School Board Recognizes State Track Athletes, Reviews Facilities and Budget Planning
Posted Date: 06/18/26 (08:14 AM)
The Kearney School District Board of Education recognized outstanding student-athletes, reviewed plans for the district’s facilities and finances, and approved several measures supporting students and staff during its June 17, 2026, business meeting. Visit the KSD YouTube channel to view a livestream of the meeting.
Celebrating Our All-State Track & Field Athletes
The meeting began with recognitions of the Kearney High School Girls and Boys Track & Field athletes who earned All-State honors at the 2026 MSHSAA Class 4 State Championships. With Girls Head Coach Geoff Hutton unable to attend, Boys Head Coach Scott Crall introduced the student-athletes from both programs.
The KHS boys brought 23 athletes to the state meet, qualified in 11 of 19 events and finished eighth overall in Class 4. Their All-State performances included:
- Sam Way, second in the 300-meter hurdles
- Reid Perkins, fourth in the 400-meter dash
- Hudson Best, sixth in javelin
- Henry Hoover, sixth in discus
- Treylen White, Kale Tucking, Jack McCabe and Sam Way, fourth in the 4x100-meter relay with a new school record
- Reid Perkins, Atlas Owen, Connor Reid and Sam Way, fifth in the 4x400-meter relay
- Cameron Fowler, Isaac Smith, Connor Reid and Atlas Owen, eighth in the 4x800-meter relay
Congratulations to these Bulldogs, their coaches and their families on an outstanding season!
New School Meal Prices for 2026-2027
The Board approved new student meal prices for the 2026-2027 school year. Breakfast and lunch prices will each increase by 10 cents based on calculations completed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Paid Lunch Equity Tool.
The new prices will be:
- Breakfast for all students: $2.25
- Lunch for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade: $2.95
- Lunch for students in grades 6-12: $3.05
- Extra milk: 55 cents
Long-Range Facilities Planning Begins
Representatives from Hollis + Miller Architects provided an overview of the process KSD will use to develop a long-range facilities master plan.
The process will move through four stages: establishing a game plan, collecting data, exploring options and adopting the best plan. Facility assessments, enrollment and demographic information, district priorities and stakeholder input will help guide the work.
The schedule presented to the Board extends into early 2027 and includes Board work sessions as information is collected and potential options are developed. No specific construction projects or final plans were selected during Wednesday’s meeting.
The Board also received an update on the major maintenance projects underway this summer. The work includes roofing projects at Southview Elementary and Kearney High School, exterior wall improvements at Kearney Middle School, new flooring at Kearney and Hawthorne elementary schools, and additional repairs and renovations at Hawthorne and Kearney Middle School.
Proposed 2026-2027 Budget
The Board received the district’s proposed 2026-2027 budget message as an information item. Final year-end financial information will be added before the budget is presented for approval during a special Board meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, June 29.
The proposed operating budget includes approximately $49.95 million in revenue and $52.3 million in expenditures. The district plans to use a portion of its reserves to support employee compensation and address rising costs for health benefits, services, supplies and utilities.
The projected operating fund balance is 11.84%. District leaders will continue looking for efficiencies and long-term funding solutions while working to protect educational opportunities and services for students.
During action items, the Board approved the district’s 2026-2027 salary schedules, including step and column movement. The schedules were developed with input from the Salary and Benefits Committee and comparisons with other school districts in the region.
Major Grant Supports Student Mental Health and Behavior Services
The Board approved a two-year grant agreement with the Clay County Children’s Services Fund totaling $1.584 million. The grant will provide $792,000 during each of the next two school years.
The funding supports individual, group, substance-use and family counseling; expressive therapies such as art and music therapy; behavioral services; character education; staff professional development; and suicide-prevention programming. It also supports contracted positions for a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Behavior Implementer.
The Board also approved the district’s transition from Panorama to the Social, Academic and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener, commonly known as SAEBRS. This tool will help educators identify students who may need additional social, academic or emotional support.
The three-year cost for SAEBRS will be approximately $39,909 and will be paid through the Children’s Services Fund grant. That is less than the approximately $43,275 KSD would have paid for one additional year of Panorama.
Communications and Community Engagement
The Board received the annual written evaluation of KSD’s Parent, Family and Community Involvement program.
The report highlighted the full implementation of ParentSquare, continued development of the new district and school websites, expanded use of survey and engagement data, creation of the KSD Legislative Update, support for the Finance Process Action Team and preparations for new federal digital accessibility requirements.
Goals for 2026-2027 include strengthening engagement around district finances and facilities, improving website usability and accessibility, increasing student participation in the Annual Survey and creating more opportunities for student voice and storytelling.
Additional Board Action
The Board approved Jotform as KSD’s new survey and online form platform. Jotform will replace Qualtrics when the district’s current contract expires at the end of June. The new agreement will cost approximately $5,830 and is expected to save KSD about $12,000 to $14,000 compared with the cost of continuing Qualtrics.
The Board also approved transitioning three longtime technology support professionals from contracted positions to KSD employees. The change is expected to strengthen organizational stability, technology security and employee belonging while generating an estimated $15,000 to $30,000 in savings over four years.
Additional action included:
- Continuing the district’s Raptor emergency alert and drill-management system for the 2026-2027 school year after the state discontinued funding for the service
- Allowing children of contracted transportation and food service employees who work at least 20 hours per week to attend KSD without paying tuition
- Updating employee, student-parent and activities handbooks for the coming school year