Kearney, Mo., April 17, 2025: Kearney School District’s Board of Education is seeking qualified applicants to fill an open at-large seat following the recent resignation of member Len Broughton.

The school board was officially informed of Broughton’s resignation by Board Secretary Becky Burkemper during their business meeting last night.

Interested candidates are asked to submit a completed Board of Education Application for Vacant Board Position (G-335-A); a hard copy can be picked up at the district office. Applications must be submitted to Mrs. Burkemper at burkemperb@ksdr1.net or in person at 425 W. Washington St. in Kearney before 4:30 p.m. on May 8, 2025. Call (816) 628-4116 for more details.

Selected candidates will be interviewed in an open session meeting starting at 4:30 p.m. on May 21, 2025. The board may vote to select the new member at the June 18, 2025, regular board meeting. If selected, the new board member would serve until the April 6, 2026, election.

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Kearney, Mo., March 5, 2025: Kearney School District residents have an opportunity to learn more about this year’s Board of Education candidates during a public forum hosted by student leaders from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18 in the auditorium at Kearney High School.

This public forum is being sponsored by the school’s Student Advisory Board, Student Council and National Honor Society. KHS seniors Jacob Dillon and Emmy Gates will emcee the event. The school is located at 715 E. 19th St. in Kearney.

KSD voters will make their selections to fill two spots on the school board during the April 8, 2025, municipal election. Those positions are currently held by John Kern and Meredith Cole, neither of whom are seeking reelection.

All four school board candidates have been invited to participate in the high school’s public forum:

• Christina Lindsay
• Michael Joe Hickey
• Justin Paul Cook
• Jason Klindt

At the public forum, the candidates will be given a brief opportunity to introduce themselves and then the moderators will ask questions submitted by their fellow students. The candidates will be given an equal amount of time to respond to each question. The questions will not be shared ahead of time.

In Missouri, school boards are composed of seven non-partisan, volunteer elected officials who each serve three-year terms. The primary job of the school board is to employ the superintendent and set the strategic goals and policies for the district, according to the Missouri School Board Association (MSBA). The board’s other roles include:

• Facilitate public engagement in order to help meet stakeholder expectations
• Oversee the Superintendent of Schools, who in turn is solely responsible for district management and operations
• Monitor district progress toward meeting the Board goals
• Govern itself effectively, efficiently and with transparency

Residents must be registered by Wednesday, March 12 in order to cast their votes in the April 8 election. Visit the Missouri Secretary of State’s website for more information.

(Kearney High School junior and KSD Communications and Community Relations Intern Kaeden Rothwell created this graphic for the upcoming school board candidate forum. This is a Real World Learning experience that will help Kaeden earn a Market Value Asset for graduation!)

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• Attending two MSBA core meetings, with at least one in the current year
• Reading one book from the MSBA Booklist for Reading Requirement and submitting a Reading Reflection
• Observing a school board meeting in two other districts and submitting a Board Meeting Observation form 
• Completing eight activities involving leadership, advocacy and presentations in her most recent three years of board service

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• The employee professional development day with no school that was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 18, has been changed to Wednesday, Feb. 12. Tuesday, Feb. 18 will be a regular school day. This decision will also help us avoid anticipated student attendance issues and protect instructional time.
• The employee professional development day with no school that was scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9, has been moved to Friday, Dec. 6. Monday, Dec. 9 will now be a regular school day. This decision was made to avoid potential conflicts with student activities and to protect classroom instructional time.

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All members of the public are welcome to attend. Please inform BOE Secretary Becky Burkemper by emailing burkemperb@ksdr1.net or calling (816) 628-4116 before the close of business on Monday, Nov. 11 if you plan to attend.

This session is designed to provide useful guidance for those who may want to serve on the school board. Topics will include information about board elections and the roles and responsibilities of the school board members.

Candidate filing for the Board of Education begins on Dec. 10 and ends on Dec. 31, 2024, for the municipal election that will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Visit the Missouri Secretary of State’s website to learn more.

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Kearney, Mo., October 4, 2024: Kearney School District will be hosting an informational open house for members of the public as part of the Elementary School Boundary Process from 7 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 at the central office, which is located at 425 W. Washington St.

Kearney School District is in the process of evaluating the attendance boundaries for each elementary school this fall in order to help ensure that we operate effectively and efficiently with our resources. This process was initiated in September as the district’s Prop B bond capital improvement projects near completion and with new residential developments planned.

