January 14, 2026 at 7:00 PM - REGULAR MEETING

Discussion:  In addition to the Board and Superintendent, Aaric Davis, the following were also in attendance: Taylor Holte, Board Clerk; Noah Slay — Dir. of Curriculum/Deputy Board Clerk; and Ali Holcomb - Holton Recorder.

Discussion:  Mr. Slay conducted the election process for the Board President.
He asked for anyone who would like to be considered for the position of president of the School Board.
Mr. Boone Smith raised his hand.
Mr. Smith was then given up to five minutes to speak to the board about why they would like to serve as the president.
After speaking, Board members were given five minutes to ask questions of Mr. Smith in open meeting. No questions were asked. 
There was then a vote by show of hands for the position of president of the school board.
The vote was taken, and the Board approved Mr. Smith as Board President, 7-0.
 

Discussion:  The newly elected Board President will conduct the election process for the Board Vice President using the following procedures:

When asked for candidates for Vice-President to raise their hands, Mrs. Ann Kelly raised her hand.
Mrs. Kelly was given up to five minutes to speak about why she would like to serve as vice president in open meeting. She spoke briefly.  No questions were asked.
The vote was taken, and the Board approved Mrs. Ann Kelly as Board Vice-President, 7-0.

 

Discussion:  The potential for slightly earlier board meeting times was brought up for further future discussion.

Discussion:  Mr. Davis presented to the Board the current mid-year progress towards the Board goals for the 2025-26 school year on Wednesday night.

Discussion:  During the November meeting when BOE members were reviewing KASB conference takeaways, we began discussing the cell phone policy within the district.  After that conversation, it was decided to discuss our policies a little later in the school year.

Since then, the KS House and Senate have both pre-filed a bill that they plan to work early in the session that would ban the use of personal electronic devices in schools from the moment they enter the school until they are dismissed for the day. SB302 and HB2421

Mr. Davis recommended that we not make any final decisions on cell phones in schools until after the legislature makes a decision. However, it may be useful for us to develop a plan to gather feedback from stakeholder groups this semester so that if the legislature does not eliminate personal electronic devices, we can be prepared to make a local decision on the matter this summer. The board supports the plan to gather feedback and ensure clear communication within the community.

Discussion:  Mr. Davis shared with the Board the bi-monthly expense report that shows our current status on expenditures within our General Fund and our LOB fund.

Discussion:  After our discussion at the BOE meeting in December, Mr. Davis went back to the company that sells and installs the HALO vape detection systems and asked for updated quotes to just cover restrooms in the MS and HS. Those quotes have been updated and were reviewed.

Discussion:  This past week, we had our pre-bid meeting for our MS and ES summer projects.  We had a great turnout of contractors interested in bidding on the projects.  The bids will be opened on Wednesday, January 21st and will be reviewed by the BOE at our next meeting on January 28, 2026.

Mr. Davis also included an updated copy of the construction project prioritization list to review. The MS art room renovation has been to this list due to our recent decision to move the art room upstairs.