Derby Board approves Chromebook purchase, emergency plan and multiple curriculum and facility items

Derby Public Schools Board of Education approved a package of purchases, curriculum adoptions and facility items at its April 14 meeting, and discussed district accreditation and enrollment policies.

The board voted unanimously on multiple items, most by 6-0 tallies, including a $697,950 purchase of 2,150 Chromebooks to refresh student devices; formal approval of a district cardiac emergency response plan; adoption of two high-school math courses (Pre-Algebra and Thinking Mathematically) and approval of STEM course eligibility for the Class of 2028 and beyond; authorization to request bids for district paving work; approval to provide buses for a regional safe-driving competition; and adoption of the district infrastructure capital outlay plan for 2025–26. Several routine items were approved earlier in the meeting, including adoption of the agenda, approval of minutes from March meetings and a consent agenda of donations, out-of-state travel requests and personnel reports.

Why it matters: The Chromebook purchase and capital projects affect classroom technology access and building maintenance for the coming school year; the cardiac plan formalizes emergency procedures; curriculum approvals change course options and graduation credit pathways.

Key approvals and outcomes (votes at a glance) - Adoption of meeting agenda — Outcome: approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. - Approval of minutes (March 24 regular meeting; March 26 special meeting; March 30 workshop) — Each approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. - Consent agenda (donations; travel requests for Derby High School, Derby Middle School and Derby North Middle School; IDEA assurances; certified and classified personnel reports; claims) — Approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. - Cardiac emergency response plan — Approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. (Action authorizes district implementation of the plan presented by the director of special services.) - Class of 2028 and beyond: STEM course eligibility and related graduation requirement language — Approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. - DHS Pre-Algebra and Thinking Mathematically curriculum adoption (7-year cycle) — Approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. (Board packet shows a combined 7‑year adoption cost of $149,178.) - Student device refresh purchase: 2,150 Chromebooks — Approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. Total requested purchase: $697,950 (noted in the meeting as approximately 2.5% over district budget). - Bus use for Kansas State Pupil Transportation Association regional safe-driving event (request: three conventional, three mini and three transit buses) — Approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. - Paving projects: request for bid (north staff parking and ring road at the high school, seal coating, and a mill-and-overlay at Tanglewood south parking lot) — Request to go to bid approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. - Infrastructure 2025–26 capital outlay plan (infrastructure projects authorized to proceed) — Approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no. - Motion to enter executive session for attorney–client consultation (50 minutes) — Approved, vote: 6 yes, 0 no; executive session included board members, district counsel and specified administrators.

Discussion items that will return for action or monitoring - KISA 2 accreditation action plan (district selected “quality instruction” as its focus and will submit a one-year action plan to the state for approval). District leaders described a timeline that places compliance review and plan submission in year 1, implementation reporting in year 2 and student-outcome review in year 3. - Foreign (world) language instructional-materials adoption: district committee piloted two programs (Wayside Publishers and CLET) and recommended CLET for middle- and high-school Spanish and high-school German. The committee presented a seven-year cost estimate of about $149,580 for the recommended resources; the item was discussed and will return for action. - Facility projects presented for discussion: Tanglewood Elementary restroom remodel (guaranteed maximum price presented: $391,104 plus $35,000 contingency; total request for approval later: $426,104) and Derby Hills building stabilization (engineering remediation price presented: $496,872 with a requested additional contingency of $103,128, for a total project budget of $600,000). Derby Hills was described as structurally safe but settled; the board discussed communications to families explaining the work and appearance of the building after stabilization. - Summer PTO usage for employees doing summer operations work (food service, grounds, custodial, transportation): staff proposed allowing employees who accrued PTO during the school year to use that PTO while working summer positions, with supervisor approval; the item will return for action on April 28. - Nonresident enrollment and open seats for 2025–26: administration presented projected enrollments and recommended open-seat counts (the district said posted open seats are roughly half of the prior year); applications open Jan. 1–June 30 and a confidential lottery will be run July 1–15 if applications exceed seats.

What the approvals mean in practice - Technology: the Chromebooks purchase aims to refresh student devices districtwide; the administration said vendor pricing was guaranteed only for a short period and the purchase was approved to lock in pricing. - Buildings: the Derby Hills stabilization project is intended to stop further settling; the Tanglewood restroom work is intended to complete two remaining restroom remodels with a $45,000 savings anticipated if both are done simultaneously. - Curriculum and graduation: the math course adoptions and the STEM-course eligibility approval for the Class of 2028 adjust the district’s course catalogue and graduation-credit pathways; administrators said they will add clearer parent-facing checklists to reduce confusion over credit requirements.

Board process notes - Nearly all formal votes recorded at the meeting were unanimous (6–0); the transcript records multiple brief motions and seconds by board members, with several discussion items returned for action at the board’s April 28 meeting.

Sources and provenance: meeting transcript, Derby Public Schools Board of Education meeting, April 14, 2025 (see provenance segments).