Star-Journbal Editor
The board leadership has changed, but the challenges continue at Unified School District 410.
Rod Koons is the new president, and Eddie Weber is vice president. Their fellow board members unanimously elected them July 10.
Other board members were assigned to represent the district on issues ranging from special education to technology to governmental relations.
Don't expect a drop in performance, commitment or intensity in 2006-07.
"Historically we've had outstanding boards," USD 410 superintendent Gordon Mohn said. "I've talked to other superintendents and heard some of their challenges, and I'm always glad I've been here. We've had good people through all of these 17 years."
If this USD were a sports team, it would be a dynasty. The scouting report on it might read: Consultative. Collaborative. Cooperative. Not sidetracked by petty bickering or political ideologies. Focused on the best possible education for the children of Hillsboro, Durham and Lehigh. A combination that's tough to beat.
"We've got a good district, something to be proud of," Koons said. "We want to keep it that way. There are other districts that say, 'Hey, why can't we be more like Hillsboro?'"
Koons is the owner of Rod's Tire Service, Inc. When asked how a guy who gets his hands so dirty could handle the white-collar world of board leadership, Koons said running a small business had helped him prepare to lead the board.
"I've had to answer that question a lot," Koons said. "We have to make decisions at Rod's Tire Service every day. Decisions that a lot of times maybe aren't the best for a certain customer or a certain employee, but for the betterment of our company and overall success.
"Being on the school board is the same way," he added. "We can't make decisions based on emotional outbursts or emotional thought processes."
He will serve for one year.
According to Mohn, the board will confront three challenges in the coming year.
"The board chose to focus on closing the achievement gap, trying to meet the expectations of No Child Left Behind," Mohn said. "We want to make sure every child is proficient in reading and math, so we're working on that.
"We're also going to be looking at our facilities. We've hired an architect to help us look at what our physical needs are, so we can do some planning for that.
"And, we're going to focus on early childhood programs."
The challenge isn't to compete with other local school districts, Koons said, or children from other countries, who are besting the United States in science, math and technology. The challenge is to make sure each child is prepared to face the challenges he or she will face in whatever career path they choose.
"We need to still make sure," Koons said, "that when they walk across that stage in the gym that they are ready to go out into the world — maybe not in rocket science or chemistry, or whatever, but that we've done our very best to see that each graduate can function in society."
Koons, Weber and the other board members have a stake in the outcome.
Every board member has at least one child attending school in USD 410.
"We all have a personal interest in the education of our students," Koons said. "When you serve on the school board, you take that concern you have for your own child and extend it to all the children within our district, wanting to provide the best that we can for them."
In other business,
— The board appointed members to represent the district in the following areas for 2006-2007: Gary Andrews, Professional Development Council; Brent Barkman, Kansas Association of School Boards Governmental Relations; Debbie Geis, Marion County Special Education Cooperative; Dale Klassen, assistant negotiator; Rod Koons, chief negotiator; Mark Rooker, Technology Excellence in Education Network, and Eddie Weber, MCSEC alternate representative.
— The board approved a 3 percent pay increase for non-contracted classified personnel. The board also agreed to keep the pay rate for substitute teachers at $85 per day.
— After some discussion about the 29 percent increase in costs, the board approved the district's 2006-07 membership in the Kansas Association of School Boards, which includes access to Legal Assistance Funds. The cost to belong now is $8,244. Mohn told the board that having access to expert legal advice was worth the extra cost.
— The board named Hillsboro Star-Journal as the district's newspaper of record for 2006-07. The board also designated Hillsboro State Bank as the depository for its operational funds.
— After considerable discussion, the board agreed not to increase meal prices, student fees, or textbooks for the 2006-07 school year. In a related matter, USD 410 will begin accepting credit card payments for enrollment fees beginning this fall, Clerk Jerry Hinerman said.
— The board accepted the resignation of Jake Janzen, bus driver. It approved hiring David Espada as custodial maintenance worker, Charles Rempel as bus driver and custodian, and Jill Hein as an academic skills aide at the high school.
— At Mohn's request, the board designated Sept. 18 as an a staff development day, adding another day off for students and an opportunity for teachers to learn more about a new method for assisting student learning, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP).
— Mohn asked the board to revise the way the district pays its driver's education instructor. The instructor had been compensated based on the number of students who pass the course. The board agreed with Mohn that the instructor should instead be paid based on the number of students who take the class.
