Alva Review-Courier -

All members of the South Barber Board of Education were present as President Mark Pollock called the December regular board meeting to order Monday evening. Business was conducted in just over one hour.

Members present included: Bryan Quick, Deb Helfrich, Mariah Doherty, Mike Miller, Ryan Molz and Melissa Simpson. Superintendent Dr. Mylo Miller and Board Clerk Julie Johnson also sat at the board table.

A guest was Craig Elliott, who is with the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI). A retired superintendent and administrator himself, Elliott was in Kiowa to visit with Superintendent Miller (an administrator from Oklahoma, this is Miller's first year as superintendent in Kansas). This is part of KELI's role to help in the the induction and mentoring of new superintendents and principals.

"Everything seems to be going well," Miller said of the visit.

Elliott shared that his family was from Hardtner years ago when his father Jack Elliott was superintendent of the Hardtner School before it closed in the 1960s.

Clint Erikson's Carpentry Class from the high school made a detailed presentation to the board about building handrails for the bleachers in the gym. Class members making the presentation were: Cole Coggins, Nick Malone, Tyler Schupbach, Kutter Jewell and Emilio Perez. They presented estimated cost of materials, the class liability concerns, a timeline and more for the board's consideration.

Superintendent Miller commended the students for doing "a fantastic job."

South Barber Board Business, Hire, Resignation Calendar

After a 10-minute executive session in the middle of the meeting, the board took two actions. They accepted the resignation of sixth-grade teacher Diana Albright, effective at the end of the school year.

The board also approved Kay-Leigh Myers as a substitute teacher.

The district calendar for 2019-20 received approval after discussion. Before it was approved Quick called for a brief executive session to discuss the 179 days of employment for employees and negotiations regarding changes in the calendar. When the votes were cast to approve the calendar, Quick gave the single no vote.

Pertinent calendar dates are: first day of school, Thursday, Aug. 22; Thanksgiving Break, Nov 27-29; Christmas Break, starts Dec. 20 and student return Jan. 7; Spring Break, March 16-20; no school on Good Friday April 10 or Monday after Easter, April 13. A big change is South Barber graduation, which will be SATURDAY, May 9, at 2 p.m.

Superintendent Miller Reports

Superintendent Miller updated the board on some pertinent items. He said the school's state audit was conducted in mid-November. They should receive USD 255's final legal max spending letter soon. "The preliminary legal max spending letter looked good and was on par," Miller said.

The superintendent told of the success of the elementary Thanksgiving dinner and of the Retro Bill visit and presentations at the schools. A motivational speaker with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, Retro Bill was well-received by students and adults. The police are implementing the DARE program in South Barber schools. "It was a great opportunity to build relationships with city leaders and police," Superintendent Miller said.

On Dec. 7, USD 255 was involved in an Office of Appeals Hearing for unemployment. Miller said they sought legal guidance.

The Jr/Sr High Music Program is next Monday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. The remainder of student activities will run in a separate article next week.