By: Ryan Duey
The USD 379 Board held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, August 12th. Items discussed included preliminary enrollment, grant money, needs for the new school year, different trainings, graduation dates for the year, budget, bus routes, and more.
Superintendent Brett Nelson reported that preliminary enrollment shows a sharp decline after five years of steady growth. He stated that the incoming Kindergarten class is down around 40 students this year. Nelson said a new Kansas law allows them to budget from previous years, so budget isn’t a big deal this year, fiscal year 2026 and beyond is when enrollment could impact the budget if numbers trend down and hard decisions may have to be made.
Nelson also let the Board know that USD 379 received a $50,000 grant from the Patterson Foundation called the Rural District Educator Grant. This grant is meant for the recruitment and retention of teachers in rural district communities.
Stefanie Lane gave an update on recent efforts of the Retention and Recruitment Committee. Lane spoke to the Board on two initiatives to solve recruitment and retention issues including: Investigating sustainability specifically looking at the retention of certified and classified staff within USD 379 and making USD 379 more attractive to new graduates and young professionals. The committee used surveys to help understand what staff members look for when it comes to retaining staff with answers including emotional and professional wellness, pay, vacation, and others.
The Board approved the graduation dates for Clay Center Community High School and Wakefield High School, passing unanimously. The Board also accepted a lumber package bid from Clay County Lumber as presented for the Tiger House, passing unanimously.
The Board discussed the process of donations for Naming Rights and guidelines for the schools. More on the guidelines will be discussed in a future meeting. Current donations were approved.
The Board finished the meeting with hirings, resignations, and terminations. Additional information on USD 379 School Board Meetings can be found on their YouTube channel.
