001We'll go ahead and call this meeting of the board of education to order. We are going to start with a celebration that we're really excited about. Um, and Scott actually sent out an email this week and he said this is the third time in 43 years that we've gotten to do this. So, um, on behalf of the Auburn Washurn Board of Education, I'm honored to announce publicly um, that Dr. Dr. Katie Collier will serve as our next superintendent of schools. She's here tonight with her family. Um, we wanted to begin with expressing deep appreciation for Dr. McWills and his strong principal leadership and providing the board with ample notice of his retirement so we could have the opportunity to conduct a thorough and comprehensive search. Um, the board partnered with HYA um and led a
002nationwide search for our next superintendent. This process included multiple avenues of community input, stakeholder surveys, small group discussions, and public forum. Um the insights from that engagement were summarized into a leadership pro profile report and used to guide both the selection process and candidate evaluation. Um following an initial interview of applicants on a Saturday where we were here for about eight hours interviewing very qualified applicants. We narrowed it down to three who came back to a day in the district and many of you in the room and some of the you watching online got the opportunity to interact with each of the three candidates um and give your feedback. That feedback was vital to us to then go back and um have a conversation that night. Um and then throughout that process, Dr. Collier emerged
003as a leader um who is both highly qualified and deeply dedicated to public education and is communicating tradition of excellence. Um she brings more than 30 years of experience in education bringing beginning as a teacher and special educator and growing into a collaborative visionary leader known for her integrity instructional leadership and commitment to student and staff. And we are confident that Dr. Collier will lead Auburn Washurn with the same passion and professionalism that defines our district. It's with pride that I get to introduce uh Dr. Katie Collier as the next superintendent of schools for Auburn Washurn. If you'd like to say a few words, we'd we'd love to have you come up and say a few words. >> Thank you um very much. This evening, I did jot down a a few notes that I'll
004refer to. Um I'm very pleased and happy uh to be here this evening. Um, Joe, Casey, Jeremy, Brian, Jamie, Brad, and Shinoa. Thank you. Uh, thank you very much. Thank you for putting your faith and trust in my leadership experiences and abilities to assume the role of superintendent of Auburn Washurn School District. To be asked to lead a community schools is truly an honor and serves as the highlight of my professional career. If I've told you this brief story before, I'll um ask um your forgiveness. But during the day in the district, I had the um pleasure to ride with Scott Ritter, who drove me around. >> It was pleasurable. >> And driving was good. Um and so during that when we came out of one of the schools, he asked me, "So, how's it
005going? how does it feel? And I paused and I said, well, honestly, most genuinely, it's feeling like home. And um I knew at that time that was just another moment of confirmation of my attraction to be here. So, I'm humbled by her invitation to lead the district in partnership with you. um this and along with the tremendous leadership team who is here. I know again everyone's had long days and so I appreciate um that you're here tonight. to Scott. I've shared this with you privately and I'm going to say it again publicly that I will honor and respect your leadership and guidance as we work together to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for the benefit of our students, our staff, our community, and for the board of education. The district, Scott, has your fingerprints
006um and your leadership everywhere. And I know if you were to speak into the mic right now, you would tell me it occurred through team effort. Um, which is indeed true. But it's clear to me that you've impacted um many students, staff, and families through your leadership. And you therefore are leaving a legacy, a legacy that you surely can be proud of. And I know you achieve this by who you are professionally, but based on all the stories I've heard, more importantly perhaps you've achieved it by the person that you are and how you did your work. So come July 1st, please know I recognize it will be a privilege and a great responsibility that I accept the passing of the baton. um President uh board president Wiltz and board members, there's a tradition here
007which you've already referenced of high quality and very dedicated superintendent from Howard Schuler to Brenda Dietrich to Scott McW Williams. So I will each day aim to live up to that high bar of excellence that they've established. And I want to reiterate my initial statement upon acceptance of the position. It is clear how deeply the community cares about its schools and its students. Auburn Washurn has a strong reputation of high standards, academic excellence, and a wide range of students offered to to children so that they can explore their passions. And I do look forward to partnering with staff, families, and community to build on these strengths and to continue to prepare students for success. Students, that's why we as Auburn Washburn exist. Our students will remain at the forefront of our decisions and they'll remain
008our motivation to continue to grow and offer the quality of education and student experiences that they and their families have come to expect. There is a reason Auburn Washurn is a destination district. together. I'm confident that excellence will remain our focus and I very much look forward to celebrating with students when they experience individual and student successes. I really can't wait to observe them in their classrooms, on the stage, in competition, during lunch shifts, on the field, and everywhere else that they gather. As an educator, I've always said that we're very lucky to get to be witness to the unfolding of their young lives in front of us. To our school principles and all of our district leaders, I'm anxious and excited to begin to dig in to work with you. I look forward to
