Additional COVID-19 funding is coming to USD 253 Emporia Public Schools.
During the most recent COVID-19 update during the Board of Education’s regular meeting Wednesday evening, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Brad Kempf announced the district had received a KDHE grant totaling $466,051 for COVID mitigation. Just over $208,000 has been earmarked for additional staffing including the hiring of an additional nurse, Director of Health Care Services and overtime pay for substitute nurses.
At this time, the grant will only be good for one year, and Kempf says the director position specifically is one they would like to continue long-term. With that in mind, he says the district is already considering ways to continue the job even after the KDHE grant expires.
In addition to the funds earmarked for salaries and additional staffing, a little more than $254,000 has been set aside for testing and sanitizing supplies with $2,355 set aside for fuel and mileage costs associated with mobile testing. At this time, the district’s COVID-19 advisory committee is not recommending any changes to the current mitigation strategies in place.
The grant is part of a more than $4 million cooperative program between the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Federal Government. USD 251 North Lyon County has submitted an application to the same program to gain additional funding for in-school COVID-19 testing and other resources.
Word on 251’s application status is currently pending.
On the topic of COVID-19 mitigation, the board approved its universal masking policy during their Aug. 11 meeting following a lengthy period of public comment from district staff, parents and community members. That period of public comment led to a discussion on public comment policies and procedures Wednesday evening at the request of President Art Gutierrez.
Gutierrez felt it was a matter that needed to be addressed due to the concerns over the “tenor” of the Aug. 11 discussions. He says it is prudent to ensure the district creates a safe environment where all individuals feel welcome and comfortable addressing the board.
After a roughly 45 minute conversation, a motion was made that “public comment be allowed with a duration of 3 minutes per speaker to be timed by the Board Clerk, and speakers to sign up for in-person or remote public comment by 1:00 p.m. the day of the board meeting, that public comment by e-mail not be accepted, that those giving public comment not approach the board or move past the podium, no handouts will be allowed but such materials may be e-mailed in advance to the board clerk for distribution to the board, and that public comment may not include reference to names of specific students and/or personnel matters which would potentially violate an individual’s privacy, and that the board will not engage in discussion at that time except to gain clarification..”
The only major changes to the current policy will be the elimination of emailed comments, the restriction of handouts during the meeting and the addition of a sign-up cutoff date.
The motion was approved 6-1 with Gutierrez, Jeremy Dorsey, Melissa Ogleby, Vice President Leslie Seeley, Grant Riles and Doug Epp voting in favor. Mike Crouch voted against the motion saying he agreed with “95 percent” of it, however, he did not feel the cutoff for signing up was adequate.
Crouch felt allowing individuals to sign up for public comment up until the meeting was called to order would be a more reasonable decision.
The full policy is available online at USD253.org.
The USD 253 Board of Education will reconvene on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 7 pm inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
