School board gets first look at next year’s calendar

The Nodaway Valley school board got its first look into next school year’s calendar March 9 in the high school media center.

The calendar was compiled with input from staff by Superintendent Paul Croghan. He said he’s received little to no negative feedback on it, and the board set a public hearing for 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 in the middle school media center where it will be approved, barring feedback from the public.

The certified budget will also be approved 5 p.m. April 13.

The calendar shows a start date of August 23, which is the earliest allowable start date by law.

A change from previous years is the proposal to have two-hour early dismissals every Wednesday instead of one-hour early dismissals like there are now.

Activity practices would not be allowed in the afternoon on Wednesdays under this plan.

“We want parents to be able to take their kids at whenever dismissal times is and they can do appointments, whatever, and they’re done in the middle of the week from dismissal time Wednesday until Thursday morning,” Croghan said. “It might take a little while to get this to become the culture, but I think it would be a benefit to everybody.”

According to Croghan, the new school calendar has 1,087.5 hours, with 1,080 hours being the amount required by law. Two full professional development days are Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day. Otherwise, the 36 hours of professional development that is required are comprised of Wednesday early dismissals.

School would be out before Memorial Day in this calendar and graduation would be 1 p.m. Sunday, May 21, in order to say away from both Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.

See a story on the proposed certified budget in a future edition.

In other school business, the board:

• Approved the excess debt surplus levy, a local government risk pool agreement for 2022-23, an AEA purchasing agreement for food and nutrition supplies for 2022-23, a technology purchase totaling $150,000, board policies in the 700 series, sale of excess property, an eighth grade field trip to the Holocaust Museum in Kansas City and Nodaway Valley’s involvement in Southwestern Community College’s automotive repair and carpentry and building trades career programs.

• Accepted the resignations of Dawn Witt, special education teacher; Tina Phillippi, assistant high school volleyball coach; Ashley Coulter, elementary art teacher; Kaitlyn Wilson, middle school secretary; and Nathan Block, assistant high school football coach; and initiated hires with Julie Hartman, assistant golf coach and Hesper Jameson as a paraeducator.