009meeting each of you and getting to know you more deeply. I look forward to finding the many ways I can support you in your goals that you have for your departments, our schools, and the district at large. I understand this isn't working so well. I understand that your responsibilities are vast and um the opportunities and responsibilities that you have every day are deep. I look forward to and I'm happy to walk alongside you and support you in all of your endeavors. To our Auburn Washburn families and community partners, I'm anxious to get to know you. I look forward to learning how we can continue to partner in unique and innovative ways for student success and expanded opportunities. Our educational programming is enriched and it's strengthened through these mutually beneficial relationships. to our teachers. I look
010very forward to getting to know our teachers. I'm excited to see them in action in their classrooms. I'm anxious to hear about the ways the board and the district can continue to support them in the delivery of instruction so we can continue to impact the trajec trajectory of student learning in Auburn Washurn. Each one of our teachers is vital to the lives of each child that walk through the doors every day. Ensuring that our teachers have resources continue to have the resources and support that they need to serve our children will continue to be an ongoing priority. Every staff member, every individual that works in Auburn Washurn School District makes a difference and is a value ad to our children. to each one of our staff members. While I haven't met you yet, I know
011that we'll have that share a share goal of serving our children, our bus drivers, our food service staff, our pair professionals, our coaches, our administrative assistants, our related service providers, and the list goes on. Know that I'm excited to serve with you on team Auburn Wash Auburn Washurn. We will continue to do great things for children, but it will be my job to support you in achieving our mission. Finally, and maybe I should have mentioned this first, I do want to thank my family, my husband, Clint, and my son, Alex. I'm thankful that you continue to come along this journey with me. I'm thankful for your unwavering support, your love, your encouragement, and your understanding. So, board and Scott, I look forward to the weeks ahead as we begin to define transition activities and I'm
012ready to jump in and take this next step with you. So, thank you very much. >> Right. Thank you, Dr. Collier. Um, is there anyone signed up for public comment? >> For anyone that was here to meet Dr. Collier and doesn't want to stay for the rest of the board meeting, we are going to start getting into that. You guys are welcome to stay, but if you guys had long days, we we we understand if you if you guys have something else that you need to do, but we're going to go ahead and get in for for 3.01. Um, roll call. Um, everyone on the board is present. Um, we'll move on to 3.02, approval of the agenda. >> U, Mr. President, I would move for approval of the agenda as public. >> Second. >>
013There's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 7 to zero. We'll move on to 4.01 or four section 4, disposition to business by consent. >> Um I move the board of education approve business by consent including payment bills in the amount of 10,4,27746. >> Second. >> It's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes. 7 to zero. We will move on to there are no administrator reports on tonight. So we'll move on to section six which is items for discussion. Um the first is the WHS DECA students um to attend national conference. >> Good evening. Mr. McFall is not able to be with us uh this evening. He had previous engagement but uh this is an annual trip for us. Um, I think this may be
014a record number of students that we're taking to the conference this year. So, we're excited about that. But we we're seeking your approval for that trip, which will be coming up shortly. >> Any questions, comments? Anybody have any difficulty putting on this on the consent agenda for next meeting? >> Sounds good. >> We'll put it on consent so you guys can start planning. >> Wonderful. Thank you. Appreciate it. >> All right. Thanks, Ed. >> All right. 6.02 2 is secondary science core instructional materials quest first read. >> Good evening everyone. Good to see some of you again. >> Good evening. >> Get all my stuff plugged in here. >> All right. So I have three items. So my first item uh this evening is secondary core science instructional resource requests. So as you know we
015go through curriculum revisions and reviews every few years. Um, our last adoption was in 2018 and we actually started this process. I started this last spring with our our secondary science dcc. Um, and we just basically wanted to review what what resources we had and what resources would be available. So, we spent a lot of time digging into lots of different resources and we ended up piloting materials for both middle school and high school. With that said, what we landed on were three requests for middle school, a science six, um, science seven, and science 8. Um, all by McGra Hill. It's called Inspire Science. And then when we think about the high school, uh we went with McGraill Inspire Biology for biology. Chemistry, it's actually a renewal of an updated version of that same um
016Inspire Chemistry that they had. And then for physics, it was through Savis, which is another um publishing company. So those are our six requests that we have at this time. Um I have provided you digital previews for all of these resources. So, if you want to take one and pass them around, middle school is on the front page and then each of the high school ones is actually a little bit separate. So, you can log in for each of those um courses to see. And it's a resource request of $362,633.58. And that seems like a very large number, but that's well under what we had budgeted. So with with these usually with the online versions, it includes a certain number of does it include a certain number of years or seats or >> It does.