The open house will be an opportunity for KSD parents/guardians, employees and community members to:

• Review the proposed changes to KSD’s elementary school attendance boundaries
• Talk about the proposals with members of the Elementary School Boundary Team
• Provide your feedback before the process is finalized

This process is likely to impact at least some of KSD stakeholders. Before any major boundary changes, the district first allows key stakeholders to ask questions, express concerns and provide their insights during the Elementary School Boundary Team meetings.

The Elementary School Boundary Team is currently reviewing demographic factors like projected enrollment growth and new residential developments, establishing decision-making criteria and generating proposed boundary options. Over the next several weeks, the team will engage the community to seek feedback, refine its recommendations, and eventually present a plan for approval by our Board of Education.

The team is comprised of 17 parents/guardians with children enrolled in Kearney School District. That group includes four KSD employees. They were selected by an administrative steering committee after completing an interest form.

Community members are encouraged to visit www.bit.ly/ksd-boundary-process for more information and updates as the process continues.

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Principal Rebecca Parks and Director of Operations Erek Noland gave Kearney School District’s Board of Education members a tour on Wednesday, Aug. 21 of the Proposition B bond projects that were completed recently as promised at Southview Elementary. 

The Southview upgrades included a new secure entry and front office area, additional rooms designed to serve students with special needs, collaborative learning spaces and furnishings in every grade-level pod, improved HVAC systems, and other significant work. The project began in the spring with architectural designs by DLR Group and was managed by Newkirk Novak Construction Partners.

Dr. Parks expressed her gratitude to Southview staff members, parents/guardians and students for adapting to the disruptions caused by the project. She was also grateful to the community for supporting the zero-tax-rate-increase Prop B capital improvement bond when it went to voters in April of 2022.

“I just want to thank our entire team, our students and our families for their patience and good spirits throughout this process,” Parks said. “I know our teachers are thrilled by the new collaborative learning spaces and I’ve heard so many positive comments from everyone.”

In addition to the work at Southview, Newkirk Novak also completed important upgrades to the HVAC system at Kearney Middle School this summer, according to Operations Manager Ben Vanderau.

During the school board’s regular business meeting Wednesday evening, Mr. Vanderau and DLR Group representative Kevin Greischar shared some plans for the next round of Prop B projects. That work will include upgrades and expansions at Hawthorne Elementary, Kearney Elementary and Dogwood Elementary. Those projects should be completed by the time classes begin for the 2025-2026 academic year.

The school board also learned from Mr. Vanderau that the total cost estimate for the renovations at the remaining elementary schools has come in significantly lower than expected. This will potentially free up funds for more capital improvements. Mr. Noland will work with the district’s long-range facilities planning committee, which includes key stakeholders, to identify high-priority projects for the additional funds.

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Kearney, Mo., March 6, 2024: Kearney School District is making progress as promised to voters with the launch this week of the next major capital improvement project funded by the Proposition B zero-tax-increase bond.

Work started on Monday, March 4 at Southview Elementary School that will result in a new area with improved security and student services rooms, plus additional spaces designed for the type of collaborative, project-based teaching and learning that are the hallmarks of 21st-century classrooms. The project is being run by KSD’s construction firm, Newkirk Novak.

“The goal of this project is to help ensure that Southview Elementary is ‘future-ready’ to serve the needs of our students, family and community,” Superintendent Emily Miller said. “The renderings drafted by our architects, DLR, align with KSD’s long-term facility plans, and will be the model we will use for similar projects at our other elementary schools in the next 18 months.”

As always, the safety and security of students, staff members and visitors will be KSD’s top priority during this project. Newkirk Novak specializes in managing major projects for public schools, and they will use that experience to help keep everyone safe and minimize anything that could disrupt teaching and learning.

A large portion of the front of the school and playground will be fenced off for the project. Part of this involves blocking access to the school’s horseshoe drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Buses will still be able to use that drive in the morning and afternoon. Regular drop-off and pick-up will remain in the same location. Parents/guardians who need early drop-off or late pick-up will need to use the curved drive in the parking lot directly to the south.

Here is an overview of the project schedule for the next couple of weeks:

• March 4 – Modifications to the bus loop will begin. This will not impact school activities.  
• March 13-16 – Demolition will begin overnight (9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.) on the canopy over the front entry. All areas will be safe and cleaned before school starts the next day. This will not impact school activities.
• March 16 – Construction fencing will be set up and a covered entrance at the front door will be installed.  
• March 18 – The bus and Kids Club pickup/drop off loop will only be open before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m. Anyone needing access between those hours will need to use the alternate Southview access.

