The USD 428 Board of Education met Thursday at Jefferson Elementary School for the monthly noon meeting.  
Principal Art Baker was joined by teacher Erin Holste, staff member Theresa LeRoy, and site council members Mike Dunekack, Sheri Heilman and Crystal Boxberger representing parents, and Matt Penka, Brett Middleton, and Larissa Michaelis representing the community.   He updated the board with progress on the school’s improvement plan so far this year.  
Since 2008, the school’s demographics have seen a shift, with the percentage of Hispanic students nearly tripling from 5.1 percent in 2008 to 14 percent in 2012 and the percentage of white students declining slightly, from 88.9 percent in 2008 to 82.3 percent in 2012, according to enrollment data collected.  
In addition, the percentage of economically disadvantaged students had increased from 33.1 percent in 2008 to 52.7 percent in 2012.   Still, the number of students served by the school has remained steady over the years, and Baker pointed out other schools in the district had seen similar changes in demographics over that time, indicating an evening out across the district.  
He credited the school’s positive response to these changes to good teaching, and to the Board’s support of classified personnel, allowing teachers to work in small groups.  The purchase of new non-fiction books have provided teachers with needed resources to begin implementing the new English Language Arts standards, and teachers have been sharing with one another techniques that have worked for them, which has proven to be helpful, he said.  
“It’s going to be hard to compare with data we receive from here on out,” he said.  Changes to state assessments and accountability measures will drive the change.  
Board president Joyce Carter proposed a resolution that would echoed the sentiments in a Letter to the Editor in the March 24, 2014, Great Bend Tribune by Frank Henderson Jr., KASB President.  The resolution stated the USD 428 BOE is in favor of keeping partisanship out of school board elections, and continuing the practice of holding school board elections in April, rather than November.  The later elections would mean new board members would be coming on in the midway through the school year, which would be very difficult for board members as well as the operation of the district.   
Board member Dwight Young stated he had emailed Sen. Mitch Holmes already in support of the resolution, but had not heard back from him.
Superintendent Tom Vernon said if the board felt strongly about this position, they should adopt a resolution.
“People who vote in school board elections have a vested interest in children’s educations, and they are the ones who care,” he said.  “Holding the election at a time when more voters, albeit uninformed, show up won’t necessarily mean a better outcome.”
The board unanimously approved the resolution.
A note in the meeting agenda stated the administration recommended approval of any additional personnel items received prior to the meeting.  A last minute resignation was added to the agenda, that of Eisenhower Elementary School fourth grade teacher Daniel Clausen.  Other resignations were Kelly Noland, Reading Recovery Teacher at Eisenhower Elementary School and Abigail Simmonds, Special Education Teacher the county’s special education co-op.
No announcement was made concerning the hiring of a head football coach for the Great Bend High School Panthers.  GBHS Principal Tim Friess stated later that afternoon that he had sat in on five interviews so far.  “Soon,” he said, when asked when a decision would be made.   
Board members approved the retirements of Ken Harton, Media Specialist at Great Bend Middle School and Janelle Lank, SFA Teacher at Riley Elementary School, both effective at the end of the school year.   
New appointments included Kiley Klug, fifth grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary School
The next meeting will be held April 14 at 5 p.m. at the District Offices.  

(View Frank Henderson, KASB President’s letter to the editor at http://www.gbtribune.com/section/25/article/69186/ )