Board approves multiple handbooks, salary increases and ballot referral; holds some handbooks for further revision

Paola USD 368 trustees approved a package of personnel and operational measures during the meeting and voted to send a cost-of-living resolution to the county clerk for inclusion on the November 2025 ballot.

Key outcomes at a glance (formal votes recorded during the meeting):

- Handbooks: Trustees voted to approve the Sunflower, Cottonwood, virtual (Greenbush/virtual referenced in board materials) and substitute handbooks and related building-level handbooks listed for approval, while holding the Paola High School (PHS) handbook, the middle school (PMS) handbook and the district employee handbook for additional review. Vote: 6–0 in favor of those approved items (motion to approve "Sunflower, Cottonwood, virtual and substitute" handbooks; PHS, PMS and employee handbook were held). (See meeting discussion for details.)

- Exposure control plan: The board approved an updated exposure-control plan that reclassifies custodians from classification 2 to classification 1 for purposes of vaccine and TB-test onboarding procedures; the plan authorizes offering vaccines to current custodial staff and adding the practice to standard onboarding going forward. Vote: 6–0. (Justin, administration presentation.)

- Cost-of-living resolution (ballot referral): The board voted to submit the cost-of-living resolution approved in March 2025 to the county clerk for placement on the November 2025 ballot after a successful protest petition. Vote to submit: 6–0. (Board discussion clarified that failure to send the language would result in no ballot option.)

- 2025–26 negotiated agreement and calendars: Trustees approved the 2025–26 negotiated agreement and the 2025–26 and 2026–27 district calendars. Vote: 6–0.

- Salary and wage increases: The board approved multiple compensation items for 2025–26: - Non-classified directors and administrators: 4.02% salary increase. Vote: 6–0. - Classified employees: increase of $0.56 per hour for 2025–26 (per calendar). Vote: 6–0. - Classified hiring schedule: increase of $0.40 per hour. Vote: 6–0.

How the handbooks vote unfolded: A trustee moved to approve all building handbooks except the high-school and middle-school handbooks and the employee handbook, asking administration to return with clarified harassment/bullying language before the board considers those three again. Trustees and administrators discussed aligning consequences across buildings and making bullying/harassment language less ambiguous so staff and parents can see when incidents require stronger disciplinary steps (for instance, separating physical aggression consequences from warnings used for other violations). Administration agreed to prepare revised wording for the next regular meeting.

Board procedure and executive sessions: The board held two executive sessions during the meeting: one on negotiations and a later session on personnel matters of non-elected staff. The board cited statutory reasons for both executive sessions and returned to public session to take the votes listed above.

Voting record and transparency: Where roll-call names were not read aloud on the record, the meeting recorded counts (six in favor for the listed approvals). The meeting record did not list any votes in opposition or abstentions for the items the board approved during the public session.

Ending: Trustees directed administrators to return with revised handbook language addressing bullying and harassment and signposting for counseling supports; that work will be considered at the June meeting, per board comments.