USD 333 board accepts Nordell’s resignation

Accepting the resignation of board member Mark Nordell and extending the contracts of nine administrators were approved by the Unified School District 333 board of education during its regular meeting Monday night at the Concordia Elementary School.
Nordell, who was elected to the Position 2, Sub-District 2 board seat in 2015 and re-elected in 2019, submitted a letter of resignation to board president Bryan Bombardier, superintendent of schools Quentin Breese and board clerk Tracey Holmes.
“Due to my increased responsibilities with my employer around the country, I can no longer adequately fulfill my responsibilities as a board member with USD 333,” Nordell stated in the letter.
Nordell stated, “I am proud to have worked alongside with some of the finest people I have ever known. This has allowed us to put the district on a very sound financial footing without increasing the mill levy, all while updating curriculum, buses, teacher pay, to name a few of the needs when I started. The district has in place now the necessary tools, teachers and administration to lead the next generation of our youth forward. The district faces some serious problems in the future, and it would be unfair to the children and community I advocate for, not to be able to devote the necessary time required to see the challenges solved.”
With the passage of a resolution by the board, a publication of notice will be published in The Concordia Blade-Empire and the board was authorized to fill Nordell's position no sooner than 15 days following the publication.
By a vote of 5-1, the board approved extending the administrative contracts for one additional year, through 2024-2025, for Breese, director of operations and IT director Kelly Struebing, Concordia Junior-Senior High School principal Kale Katt, Concordia Junior-Senior High School assistant principal Chad Eshbaugh, Concordia Middle School principal Curtis Noon, Concordia Elementary School principal Derek Holmes, Concordia Elementary School assistant principal Krystal Breese, dean of student improvement Kevin Muff and director of special education Rebekah Helget.
Board member Brad Berk voted against extending the contracts.
Prior to voting to extend the administrative contracts, the board met in two executive sessions, for 20 minutes and then for 10 minutes, with Breese and Struebing for the purpose of discussing non-elected personnel.
Also during the meeting, Bombardier was re-elected as president of the board. Tony Miller was re-elected as vice president.
The board voted to appoint Kevin Pounds as the member of the Kansas Association of School Boards Governmental Relations Network and Breese as the representative on the CloudCorp board of directors.
The board approved the items included in the organizational meeting including appointing Holmes as board clerk; Ronda Gumm as deputy clerk and business manager/district treasurer and Freedom of Information officer; Breese as Title VI, Title VII, Title IX and P.L. 874 and Section 504 coordinator for 2023 along with hearing officer for free and reduced meals applications and the Learning Cooperative advisory council representative; Cyndi Atwell, homeless/migration liaison; Alicia Fraley, KPERS representative/Blue Cross Blue Shield representative; Luciana Thrash, transportation director; The Concordia Blade-Empire as official publication for 2023; Mapes & Miller as auditor for 2023; the Kansas Association of School boards as the attorney for 2023; and United Bank & Trust, Central National Bank, The Citizens National Bank and Guaranty State Bank & Trust as the official depositories.
In personnel matters, the board approved the hiring of Sonia Erkenbrack as a substitute teacher/para-educator at the Concordia Elementary School.
The board recognized Nancy Holbert during the meeting.
Holbert retired after working in the school district for 29 years.
With January being Board of Education Recognition Month, Struebing read a letter from Breese thanking the board members for their years of service to the school district.