017So this would be a six-year license. So this $362,000 would take us through the next six years. It provides us both physical classroom sets of of books for teachers to have in their classroom as well as books that students could check out if needed and then online access for every student and every teacher. Also with that online access, they give us teacher access for free as well as some additional programming and supplemental resources that are online only. >> When was the last time we updated? >> 2018. >> Okay. Any other questions or comments? >> Is this sixear cycle about what you expect for this type of curriculum? >> Yes. And in fact, Dr. Dr. Dninnesota worked with Morgan and I last year to figure out how can we do a do a good job of
018kind of making sure our textbooks adoptions are starting to line up. So science will be six years and then at that point we'll do um a resource request for both science at secondary and elementary. >> Perfect. Just so you know, we have a 10-year rolling cycle that we have for textbook adoptions. And so we can budget a little bit further ahead and also try to get things aligned with where we think the state will be in terms of curriculum revisions as well as AP and IB course revisions too. >> Right. >> Thank you. >> Right. Any other questions on that? >> I think you have the next one too, don't you? I sure do. We'll move on to 6.03, which is honors novice debate. >> Yes. Wonderful. So, we had a request for a new
019course at the high school. Typically, we would bring these courses in the fall, but this kind of has has gone through um lots of feedback loops here. So, in terms of the course that we're we're requesting, it's honors novice debate, which would be for grades 9 through 12, and it's a semester long course, very much like novice debate. Um there's some rationale in here. there was some student feedback um that they that students are enrolling in novice debate, but then there's just some extra stuff that is causing students to either exit the course or just feel that maybe they would like it to be an honors course because it is so extensive. And so the purpose here would be to create this honors version of the course, co-ceed it with regular honors or excuse me,
020with regular novice debate. And so students who wanted that extra challenge, that extra rigor, those extra things couldn't get that honors credit. So it wouldn't require any additional teaching, supplies, anything like that. So the course description um that would be publishable. This class is an alternative to novice debate. Honors honors novice debate provides a rigorous introduction to competitive academic debate with advanced expectations in research, analytical thinking, and performance preparation. Um, it has the potential to serve 20 to 30 25 to 30 students with a $40 course fee. That's the same as a regular novice debate. So, if you enroll in novice debate, it's the same fee. No additional staff, no additional resources, and no ongoing costs. >> Um, so I have a question. I did debate in high school. Um, so novice debate would still
021exist and they would still all participate on the same team, still the same competitions, but one the honors group would just be have more expectations on >> Yes, absolutely. >> Okay, >> questions. >> All right. Thank you, Jenny. >> Yes. >> And then you have the next one, too. My goodness, you're up here a lot tonight. All right. 6.04 4 is CTE instructional resources request. >> Yes, my last one. So, um I have just a handful of instructional resource requests at this time for three CTE courses that we have been going through um review. So, CTE competencies change from year to year. And on this particular cycle, we had three courses that we were actually two courses that we were looking at for revision and one course that you actually approved last year. So we
022were looking at resources for business essentials, human growth and development as well as natural resource management. So for business essentials, we really just needed an update updated resource. And we wanted to have something that would be online because as you might know, business, finance, all those things are constantly um changing and evolving and their previous resource even referred to telephone books. And so that is no longer a thing. And so we wanted a new resource. So we piloted um this online resource from student called intro to business. We piloted it at both the middle school and the high school because this course crosses both of our middle schools and our high school and um they were all very excited about the potential to have this new resource. So it's online only for all students and
023teachers for human growth and development. Those competencies changed quite a bit. We had a new teacher come in. She did that curriculum work for me and we looked at various resources and we landed on um child development early stages through adolescent and they would get class a class set of student textbooks and then the teacher would have access online for additional supplemental materials. And then my last uh request is for natural resource management. So we you all approved this course last year but due to enrollment we are waiting to launch it next fall in 2026. And so to do that curriculum work and go through resources um our teacher landed on a natural resource systems textbook which would give again class set of textbook and then those online supplemental resources. So tonight I have a
024digital preview for you for business essentials and then I will leave my two physical copies of the human growth and development book as well as the natural resources book. >> And then I have a resource request in the amount of $12,774.80. So, what questions might you have tonight? >> Sorry, I have I have a question going back to the debate that I thought of again. >> Yeah. >> Um, so we're going to have two versions. Does that already exist at the non- novice level? Do we already have an honors debate and like a regular debate? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Any questions about CTE materials? >> All right. >> Thank you. >> That's it. Thanks, Jer. All right. Next, we're going to move on to 6.05, which is um health insurance consultant. >> Yeah, I'll
