Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 board approves Head Start scope change, $328,715 video board donation and several contracts; adopts policy revisions

The Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 Board of Education on Jan. 20 unanimously approved a package of items including a federal Head Start change in scope that converts two Early Head Start slots into preschool classrooms, acceptance of a privately funded video board and associated equipment at Bishop Stadium, three contracts for electric gate openers and multiple policy revisions, including changes to the district's foreign-exchange placement policy.

The board's votes came at the end of a meeting that also included updates on snow-related school operations and other routine business. President Jamie Morris Hardman, presiding, said the motions carried, and the board recorded no opposing votes on the items described below.

Why it matters: The Head Start conversion shifts federal-funded slots to center-based preschool classrooms, increasing classroom capacity; the video board project is privately funded but will be installed on district property and is expected to produce revenue opportunities and expanded instructional possibilities for students; the infrastructure contracts address safety and access at district facilities; the policy revisions implement state-required and KASB-recommended updates with practical effects for admissions and operations.

Head Start change in scope The board granted final approval to a Head Start Early Head Start change-in-scope application that converts two planned Early Head Start (birth–3) home-based slots into two center-based preschool classrooms. District staff said the conversion will increase capacity by 32 preschool slots and that the change is aligned with the district’s waiting list and operational readiness. Policy council members voted unanimously in favor before the board's action.

“As we looked at budget, capacity and the regulations surrounding birth-to-3 care, opening…