Jayhawk Board of Education Meetings

By statute, we’re required to adopt 20 mill for the general fund. The board has passed a resolution to adopt a
budget of 8 mill for capital outlay. The proposed local option budget and bond & interest total for fiscal year
2027 is 25.869. The total proposed mill rate is 53.869, which is higher than the revenue neutral rate. This is
primarily due to the CPI increase, as well as the goal to keep teacher-student ratios low and provide necessary
support staff.
The board passed a resolution to exceed the 2025-2026 Revenue Neutral Rate. A roll call vote was taken. “Yes”
votes included: Kade Cummings, Matt Higgins, Max Krull, Brent Paddock, Ketturah Rhynerson, and Tracy
Springer. “No” votes included: Daniel Earnest (absent).
Meeting adjourned at 5:46 p.m

Mr. Thomas presented the district needs assessment, which utilized data from state assessments to identify what
obstacles are preventing students from scoring higher on their assessments. The needs assessment is broken
down into three parts: identifying the challenges, coming up with a plan of what we can do to overcome those
challenges, and finally coming up with a timeline.
Some obstacles USD 346 faces include: an increasing number of at-risk students, high poverty rate, and a high
level of student trauma. To address these obstacles, we will continue to focus on smaller student-teacher ratios,
staff development, and aligning curriculum & resources. We also want to make sure that mental health/social-
emotional health issues are addressed by continuing to offer support to students facing more than just standard
academic concerns.
The board adopted a resolution to approve the proposed local option budget percentage of 32.4%.
The board adopted the 2026-2027 budget with mill rates as accepted during the Revenue Neutral Rate hearing.
Meeting adjourned at 5:56 p.m

Consent agenda included items necessary for the general operation of the district. Items approved under consent
agenda include:
o Approved the Agenda
o Approved Minutes of Previous Meeting(
o Approved the Financial Report, paid bills, and approved payroll
Mr. Thomas noted that Count Day is Monday, September 21st and enrollment numbers will be slightly down.
Pleasanton USD 344 has reached out to us to consider taking over the trapshooting program due to the majority
of participants being USD 346 students. No action was taken at this time.
The board approved a weight room access procedural document.
Mr. Thomas noted that Piper Sandler reviewed bond information. In 2012, USD 346 approved a bond issue and
approved 14.172 mills. The bond & interest mill rate has never been that high and was approved to be 7.401
mills for 2026-2027. He noted that the district saved $436,000 in interest costs by refinancing said bonds in 2020. He thanked the board for their financial stewardship.

Following executive session, the board:
o Adopted the new classified/administrative salary schedule as presented.
o Updated the classified employment list to include new hires/resignations.
o Updated the extra duty list as presented.
Meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m

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