Staff Bulletin | September 26, 2024

Emporia High will crown its Homecoming King and Queen before the football game against Topeka High School at Welch Stadium. The ceremony will begin around 6:40 p.m. with kickoff happening at 7 p.m.



Pictured are King Candidates, top row from left to right: Alan Estrada, Carter Granado, Koby Le, Jeremiah Selby-Roberson, RJ Tabares. Queen candidates, bottom row from left to right: Chloe Fischer, Karla Morales, Yanet Murillo Espinoza, Mariah Pearson, Yulexxy Perez Rosas

District News:


Early Resignation/Retirement Notification Incentive:

Any licensed teacher who has worked for more than two years in USD 253 and is planning to resign or retire at the end of the school year is eligible to receive an early notification stipend.  A written resignation or retirement notice must be submitted to the Director of Human Resources. Stipends will be awarded according to the timetable below at the end of the contract year. 

Written notification received by:

  • October 1st would receive $1,000
  • November 1st would receive $750
  • December 1st would receive $500
  • January 1st would receive $250

See the master contract for more information.


Student and Family Resources Clothing Drive:

Student and Family Resources is collecting donations for the annual clothing drive. Please bring new or gently used children’s clothing items to the Flinthills Mall, back entrance by the theater during October. Thank you for your donation and for helping serve the students and families of our district. If you have questions, please Contact Heather Wagner at heather.wagner@usd253.net.


KPERS Optional Life Insurance:

KPERS Optional Life Insurance open enrollment is September 1-30. As part of your KPERS benefits, you can purchase additional coverage beyond KPERS basic life insurance. You can decide how much you need and pay your premiums through payroll deduction. For additional information, please review the KPERS Open Enrollment Handout and KPERS optional life insurance website


KPERS Pre-Retirement Seminars: 

KPERS Pre-Retirement Seminars will be starting soon. Use the upcoming dates and locations link to see the schedule.


Personal Illness Pool and Maternity/Paternity Leave Pool:

USD253 is proud to offer our employees great benefits. Two of these benefits are the Personal Illness Pool and the new Maternity/Paternity Leave Pool. In order to be a member of these separate pools, you would need to donate a day of your chargeable leave to each pool you wish to join. You can be a member of one pool by donating one day to that pool. You can be a member of both pools by donating a day to each pool, or you do not have to be a member of either pool. Please note that to be a member of one or both pools, you must meet the eligibility criteria and donate your day(s) by October 1st.

Click HERE to access more information about each pool and these specific topics:

  • If you are a returning staff member and do not know if you are a member of the Personal Illness Pool, you can use the slide deck to assist you with this information. If you have already donated, you do not have to donate again, unless the pool were to be depleted.
  • If you want to know more about either pool, the specific language for both the Personal Illness Pool and the new Maternity/Paternity Leave Pool is included in one document for you to review. 
  • If you are not a member of either pool and wish to donate a day to join, please use the Google Form.

If you have any questions about the pool, please start with your building or department administrator. If you still have questions, you can call the Human Resources Office at human-resources@usd253.net. or call 620-341-2330.


District Events:


Schedule for Staff ID Photos:

As a reminder, all staff should have their photo taken on school picture day so you will have a 2024-2025 Staff ID. Please plan to have your photo taken while Interstate Studios is in your building. Your Staff ID badge will also get you and a guest in free, to home events. If you need an ID badge before your 2024-2025 badge is available, please contact community.relations@usd253.net to schedule a time for an individual badge to be made. 


  • Logan Avenue Elementary, September 27
  • Riverside Elementary, October 3
  • Timmerman Elementary, October 7
  • Jones ECDC, October 16
  • William Allen White Elementary, October 23


Staff Flu Shot Schedule:

The district will once again be offering flu shots. If you are interested in getting a flu shot please complete the pre-registration form and turn it in to the school/department where you will be receiving the shot.

Helpful reminders:

  • You must fill out a pre-registration form and return it to the school nurse of the school where you are receiving your flu shot.
  • Completed forms should be submitted a day before the scheduled flu shot date. Click here for a pre-registration form
  • Staff and their family members ages 9 years and older are eligible to receive their flu shot.
  • Private insurance and Medicare are accepted; Medicaid is not accepted.
  • Cash payments are not accepted as going elsewhere such as Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS would be less expensive.
  • The high-dose flu shot for those 65 + will not be offered.
  • You may sign up at another location besides your school. If you do, please contact that school to get on their sign-up list. 
  • Remember to wear short sleeves on the day of your flu shot

Appointments, Resignations, and Retirements:

View employment recommendations here.

On Friday, September 20, staff from across the district enjoyed the 2nd Annual District Tailgate.

Riverside Elementary students shared their school year highlights with the Board of Education on Wednesday evening. Their presentation covered classroom achievements and school-wide efforts that are helping create a positive and thriving school culture.

Board Approvals:


Board Updates and Information:


Instructional Protocol:

Ms. Joy McGhee, Principal of the Jones Early Childhood Development Center; Ms. Erica Fianu, Instructional Coach at Riverside and Walnut Elementary Schools; Ms. Abby Littrell, Instructional Coach at Emporia Middle School; and Dr. Erica Mickelson, Director of Teaching and Learning, presented an overview of the Instructional Protocol and its role in supporting the district’s Board Goals. Their presentation outlined how the protocol enhances student learning, ensures instructional consistency and aligns with the district’s broader objectives for school improvement and system-wide coherence.


The Instructional Protocol was created to serve as a comprehensive framework aimed at improving student learning and ensuring consistency in instruction across the district. This protocol provides a clear and structured overview of the district’s instructional approach by demonstrating how current initiatives are aligned and support each other, fostering coherence. It also promotes effective communication about teaching and learning, helping to build a shared understanding among staff. By guiding improvement efforts at both the school and district levels, it enables stakeholders to see the bigger picture, ensuring that all efforts align to support system-wide coherence.


Moving forward, the district will focus on providing ongoing training to support the diverse needs of all students. This includes collaboration with Instructional Coaches, ESL Staff, Administrators, and the Teaching and Learning Department to offer additional resources. Additionally, the current walkthrough tools will be revised to collect more meaningful data on the progress of existing initiatives.

View the Instructional Protocol presentation slides here.


Insurance Renewal Rates:

Ms. Lisa Clark, Vice President, of IMA Benefits, presented a complete review of the district’s health insurance options for the 2025 plan year. Highlights of the presentation included renewal rates and possible alternate options for getting the best coverage and rates for district employees. Clark shared that initial projections included a 17.4% increase in renewal rates. After negotiations and finding additional cost-saving areas, IMA was able to negotiate a reduced increase of 6.9%. Upon hearing the information, Board members voted to approve the Insurance Renewal recommendation from the district’s Health Insurance Committee. The district’s insurance coverage will remain with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas. With an additional $50 added by the district to the insurance benefit, staff taking the district insurance will see an approximately 4.3% increase in their renewal rates for the 2025 plan year.

View the insurance presentation slides here.



Future Board Calendar Dates:

  • Friday, September 27, 2024, 6:00 p.m. EHS Homecoming, Emporia State University
  • Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Board Meeting, Mary Herbert Education Center
  • Tuesday, October 15, 2024, 7:30 a.m., Emporia Recreation Steering Committee Meeting, Mary Herbert Education Center
  • Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Board Meeting, Mary Herbert Education Center

Emporia Public Schools | 1700 W 7th Ave | Emporia, KS 66801 US

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