A benefit of living in a small town is the sense of community someone gets when attending events like the county fair or the Friday night football games. It is not uncommon to run into friends at the local grocery store or while filling a car up with gas. Volunteering on a committee or board is an opportunity to give back to the community for many residents. With that said, it is uncommon to find opponents in a school board election. Thus, it has been difficult for most not to notice that the Larned school board election has been the talk of the town over the past few months. With yard signs, newspaper articles, and Facebook posts in abundance, your choice for school board may be more important than you might think. Before you take a hard look at the data and dig into the details to make your decision, it might be a great time to recap why the school board exists and consider how it affects students, parents, and their teachers alike.
The Larned School Board is made up of seven different members. Each member holds a term of four years and can be re-elected when that term is finished. The school board is overseen by a President and Vice President who are elected from the seven members. The superintendent of the school district also attends and participates in school board meetings. Each meeting has an agenda that allows members to prepare in advance for each meeting. You might think that the meetings are boring or dull with little information being discussed. However, the truth is that you couldn’t be more wrong.
You may not have realized, but it is the school board that makes key decisions related to students and teachers. For example, Cameron Murray recalls when he was a senior, his classmates went before the school board and asked to start a Future Farmers of America (FFA) club. Their work carries on today as this club is now an active and popular organization at Larned High School. Buddy Tabler, who currently sits on the school board, states that a recent approval was for ground rubber material for $21,131.25. This material will go underneath the swings and playground equipment to make it safer for children when having fun. Buddy states that Allisa Spain’s position as the Communications and Engagement was started last year to recognize outstanding work in the district and increase communication with families and the district. Jenny Manry, who has previously served as president of the school board, stated “Many people do not realize that several decisions are made only after months of research and procuring information happens.’ Jenny states that as President she enjoyed hearing from teachers and students during meetings. “It was a great opportunity to hear opinions and be a part of a decision-making body.”
Other key functions include hiring new teachers, giving raises to teachers and staff, and approving the purchase of much-needed school items such as computers, uniforms, and textbooks. Major decisions often require community involvement and include new construction projects such as the new elementary grade school and wellness center. You will note as you enter either of these facilities that there is a plaque with the school board members who resided over the project in each hallway. One could argue that being a school board member takes hours of work, an amount of commitment, and also a love for the Larned community.
Therefore, with thoughts and opinions from many different sources running through the air; it might be a good time to really think about who you want to elect to represent the Larned
School District. The year 2023 board of education members consisted of President Brent Hemken, Vice President Brian Carlton, and members: Jade Meyer, Buddy Tabler, Michelle Koch, Jessie Pleasant, and Vance Smith. Four of these seven-member terms are finished in the year 2024. Which is why there are so many open spots and candidates.
Jade Meyer, Brian Carlton, and Brent Hemken are all once again running for an open spot, but they are only three of the nine candidates hoping to snag a spot on the Larned Board of Education. The new candidates are Tyson Steffen, Jessie Miller, Tyson Atteberry, Heather Helvie, Jeremy Myrick, and Michael Myrick. The local Tiller & Toiler newspaper interviewed the candidates and gave great detail about why they were running for this position. As Election Day is coming up fast upon us, the voters will soon be heard and accounted for. Here at the Tribe Times newspaper I wish all of the candidates good luck and give them each a thank you for taking an interest in our district and in the community.
Update: The four new members elected into the Larned Board of Education are Brent Hemken, Tyson Atteberry, Tyson Steffen, and Michael Myrick. Congratulations!