025take the lead on this one and then Brett Byer can help out if you have any specific questions. So, I had shared with you that we have been utilizing the services of Brown and Brown for about seven or eight years. Uh the team that we had been using uh left that company and so we thought that it was a good time to go out and test the market. We put an interview committee together. Brad Nuller was able to serve on a part of those interviews. We interviewed four firms and tonight we're bringing um the committee's recommendation for your consideration. This will come back at the next board meeting as an action item. Uh the company that surfaced as what we think will be the best fit for us moving forward is KBS, which is a
026subset or a KASB company. They're actually located within the Auburn Washurn attendance center. It was the only company that was local like they are. Uh they currently are in partnership uh with about 88% of school districts in the state of Kansas. Um they are a company that takes great pride in providing as much service as possible indirectly to kids in Kansas but also directly uh to the operations of school districts. Not only are they consultants for health insurance uh but they also take care of workers compensation. they do that for us and they also have a an energy uh management pool that we've been members of for a good number of years. Uh we've been extremely happy with the services that they have provided in those two arenas. Um as we had done completed reference
027checks um it's amazing uh the positive responses that we have received uh from the folks that are currently using them for health consulting services. Uh so we feel good about this recommendation. We think that they're going to be able to meet our needs moving forward. It's an item for discussion tonight. Brett and I'd be happy to answer any questions that you have. Um, and if not, we'll bring it back as an action item at the next board meeting. >> Yes, sir. >> When would they take over and would would they be providing us for this year's uh negotiation? >> Um, >> oh yeah, go ahead. >> So, um, it' be for likely April contract. So, they would be involved with uh negotiating our renewal. Um, >> and are they prepared to be in a position
028to help us out with that? >> Yep. They're ready to hit the ground running. So, >> any other questions, >> comments on that? >> I was just want to make sure they if they were taken over, right? >> Yep. they they have, you know, of course, um, great relationships with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and, um, we'll work to get all of our claims data and, um, be working to >> Yeah. Anything? >> Yeah. I was going to say, if you have other questions, I'll step out again. >> Red, >> don't start. I was just trying to make sure we were ready for teacher negotiations, you know, that's a piece. >> Sometimes in the past it's been >> we've stared at it and went, "Oh, that's not fun." You know, >> exactly. >> Yeah.
029>> What our timeline expectations were for >> Yeah. >> When we get that, >> I was only able to do the one day was, but it was pretty evident that we needed to review things as the service wasn't quite up to what we're our standards. But, uh, sounds like we found good local partners. So >> y to 6.06 which is a 2627 enrollment course and participation fees for sure. So Patrick so uh just our annual process of um going through our fee structures that we have on courses and enrollment fees seeing if they still line up to what the courses are actually costing consumable wise. And so we did end up with some requests uh now uh preschool uh changing the monthly fee for the inclusion kids. Uh so these would be nonie um served
030children. Um that brings that dollar amount brings it in line with what the state does provide us um for the sped and at risk students at the preschool level. uh middle school. Uh we had done a lot with the fees last year uh for this year with sixth grade moving in. These fees here are um middle school courses that are reflective of the high school courses as well. And so the request is just to get their fees to match the high school fees because it's the same consumables, the same textbooks, the same materials. And then the high school had um a few fee uh requests. Um we had a new course with natural resource management and then the rest are reflective of the cost of consumables for those courses. Metal is more expensive expensive. Um
031the art studio brings it in line art class as well. one uh one comment that I'd like to mention and this is um a little bit of a maybe something as far as transition that goes too. So I'm glad that you're here Katie to hear this al as well. So so nobody likes fees in general. I I I get that there's kind of two schools of thought. Uh, one is um to do a review annually and if we realize that inflation and the the ways in which we get our materials and consumables are starting to increase, um, you just do a little bit of an increase frequently. And the other school of thought is let's just keep fighting through chunks of time before we do anything as far as a fee adjustment goes. I'm not
032saying one is right or one is wrong. I'm just saying that probably um over the last 10 11 12 years for the most part we've been kind of strict on increases to fees and we tried to just keep them at bay as long as we can and as a matter of fact when I was reading some of the rationale for these which I understand uh many times the departments and the teachers were saying um we have not increased the fee for the last 10 years. If you think about living over the last 10 years, there have been a variety of influences that have forced product to increase uh costs. And so in hindsight, would it have been better to add a little bit every year or not just have fees a topic of conversation all
