It may seem hard to believe but we are less than one month away from the beginning of
another school year. The summer has been filled with a variety of projects and activities in
preparation for the upcoming school year. The following are the recent happenings and events
from the summer:

The Back to School packets have been sent out and posted on the school website
(www.usd386.net). This packet includes the school supply lists as well as information
regarding preparation for the start of a new school year.

At Madison Elementary, the third and final phase of the asbestos project is being
completed this summer. This was the main improvement project from this summer, but
each summer the classrooms are cleaned, floors waxed, carpets shampooed, and various
painting projects are completed. The improvement projects are part of the districts long
range / strategic plan. Completing a portion of the improvement projects from the long
range / strategic plan enables the district to maintain facilities in the most cost effective
manner.

Recently, the board of education renewed the Capital Outlay Resolution. It is important
to note that this action does not levy a tax. It is simply renewing the boards’ authority to
do so at some point in the future. USD #386 has had a Capital Outlay Resolution for
several years, but has not levied a tax. I do not anticipate a levy in Capital Outlay for the
coming school year.

The Kansas State Board of Education recently voted not to release State Assessments
from 2013-2014 school year due to concerns regarding validity of the assessments. As
you may remember, there were multiple issues with the rollout and distribution of
assessments this past year. In place of releasing test results, they will release areas that
appeared problematic for all students (state-wide) on the assessment. This was the pilot
year for the new assessment.

In recent months, the topic of establishing a Recreation Commission was brought to the
USD #386 Board of Education as well as the City of Madison. Two members of each
body, formed a committee to explore the possibility of establishing a Recreation
Commission. The committee reported back to both boards with the following proposal:

o Establishing a Recreation Commission as a partnership between the City of
Madison and USD #386 Madison-Virgil.

o The benefits of establishing the commission include expanding the youth athletic
programs. Possibilities discussed include volleyball, wrestling, track, and indoor
soccer. Current youth programs include football, basketball, and baseball.
Additional benefits include lower insurance costs and lower participation costs
thus allowing more students the opportunity to participate.

o The City of Madison would maintain all supervision, funding, etc. for the city
pool. They would also continue to provide the same level of financial support for
youth programs including maintenance of the baseball fields, etc..

o As required by law, the recreation commissions would consist of five members
appointed in the following manner. In the case of a joint recreation system
established by a city and a school district the school district selects two members
and the city selects two members, with the final member being selected by the
appointed members. The term of the members is different in a joint recreation
system as well. Of the members selected by the school district, one shall serve for
a term of one year and one for a term of four years. Of the members selected by
the city, one shall serve a term of two years and the other member shall serve a
term of three years. The fifth member to the commission will serve a four year
term. After the commission has been established, it is the duty of the commission
to set up the rules governing the recreation system. The school district merely
becomes the taxing district for the commission, with the sole purpose of levying
the 1 mill tax every year. The recreation system is governed solely by the
recreation commission and is not subordinate to the city or school district's
governing bodies.

After hearing from the committee, both USD #386 Board of Education and City of Madison
agreed to move forward with the project. The first formal step in the process will be completing
a petition containing the signatures of 5% of the qualified voters from the school district. Once
this is completed, the question of whether to establish a recreation commission is then submitted
to the voters on the November election ballot. The main goal in establishing the Recreation
Commission is to increase the athletic opportunities for our young people all while lowering the
cost to the participants.

Have a good week and remember, “It’s A Great Day to Be a Bulldog!”