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.

2nd grade students from Larned Elementary School kicked off the meeting by leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you to Mrs. Long, Ms. Busenitz, Mr. Gingerich for coming along to be there with the students!

All consent agenda items were approved.

Student/Staff Presentation:Troy Hemken from the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council introduced Cody Ratliff, LHS esports sponsor. Mr. Ratliff shared an update on the program’s first season, and students Jaylon Lemuz, Sidney Perez, and Khang Tran spoke to the board about their experience.

The board approved contract extensions for administrators and directors as follows: through the 2026–27 school year for Richard Fairchild, Roy Prescott, Gwen Lehman, and Val Marshall, and through the 2027–28 school year for Denise Schmidt, Roni Ettleman, Shane Sundahl, Catrina McGurk, Jennifer Keith, and Brian Deterding.

Staff additions were as follows: Carly Blackard: Teacher - Tri-County (2026-27 School Year), Kirsten Cassidy: Para - Tri County, Lupe Perez: Asst. Softball - LHS, Logan Erway: Asst. Baseball - LHS

Health Resource Adoption: Catrina McGurk and Chad Erway presented on the 6–12 health curriculum adoption, which is part of graduation requirements and currently up for review in the curriculum cycle. An adoption team reviewed student and community needs, piloted two programs, and selected Goodheart-Wilcox for middle and high school. The 2025 curriculum aligns with state and national health standards, supports Visible Learning, includes differentiation and family engagement, and aligns with the board-approved human growth and development video. Family opt-out options will remain in place per board policy. This item was presented for information only and will be brought back for action in March.

Governance Handbook: The board tabled approval of the handbook at this meeting and will continue reviewing the document and offering edits and suggestions.

District Office Roof: The board approved the installation of the District Office roof from Roofmasters in the amount of $105,934.00 as presented.

Middle School Bleachers: The board approved the purchase of bleachers at the middle school in the amount of $542,355 from Sopa.

UPS Battery & Extended Battery Replacement: The board approved the purchase of UPS and extended battery replacements from K12 ITC in the amount of $55,499.43. The purchase qualifies for federal E-Rate funding, which will cover 80% of the cost, with the district responsible for the remaining 20%.

Mr. Wachs shared a legislative update from the current session, highlighting topics being discussed in committee hearings such as school funding, cell phone policies, free speech, and more. The session is expected to wrap up in March, which is when there will be more clarity on what this may mean moving forward.

The USD 495 Board of Education will meet again on Monday, March 9 at 6:00 PM at the District Office.

Board Brief

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FEBRUARY 9, 2026 FEBRUARY 9, 2026

CONSENT AGENDA CONSENT AGENDA

RECOGNITION RECOGNITION

STAFF ADDITIONS STAFF ADDITIONS

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

ACTION ITEMS ACTION ITEMS

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT

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Communicate quickly and effectively with interactive newsletters.