The USD 329 board voted 6-0 to close Maple Hill Elementary during a special meeting Monday evening. Beginning next school year, all of the elementary students will go to Alma.
329 Board takes next step to close MHES
The USD 329 school board voted 5-1 in a special meeting last week to hold a public hearing over closing Maple Hill Elementary. It’s the next step in a plan to close the Maple Hill building for the next school year.
Thought Bubble | Misuse of Accelerated Reader could kill love of reading
After being absent for a few years, USD 329 is bringing back the Accelerated Reader program for grades K-5. This program is good both for the reading incentive for younger grades and for the STAR exams that evaluate the students’ reading and math levels. Although the program’s return won’t affect high school students, even the best readers greeted the news with a sort of PTSD.
Maple Hill Charger publishes 2nd issue
The second issue of the Maple Hill Elementary Charger is here. Read about Charger Families, the book fair and other stories written by MHES students.
Maple Hill Elementary starts student newspaper and other clubs
The Charger is no longer the only student newspaper in USD 329. This week, the first issue of the MHES Charger went to print.
Elementary principal works to continue district’s success
Elementary principal Robert Schawo comes to USD 329 with promises of continuing the momentum the district already has. Schawo has become the new Elementary school principal replacing Galen Craghead and Kari Kephart. Schawo, who has a degree in public administration and a degree in elementary education, will lead the Maple Hill and Alma elementary schools.
Wabaunsee elementary students write letters to Santa
The Charger asked the first and second grade classes from Alma Elementary School and Maple Hill Elementary School to send us their letters to Santa Claus. We were able to look through them before passing them on to Santa, who had his elves write responses to each student.
Letters to Santa | Wabaunsee Elementary students write letters to Santa Claus
The Charger asked the first and second grade classes from Alma Elementary School and Maple Hill Elementary School to send us their letters to Santa Claus. We were able to look through them before passing them on to Santa. We also passed along responses from Santa's Elves, who checked every student's status on the naughty and nice lists.
USD 329 Board approves bond option for community vote
After many board meetings discussing the facilities and bond options, the board was able to pass a motion for an election to occur on May 12 at 6 polling places in the district for the potential 25 year bond, on Option 16.
The regular board meeting started with continued discussion to answer a few leftover questions over the facilities. Once the board had most of their questions answered, a motion was made for Option 10 to be the option moving forward. The potential K-12, Option 10, was seconded, but failed with a vote of 2-5. Seconds later, another motion was made, but for Option 16. The motion was seconded, and passed 4-3. Now it is up to the community to vote either for or against the K-6 in Paxico and 7-12 in Alma.
USD 329 Board to consider bond issue to meet facility challenges
At the November 18th board meeting, the USD 329 school board will consider a bond issue that will have a major impact on the district.
“It's been a long, thought out process that started with BOE discussions regarding aging facilities that were taking a lot of budget money,” superintendent Brad Starnes said. “It was hard to budget for and we didn't have the budget money to solve the problem.”
The Charger 