CAPTION: Back row: USD 313 Board Members Chris Shank, Greg Lackey, Tim Lackey, Monte Cross Front row: Dr. Michael Green, Jessica Goering, Laura Meyer Dick CREDIT BUHLER USD 313
By Adam Stewart
Buhler High School is a leader in student participation and achievement in agriculture education, school board members heard at Monday’s USD 313 Board of Education meeting.
Agriculture education teacher John Clark told the board that one-third of students took an agriculture class this year, and he estimated that 75% of this year’s graduating class took at least one class during their high school careers.
This year, Buhler High School had 13 students who received the State FFA Degree, and the number would have been higher if weather cancellations hadn’t happened during a key part of the application period, Clark said. Buhler students also accounted for 14 of the 200 Career and Technical Education Scholars in the state, and 22 of the 44 recipients of the Agriculture Skills and Competence Certificates awarded by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Forensics champions
The board also recognized three students who won state championships in forensics events.
Seniors Henry Trumpp and Chase Beals won the state championship in Duet Acting, going undefeated the entire season. Also undefeated was sophomore Kiron Bradley, state champion in Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Overall, Buhler placed fifth in state forensics.
Medical committee warns against summer burnout, injuries
Board member Dr. Tim Lackey, who is on the Kansas State High School Activities Association’s Medical Advisory Committee, said that since KSHSAA greatly relaxed restrictions on summer practice and conditioning a few years ago, there has been a noticeable increase in students suffering from burnout and overuse injuries.
That committee isn’t ready to recommend reinstating the old summer practice limits yet, but if the trend doesn’t improve, they may ask KSHSAA to step back in with tighter limits on summer practices, he said.
Board members talked about the competitive pressures facing both students and coaches. Even with voluntary workouts, students may worry about getting playing time if they don’t make it to those workouts and others do. And coaches may worry about having their teams ready, especially early in the fall season, if they aren’t doing as much over the summer as their opponents.
Virtual learning costs increasing as current platform shuts down
The platform the district has used for virtual learning the past four years is shutting down this summer, with the company behind it pushing schools to new software that costs dramatically more without meaningful improvements. If Buhler stayed with its current provider, its per-student cost would increase from about $25 per year to about $800 per year.
Instead, administrators recommended software from SchoolsPLP, which does have better features at the lowest cost of the platforms they looked at. The cost for USD 313 with Schools PLP will be about $230 per student, Paul Erickson said during a break in the meeting. That is still a considerable increase, but Erickson said it covers all subject areas for virtual academy students.
Wednesday, Sunday activity policy updated
The board approved an update to its policy regarding activities Wednesday nights and Sundays. Superintendent Cindy Couchman said the existing policy wasn’t followed, so the district should either follow it or change the policy.
Previously, the policy was that there would be no school activities on Wednesday nights without written approval from the superintendent and a report to the school board. Couchman said that some sports and activities postseasons may include a Wednesday night, which is out of the district’s control, and sometimes games need to be rescheduled and Wednesday is the only time both teams have available.
Couchman proposed an updated policy that calls for activities on Wednesdays after 6 p.m. only when necessary and given consideration of family and community commitments. The policy also specifies activities can take place after 1 p.m. on a Sunday.
The board approved the policy update 6-0. Board member Laura Meyer Dick was absent.
Unified communications of activities sought
During an update about the district’s strategic plan, Couchman said she has heard from parents frustrated at how many different methods updates about student activities are sent through. Different teams, clubs, and groups use different apps to send updates, while others use email or SMS text messages, and it can be difficult to keep track of all those different communication channels for parents of students who are involved in many different activities.
No plan was presented Monday, but Couchman said that is an issue that is being looked at.
Facilities projects, phone towers discussed
Tennis courts at Prairie Hills Middle School are scheduled for resurfacing starting this Friday.
The administration is also getting quotes for roof repairs at the Union Valley and Buhler Grade School gyms and Ad Astra Academy.
The district has looked into solar panels for electricity, but Couchman said they would take too long to pay for themselves based on information the district gathered.
The board asked administrators to negotiate further with Branch Communications, who has requested a lease to put up a cell phone tower on district property. The company’s initial proposal was one the district couldn’t approve, as state law limits those leases to 10 years, Director of Finance Shane Hecox said.
With that information, Branch Communications’ latest proposal was instead for a 50-year easement rather than a lease. They were offering an up-front payment of $250,000 for such an easement, which works out to about $417/month.
Couchman said she wasn’t comfortable with a 50-year agreement, and it wasn’t entirely clear that the difference between a lease and an easement would matter for the state law.
Board members also weren’t satisfied that the amount Branch Communications was offering was an appropriate rate.
