By Trish Svoboda

At a board of Education meeting held on October 9th, the Clay Counts Coalition was notified that they were awarded the $650,000 CDC drug-free communities five-year grant they had written and applied for. As part of the grant, they included hiring a Community Engagement Coordinator to work for USD 379. The grant pays half of the salary and the district pays half. The job description was approved by the board.

During the superintendent report, it was noted that USD 379 was awarded four-star recognitions from the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) for individual plans of study (IPS), kindergarten readiness, post-secondary success, and graduation rates.

Additionally, the administration team, District Leadership Team (DLT), and Building Leadership Team (BLT) are continuing to gather input regarding student achievement goals, lead measures, and lag measures. Each building will have its building improvement action plan aligned and completed by January 1st.

Finally, a bid from Apple was accepted for the second half of the staff laptops for teachers at Clay Center Community Middle School (CCCMS) and Clay Center Community High School (CCCHS) in the amount of $90,015. They anticipate to distribute these in November and December.