033the time? I don't know. Um I just know that usually talking about fees is not a favorite topic and so we've just tried to avoid it as much as we can. We're at a point now that having some increases would make sense for those programs. So, >> questions. >> So, are these increases meant to get ahead of that to be steady for another long period of time or are these like just kind of catching up? >> Honestly, they're catching up. they the high school they took how much they were actually spending on that program dividing it out by expected enrollment and and actually they rounded down a little bit then too >> I think it's a general rule uh we're not in the business of creating a pool of money at the end of any
034year so we kind of want it just the balance y >> so the the short answer is this doesn't probably you know put us in a great position five years from now >> right >> but it gets us whole to where we need to be today >> yeah as a new board member. Most these school fees are one time annually except for the prek, correct? >> Yes. Yeah. Um yeah, the prek is monthly. The rest are either an annual fee or by semester. So like welding, if you take welding in fall and spring, you'd have to twice. >> And this is just a random question. Do we have a a way for students who can't afford a fees to make sure they still have access to these classes or >> Yeah, the the high school
035has methods their disposal to make sure students aren't um harmed. >> But does the middle school or just just the high school >> and we're uh Jeff, we're working through that, right? For the middle level for those classes. >> Yeah. So, so we have general fees and we apply those fees equitably um for our communities and for our families and we try to be responsible for those fees. Occasionally there will be extenduating circumstances that a principal has to consider. And so when such circumstances arise, we partner with families just like we would on any other scenario and try to do what um meets the needs of that family most effectively. We we work very hard to prevent fees from being a barrier to accessing coursework. The reality is is that students who take courses like
036welding end up being wellprepared for career success when they leave um and as a result hopefully have a um a brighter future opportunity um for them to continue to build their skills in post-secary. And so we figure out ways to work that out individually as we need to. Um, but as a general rule, that's how we apply the fees over the collective hole. >> The one other thing I just wanted to mention as a pat on the back, and I won't mention a company specifically because we have multiple in our community. Um, ever since the innovation center has opened, um, there is one local welding company uh that has been donating um, some of their materials that there are not going to be able to use because they understand the value and uh, building that
037partnership with resources and materials actually goes a long way, especially as expensive as some of those items are. So, kudos to our local businesses for choosing to give back to us. Any questions or comments for Patrick? All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. We will move on to section seven. I can get my thing um which is action items. The first is 7.01 which is the K through5 social studies curriculum adoption final. >> Good evening. Um, last time we met, I came with our um, recommendations for K5 elementary social studies. There any questions for me this evening? >> Questions or comments? You would entertain a motion? >> We answered them. I will move the board of education approve the presented social studies curriculum resource materials in the amount of $229,515.30. >> Second.
038>> There's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes. 7 to zero. >> Thank you. And we'll move on to 7.02, which is appointment of the new superintendent. >> I'll make a motion. >> I'm going to move that the board of education appoint Dr. >> Kathleen Collier as superintendent of Auburn Washurn USD 437 effective July 1, 2026. >> Second. >> A motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes seven to zero. Congratulations. >> All right. Katie, I didn't want to say anything in front of the larger group, but it's a smaller group now. So, so impressed that everybody chose to come tonight just to welcome you and show their excitement for you joining the team. So, 11 years ago at this particular board meeting when I came in, um
039I was sitting in the audience and it was a small group and so I was sitting next to Rich and I said, "Hey, good evening." I said, "My name is Scott. I'm looking forward to joining the team." And he looked at me and he said, "Have you seen the weather forecast for this weekend?" So, this will make a lot of sense to you once you get to know Rich. That was my introduction. >> Scott's really sad we haven't had more snow days this year after last year. So, that's right. >> Uh, no communication. >> None tonight. >> You know how much time? >> Five minutes. >> Okay. So at this time, the chair would move that we go into executive session at 7:02 to discuss pursuance students pursuant to the exception relating to the actions
040adversely or favorably affecting a student under coma. Um to discuss personnel matters pursuant to the exception of non-elected personnel under a coma and to discuss budget pursuant to the exception for employer and employee negotiations under coma for five minutes. The open meeting in the boardroom will resume at 7:07. Second motion and a and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes 7 to zero. We're in executive session. We are back in open session after being in executive session. >> Motion to adjurnn. Second. >> There's been a motion and a second. All those in favor? Motion passes seven to zero. We are adjourned.