Garden City Public Schools Board of Education met on Monday, November 9, 2026. The meeting was held at the Educational Support Center Board Room, 1205 Fleming Street.
The Board of Education recognized the teachers who are finalists for the 2026 Crystal Apple Teacher Award. This year, the district’s teachers are Jose Alfredo Anaya-Alarcon, Garden City High School; Tyrone Gil, Florence Wilson Elementary School; Carrie Moser, Jennie Barker Elementary School; and Kelly Myatt, Garden City Achieve. The banquet for the Crystal Apple Awards will be held on Thursday, November 19, at the Refinery.
The Board received a building presentation from Edith Scheuerman Elementary School. Students from the school led the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Students from the Lighthouse team presented information about the Leader in Me program, which is a meaningful and empowering experience that helps students grow as confident leaders both in and out of the classroom.
The Board approved the following items during the meeting. They include minutes of the October 29, 2026, Regular Board of Education Meeting. Accounts Payable, with all major accounts containing adequate balances to meet current obligations. Personnel certified and classified actions.
The Board received a 2026 Graduation Rates presentation. Graduation rates for Kansas schools and districts were finalized on November 1, 2026. Administrators from each secondary building will review the data from each building and USD 457 as a whole. They presented positives and challenges for students graduating.
The Virtual Academy Graduation Rate is 86.8%.
The G.C. Achieve Graduation Rate is 86.0%.
The Garden City High School Graduation Rate is 96.6%.
The district’s Graduation Rate is 94.9%.
The State of Kansas Graduation Rate is 90.5%.
They also received a presentation from Michelle Baier, Assessment and Curriculum Coordinator, on a recap of the Spring 2026 District State Assessment data. The data covered the longitudinal, comparison, and academic achievement progress of grades 3-11 in English Language Arts, Math, and Science.
Under new business, they approved the purchase of 130 Two-Way Handheld Radios to upgrade from the current radios that are being used across the school district from Command Communications for $18,492.35. The majority of the handheld radios that are being used across the school district are more than 20 years old, and we are starting to have major issues with them. The new radios also align with the school district’s Crisis Management plan.
They approved a contract with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to work with Victor Ornelas Elementary School and Alta Brown Elementary School for Targeted Support for Improvement (TSI) and Additional Targeted Support for Improvement (ATSI) to ensure subgroups receive high-quality instruction to increase student achievement from TNTP for $293,379.
They approved the continuation of the Art of Education curriculum for $133,966.03, for a seven-year contract extending from May 1, 2027, through May 30, 2034. Art of Education is an online teacher resource that provides lesson plans as well as professional development.
They approved professional services for virtual platform migration from Nutanix for $43,188.00.
They approved a bid for a new bell/intercom system at Kenneth Henderson Middle School from INAalert for $205,401.25. The current bell and intercom system at Kenneth Henderson Middle School requires an upgrade to include both the new addition and the existing facility.
They approved Service Order #15 for Alta Brown Elementary School HVAC repairs from GMCN for $55,000 for design fees.
They approved Service Order #16 for re-roof and envelope repair at the Educational Support Center from GMCN for $43,750 for design fees.
They approved Service Order #17 for roof repair at Victor Ornelas Elementary School, sections D, E, F, and G, from GMCN for $30,200 for design fees.
They approved Service Order #18 for a total HVAC replacement at Garden City Achieve from GMCN for $60,000 for design fees.
They approved the release of a Request for Proposals to design playground expansion at Bernadine Sitts and Charles O. Stones Intermediate Centers. As we move toward reconfiguration to start in August of 2028, this will need to be done to add playground equipment for grades K-4 that is currently not offered at these two campuses.
At the end of the meeting, the Board held an executive session. The session was for personnel matters for non-elected personnel. No action was taken after the executive session.
The next meeting of the Board of Education will take place on Monday, December 14, 2026, at 6:00 P.M. in the Board Meeting Room at the Educational Support Center, 1205 Fleming St., Garden City, Kansas.
The meeting can be watched here.
The agenda for the board meeting can be found here.