TEG
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016
V V V
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895
E M P O R I A
JESSIE WAGONER/GAZETTE
Sherry Beatty, fourth grade teacher at Reading Elementary
School shared her techniques for communicating with parents.
She utilizes a variety of methods including phone calls, texting,
emailing and a class Facebook page.
USD 251 MOVES
CLOSER TO
BOND MOTION
By Jessie Wagoner
[email protected]
Time is drawing near for a motion to be made by the North Lyon
County school board regarding a
proposed bond for a new, consolidated school. The board heard public comments Wednesday evening
and discussed the proposal once
again.
“It looks like we need to make
a motion at the next meeting to
move ahead with this,” Matt Horton, board president said.
The first bond election in October failed when voters turned down
the $39 million price tag. Since that
time the board has made changes
to the project and reduced the cost.
Currently, the project estimate sits
at $30.9 million.
“I thought we did a good job of
chopping,” Horton said. “I really
thought it worked well to sit down
with (the architect) and just hammer it out and take a little bit off
here and there.”
The board heard public comments regarding the current state of
the Americus Elementary School.
A patron expressed concern about
black mold in the building — a
health concern for students and
staff alike. The patron expressed
that he felt the district needed a
new building but also needed to address the mold issue in the interim.
Superintendent Aron Dody explained that the district is taking
steps to contain the black mold.
They have had the air tested and it
currently is not impacting air quality upstairs in the building, however
students do have to go in the basement during tornado drills. The
district has attempted to encase the
mold and is now in the process of
getting bids for treating the mold.
“It is an ongoing concern for all
of us,” Dody said. “We are constantly treating it and encasing it.”
Please see USD 251, Page 3
THIRD SUPERINTENDENT
CANDIDATE INTERVIEWED
WEDNESDAY
By Jessie Wagoner
[email protected]
The third candidate for the
open superintendent position
in the Emporia
Public Schools
was interviewed
on Wednesday.
Scott Myers, ac- Myers
companied by his
wife Annette Myers, toured schools, met with staff
and community members and was
interview by the USD 253 Board of
Education Wednesday evening.
Myers is currently the director
of Teacher Licensure and Accreditation for the Kansas State Department of Education, a position he has
held since 2011. Myers is also an
assistant professor in educational
leadership at Washburn University
and a superintendent mentor for
the Kansas Educational Leadership
Institute at Kansas State University. Previously, he was the director
of Title Programs and Services for
KSDE, was superintendent at USD
340 Jefferson West for five years and
USD 218 Elkhart for six years.
Education has been a lifelong
commitment for Myers and he has
worked in a variety of capacities.
However, he says education isn’t a
job to him.
During the tour of schools in the
district earlier in the day Myers said
something stood out to him — the
feel of the schools in the district. He
says he uses two criteria when visiting schools.
“There is facility-nice and there
is feel-nice,” Myers said. “Both of
KENDRA JOHNSON/GAZETTE
Scott Myers speaks during an open meeting for community
members on Wednesday. Myers currently works for the Kansas
State Department of Education and is one of five candidates for the
superintendent position.
those were great. The facilities are
nice, they are clean, they look functional and are designed properly.
But they felt good. I saw kids smiling, I saw teachers enjoying each
other and the kids.”
Collaborating and connecting
with the community and businesses
is a priority to Myers. He says that
modeling engagement for staff and
students and encouraging them to
also be active in the community is
a plus. He says he would do so by
being active in civic organizations,
encouraging staff to be active politically with him and heralding the importance of public education.
“Heralding whenever we possibly can, tearing down barriers and
inviting the community in as well,”
By John Robinson
[email protected]
Please see Bowyer, Page 3
Myers said.
When it comes to college and career readiness, Myers is a supporter
of the initiatives towards individual
educational planning for students.
Meeting students where they are at
and focusing on individual strengths
and interests is something he says
helps students find success.
“We should be setting students
up for success,” Myers said. “It’s not
just about college. It comes back to
that individual plan of study. In order for me to help prepare or set up
a system that helps each kid move
to the next step, they need to know
where they are headed.”
Engaging parents and ensuring
Please see Myers, Page 3
CITY AND
COUNTY
LEADERS
MEET
By Jessie Wagoner
[email protected]
KENDRA JOHNSON/GAZETTE
Clint Bowyer stands with chamber members and employees of Clint Bowyer Autoplex during the
ribbon cutting held on Wednesday.
KENDRA JOHNSON/GAZETTE
Clint Bowyer talks to Danny Giefer, mayor of Emporia, after the
ribbon cutting for the Clint Bowyer Autoplex.
VOL. 124, NO. 167
Congratulations,
Clint Bowyer.
D I S T R I C T
BOWYER CELEBRATES EXPANSION
WITH RIBBON CUTTING
Clint Bowyer expected a good
sized crowd at the ribbon cutting
to celebrate the remodeling of the
Clint Bowyer Autoplex, but he
didn’t expect to receive a katana.
“Who gives you a samurai
sword?” Bowyer asked. “I was asking to see how slow they wanted
me to swing the thing when I cut
the ribbon.”
Bowyer never got a chance to
practice