EudoraNews.com

Eudora Middle School and Nottingham Elementary School have new principals slated for the upcoming school year.

The school board approved Don Grosdidier as middle school principal and James Lauer as Nottingham principal. Grosdidier, a teacher at Eudora high, took over day-to-day operations at the high school toward the end of the school year when then-principal Marty Kobza moved into the superintendent's office. Lauer will come to Eudora from Seneca, where he spent nine years as a principal.

"Each one of those selections brings its own trengths," Kobza said. "The in-district applicant brings someone who understands the district and community and will be able to pick up where we're at. The other brings a new perception for us and brings up an opportunity to see a new way of doing things and assure us of the way we're going. They'll help us move forward or they'll give us a fresh outlook."

Although the contracts begin in August, Kobza said the principals would likely be putting together their schools much sooner.

School board members also had their eyes on the ball fields Friday night, as discussion at the meeting included updating Laws Sports Complex and finishing the baseball and softball fields.

If the school district builds a new high school south of K-10, Superintendent Marty Kobza asked, should Laws Complex move south, too?

Kobza said he posed the question to the board to get them thinking about changes necessary to keep Laws where it is. Board members chimed in with areas that need to be cleaned up at Laws.

"The restrooms are terrible," board president Marion Johnson said. "Something needs to be done in the near future to improve those for people."

Johnson also added the facility needed more storage as well.

In the meantime, the board voted to seek bids on bleachers for the existing facility, which the school named after teacher and coach Don Laws, who died of cancer in 1992.

The Church and 14th streets location provides a nice window to the city, board member Kenney Massey said.

"I think it's a neat thing to see when you first come off K-10," he said.

The board also decided to accept donations to complete the baseball and softball fields.

"I can't think of a good reason why we shouldn't," board member Bob Rice said.

Massey agreed.

"If we're not going to do this, we need to not take (donations) at all," he said, mentioning how the district accepts donations in other areas.

Before the board went into executive session to discuss the hiring of principals and land acquisition, it recognized outgoing president Marion Johnson for four years of service.

"It's been a learning experience," Johnson said. "Anything I can do, you know where I'm at."

In other news:

The board approved hiring Cindy Cavanaugh, food service director and bookeeper; Brett Flory, head 7th and 8th grade boys basketball coach; Glenda Immer teacher, third grade; Dan Kuhlman, assistant seventh and eighth grade football coach; Annie Willoughby, assistant seventh and eighth grade volleyball coach; Scott Stein, high school basketball coach and social studies teacher.

The board also approved contracts for Rod Moyer, Eudora West Elementary School principal; Mindy Salmans, officer of academic affairs; Dale Sample, Eudora High School principal.

The board chose Phil Wolfe of Nichols and Wolfe of Topeka as bond counsel.

The board decided to discontinue fingerprinting as a part of employee background checks.