Valley Center USD 262 approves 2025-26 calendar, posts two board vacancies and OKs administrator contract extensions

Valley Center — The Board of Education of Unified School District 262 on Jan. 14 approved the district's 2025-26 calendar, voted to publish notices for two board vacancies under Kansas statutes, named representatives to the district's negotiations team and approved extensions of administrative contracts. The board also heard a mid-year fiscal report, an enrollment update, an insurance renewal briefing and a preview of new logo designs.

The board unanimously approved the school calendar identified in the packet as "option 3" for the 2025-26 school year. That calendar keeps the week of Thanksgiving as a full week off after a staff survey showed broad support, adds a professional development day and moves the district's traditional end-of-year celebration to the final week of school.

Why it matters: the calendar sets staff professional development time and student contact days for the next school year and includes a one-year adjustment to replace a second-semester flex professional-development day with a district work day tied to moving and construction activities next summer.

Among other formal actions, the board accepted the immediate resignations of two members and approved resolutions directing the district clerk to publish board-vacancy notices in the Arc Valley News, as required by statute. The board also named two negotiators and approved one set of administrative contract extensions after an executive session.

The meeting featured several informational briefings. Superintendent Mr. Lear presented an enrollment update showing small declines at several elementary schools and growth at the district's Learning Center; the district noted transfers and post-holiday entries could raise the numbers…