The USD 253 Emporia school board approved the renovation price tag at Village Elementary as part of a packed agenda Wednesday night.
Board members approved a guaranteed maximum price tag of $6.83 million total in work on Village Elementary as part of the nearly $80 million Building for the Future bond initiative. The total is about $200,000 higher than the initial budget two years ago, but Project Manager Eric Woltje says it’s within three percent of the initial cost estimate.
Superintendent Allison Anderson-Harder says everybody’s relieved the difference wasn’t bigger.
Other money matters also highlighted the agenda. The board decided to explore possible refinancing opportunities for general obligation bonds issued in 2019. That process could save the district upwards of $2 million, based on initial estimates, but further research is needed. The board also approved a revised master contract for certified staff and salary packages for all staff, including a base salary increase of $500 for certified workers, increases to special education and longevity stipends and continuing a $15,000 scholarship pool for teachers wanting to teach either dual-credit or special education classes.
The board also approved strategic plan priorities and goals, including a 95-percent graduation rate by 2026 — the district is currently at 91.5 percent — and 90 percent of students will meet expected growth on assessments. The district also unveiled a new mission statement: “We engage, we empower, we inspire.”
On top of those action steps, the board approved Emily Baker moving from assistant principal at Emporia Middle School to principal at Riverside, replacing Interim Principal Katie Adams, who is resigning effective July 1. Baker was a teacher in Kansas City, Kansas, and Leavenworth before coming to Emporia Middle School as a math teacher in 2001. She had been assistant principal at the middle school since 2018.
