Grain Valley School Board recap

by Cole Arndorfer, Grain Valley News


The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, September 18th for its monthly business meeting. Prior to the meeting, the board held the public tax rate hearing, providing an opportunity for the public to hear the presentation of the proposed tax rate.

The proposal for this year’s operating levy is set at $3.4396, an increase of $0.0014 compared to last year. Last year’s debt service levy was $1.30, with no proposed change this upcoming year. This means that the proposed total operating levy for this year is $4.7396, compared to last year’s $4.7382.

The meeting proceeded with an approval for the district to purchase land near Matthews Elementary. This land will cost the district $2,465,000 and will allow the district to begin improvements to Matthews, including additional classrooms, restrooms, and parking. 

The board then approved a resolution for the sale of series 2025 lease certificates of participation with L.J. Hart & Company. The board also heard a presentation breaking down the requirements of this agreement including the payment schedule and maturity dates.
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Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle delivered the highlights of his report for the month, including information about the district’s year-to-date expenses, a positive report on attendance numbers to begin the school year, as well as some information regarding how board members can gain access to key cards after the board passed a measure at the last meeting allowing such access. 

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Amanda Allen provided the board with a report over the district’s standardized test results from this past year as well as ways that the district can better help students.

Following this, the board moved into unfinished business with an update on the superintendent search. The official job posting was put out on September 5th, and there has been a community forum set up on October 7th.  A Parents & Community Forum has been scheduled on October 7th from 6:00pm - 7:00pm at the Leadership Center. The board also discussed some possible solutions in order to get to know the candidates better during the interview process.

 Next, the board officially approved the annual CSIP priorities for the school year.
 
The board then officially approved the proposed tax levy for 2025 and set it at $4.7396.

The next Board of Education meeting will take place at 6:00pm on October 16 at the Leadership Center. 

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