This schedule may change depending on the weather and other factors. The work is projected to be completed in early August. KSD will provide regular updates for staff and parents/guardians with additional details as this project proceeds.

Kearney School District voters approved the $44 million Proposition B zero-tax-increase capital improvement bond in April of 2022. The revenue from this bond goes into a separate fund that can only be used for these types of projects and cannot be used for any operational spending on things like salaries and benefits. Approval of the bond issue did not increase the district’s property tax rate.

The Southview Elementary project is just the start of similar additions and upgrades planned for Dogwood Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary and Kearney Elementary. That work is anticipated to be finished by the start of the 2025-2026 academic year.

Other Prop B projects that have already been completed as promised include:

• Expansion and upgrade of the Early Education Center
• Kearney High School auditorium improvements
• Additions to the sixth-grade bathrooms at Kearney Middle School
• Roof repairs at Kearney Junior High
• HVAC replacement at several sites

Visit www.ksdr1.net/bond2022 to learn more about Prop B.

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Kearney, Mo., February 28, 2024: Kearney School District residents have an opportunity to learn more about the Board of Education candidates during a public forum hosted by student leaders from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19 in the auditorium at Kearney High School.

VIEW THE FORUM LIVE ON YOUTUBE:

This public forum is being sponsored by the school’s Student Advisory Board, Student Council and National Honor Society. KHS junior Avery Aller and senior Jak Gist will emcee the event. The school is located at 715 E. 19th St. in Kearney.

KSD voters will make their selections to fill two spots on the school board during the April 2, 2024, municipal election. Those positions are currently held by Board President Darlene Bailey and Board Member Susan Woehrman. Ms. Woehrman is not seeking reelection and her term will end at the Board’s April 10 meeting. School board members are elected for three-year terms.

All six School Board candidates have been invited to participate in the high school’s public forum:

• Matthew J. Baker
• Richard Cawthon
• Darlene Bailey
• Michael Joe Hickey
• Ben Anderson
• Chrystan Ferrell

At the public forum, the candidates will be given a brief opportunity to introduce themselves and then the moderators will ask questions submitted by their fellow students. The candidates will be given an equal amount of time to respond to each question. The questions will not be shared ahead of time.

Residents must be registered by Wednesday, March 6 in order to cast their votes in the April 2 election. Visit the Clay County Board of Election Commissioners or Clinton County websites for more information about the upcoming election, instructions about voter registration and details about how, when and where to vote.

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Kearney, Mo., November 30, 2023: Kearney Early Education Center staff, students and families will enjoy some Christmas-themed fun and games while celebrating their school’s recent expansion during an open house from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21. The school is located at 150 W. 92 Hwy.

Contractors completed a significant expansion of the EEC this summer as part of several capital improvement projects made possible by the Proposition B bond. The school roughly doubled in size and now includes the entire building that used to be shared with KSD’s central office.

This expansion significantly enhances KSD’s capacity to serve and support our pre-K children and their families. We’re excited to welcome the community into this state-of-the-art early education facility and celebrate the holiday season at the same time.

There will be a brief ribbon-cutting and photo opportunity at 6 p.m. with district and school leaders, staff, students and family members. School tours will also be available.

Members of the Chastain Parks family will be at the celebration. Mr. Parks owned and operated the Big V Country Mart grocery store that was originally at that location. The family provided significant support for KSD when it was converted to the district’s central office and EEC in 2018.

Thanks to the KSD Parents as Teachers program and its staff, the open house will feature student art projects, a door decorating contest, and a book fair, plus popcorn and hot cocoa. Children can visit with Santa Claus. Other activities will include:

• Snowman sensory pool
• Ornament making
• Reindeer food
• Obstacle course
• Polar bear bowling
• Tree toss

Anyone planning to attend should RSVP online before the event by visiting bit.ly/ksd-eec-celebration. This will help ensure that there are enough supplies and food for all the attendees.

The EEC expansion was just one of the Prop B projects that were finished on time as promised this summer. Other completed projects included the renovation of the Kearney High School auditorium, additional restroom facilities in the sixth-grade wing at Kearney Middle School, and roof replacement and wall repairs at Kearney Junior High.

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