Board Brief

Board Briefs are informal reports from the regular meetings of the USD 495 Board of Education and intended as a communications service for district staff and patrons.

These are not the official minutes.

1st grade students from Larned Elementary School kicked off the meeting by leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you 1st grade teachers for encouraging your students to join us!

All consent agenda items were approved.

Board Member Highlight: Mike Myrick provided an update on activities at the elementary school. He reported on the dedication of books presented in board members’ names and expressed his appreciation to the Student Ambassadors for their efforts with the dedication.

Mike also highlighted several positive happenings at the school, including the after-school program, student fundraising efforts that raised $410 for the classroom book fund, and the cereal drive benefiting the local food pantry and preschool snack program. He noted strong participation in the Family Math and Reading event and shared that the school partnered with Prairie Arts to sponsor a play for students. Mike also mentioned that Visible Learning strategies are being implemented at the elementary school and that many positive activities are taking place.

Staff of the Month: Felicia Snodgrass was recognized as Staff Member of the Month. It was said, "Felicia is amazing at the high school and is so fun. She works her tail off to find sub coverage and will even step in to sub when coverage is low. Because of her willingness to help wherever, it's easy to step in when she calls! She is very busy with MANY interruptions throughout the day but is ALWAYS so pleasant to work with." Congratulations, Felicia! This is so well-deserved.

Student/Staff Presentation: Mason Miller from the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council introduced the state wrestling qualifiers as well as the state placers for SkillsUSA. Mason Miller, Trenton Devine and Slade Sundahl will be moving forward to the National competition for SkillsUSA.

Pictured left to right: Slade Sundahl, Trenton Devine, CJ Violango, Dustin Sharrai, Mylo Nelson, Mia Munden, Paisley Weiszbrod, Miranda Nolde and Mason Miller.

Staff additions were as follows: Tyler Wassenberg - Instrumental Music - LHS/LMS (2026-27 School Year); Jason Duvall - PE/Weights - LHS (2026-27 School Year); Jason Duvall - Head Football - LHS (2026-27 School Year); Courtney Kettelhake - Teacher - LES (2026-27 School Year); Judith Hayden - Para - Tri-County; Matt Sleder - Assistant Tennis coach - LMS; Josh Ball - Assistant Track - LMS/LHS

Visible Learning: Superintendent Wachs shared the 2026–2027 investment timeline for Visible Learning. After two years of all-staff PD, future sessions will be more targeted, focusing on grade level, content area, or building needs to support implementation. Discussion was held regarding the timeline, noting this is year three of implementation, with larger improvements typically seen by year five. Discussion was also held regarding the PD provider, highlighting Corwin’s strong reputation and expertise. Positive progress is already being seen in student clarity and daily learning practices.

2026-2027 Calendar: The board approved the 2026-2027 Calendar.

Board Governance and Operating Procedures Handbook: The Board approved the Board Governance and Operating procedures handbook.

Health Curriculum: The health curriculum was adopted for the 2026-2027 school year. It will be utilized at Larned Middle School and Larned High School in the PE/Health courses.

Larned High School Course Additions: Course additions were approved. These are not new courses, but existing classes that can now count toward the updated graduation requirements, providing additional options for fulfilling fine arts and STEM credits.

Fort Larned Foundation for Education Board of Education Representative: Jessie Pleasant has agreed to stay on the Foundation Board until July 2026, it will then be revisited to reappoint.

Larned Recreation Commission Board of Education Representative: Ben Ramsey has agreed to be the LRC Board representative.

Larned High School Activity Account: An additional line item was added to the LHS Activity account for Student Engagement.

The USD 495 Board of Education will meet again on Monday, April 13 at 6:00 PM at the District Office.