handbook revisions.
Included on the agenda for the meeting under action items was property acquisition.
The board met in two separate executive sessions of 15 minutes each for superintendent of schools Quentin Breese and director of operations and technology director Kelly Struebing for the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property. The board voted to table the property acquisition item.
Concordia Junior-Senior High School agriculture education instructor and junior high science instructor met with the board during the meeting to discuss the possible construction of a greenhouse.
Five greenhouse options were presented to the board.
Nelson and Jacobs discussed various uses for the greenhouse including instruction in plant science, soil science and agriscience along with gardening, food origins, plant usage and diet along with instruction in greenhouse management and supplementing the school cafeteria with produce grown by the students.
The sale of plants and produce grown in the greenhouse could be used to help cover the costs.
Nelson said she gets a lot of questions about having greenhouse sales.
USD 333 has discussed possible collaboration on the project with Cloud County Community College.
Breese said that one issue of collaborating with the college is getting the students to the greenhouse and back during the school day if it were to be located at the college.
If constructed on USD 333 property, the green house would be located west of the current Career and Technical Education building.
Jacobs said a preliminary cost for the option preferred by staff would be $18,000-20,000, not including prep work and concrete.
Concordia Middle School principal Larry Myers, Junior-Senior High School principal Troy Keiswetter and Junior-Senior High School cross country coach Rick Haden discussed the possibility of allowing sixth grade students to compete in junior high cross country, which is allowed by the Kansas High School Activities Association.
Concordia had just 12 total junior high school boys and girls out for cross country last season.
Haden said he currently has just five high school boys and two girls committed to competing in cross country this coming season.
Allowing the sixth grade students to compete could help increase the program numbers.
It was the consensus of the board to allow the sixth graders to compete in cross country junior high only.
The board set the date for the soft close to the fiscal year for June 27. A time will be determined later.
Resignations accepted by the board in include Ken Meyer, Concordia Junior-Senior High School counselor; Christy Hasch, Learning Cooperative of North Central Kansas (LCNCK) school psychologist; and Jodi McManus, LCNCK interrelated teacher grades 7-8; and Traci Ball, Clifton-Clyde Elementary grades K-3.
USD 333 classified staff hires approved include: Leah Loring, Kansas Reading Roadmap (KRR) Summer Reading Boost Program tutor; Josh Pounds, assistant high school boys' basketball coach; Cassadie Eickmann, KRR Life Childcare substitute; Jenny Acree, assistant junior high volleyball and girls' basketball coach; Ashlea Marsh, Concordia Elementary School Title Reading para; Rowe Hinkle, assistant summer weights coach; Colleen Knox, substitute secretary; Christen Napier, substitute teacher; Taegen Larsen, IT summer help; David Gieber, FBLA sponsor; and Madison Parker, CAP.
Classified staff resignations accepted include: Ashley Blain, Scholar's Bowl coach; Cyndi Atwell, Scholar's Bowl coach; Andrew Dominguez, assistant high school boys' basketball coach, assistant track coach CJSHS At-Risk para; Shalynn Loring, junior high school assistant girls' basketball coach; Bethany Swafford, substitute; Virginia Gonzales, food service student worker; and Ken Meyer, assistant high school football coach.