Meeting Overview
The Spring Hill Schools Board of Education met Sept. 14 for its regular monthly meeting, following public hearings on the district's revenue-neutral rate and fiscal year 2027 budget.
During the meeting, the board recognized staff and student accomplishments, received an update on Building Opportunity Bond 2025 projects, reviewed Advanced Placement and dual-credit opportunities at Spring Hill High School, heard an annual report from Insight School of Kansas and discussed proposed changes to board member district boundaries.
The board also approved the fiscal year 2027 budget and took the first formal step in the search for the district's next superintendent by approving a request for proposals for a superintendent search consultant. Following an executive session later in the meeting, the board added an action item and authorized two board members to finalize a superintendent contract and leadership transition agreement for execution by Board President April Horne and Superintendent Dr. Link Luttrell.
Revenue-Neutral-Rate and Budget Hearings
The board opened its revenue-neutral-rate hearing at 5:15 p.m. No public comments were made during the hearing. Following the hearing, the board approved Revenue-Neutral-Rate Resolution 27.05.
The district's fiscal year 2027 budget hearing opened at 5:30 p.m. and remained open until 5:55 p.m. The board provided several opportunities for public comment during the hearing, but no comments were made. The regular board meeting began at 6 p.m.
Public Comments
No public participation cards were submitted for the regular meeting.
Consent Agenda
The board unanimously approved the consent agenda, which included:
Meeting minutes.
Personnel report.
Clerk's report and final 2025-26 clerk's report.
Treasurer's report, payroll and claims.
Renewal of the memorandum of understanding with Sunflower House.
Renewal of the LessonPix license.
Good News, Recognitions and Announcements
Rocky Munoz Recognized for Substitute Recruitment
District Substitute Coordinator Rocky Munoz received a Core Value Award recognizing his work in the areas of World-Class Staff, Supportive Environment and Engaged Community.
Since June, Munoz has helped recruit 43 substitute teachers and paraprofessionals. Recruitment efforts have expanded beyond traditional job postings to include community events, Spring Hill High School athletic events, First Fridays, local businesses and other opportunities to connect directly with potential substitutes.
District staff reported that the substitute fill rate has remained above 90% at the beginning of the school year, compared with fill rates generally between 70% and 80% last year.
Spring Hill Middle School Builders Club
The board also recognized the Spring Hill Middle School Builders Club and sponsor Alec Hitchens for the student-led organization's work during its inaugural year.
Builders Club began in January 2026 with 28 students and focuses on giving students responsibility for identifying community needs, planning projects and leading service efforts.
For its first major project, students partnered with Always & Forever animal sanctuary. The effort included a schoolwide collection drive and a community project during Daffodil Days. More than 600 community members participated, helping students create more than 700 dog toys and 620 dog treat bags. Students later delivered the donations and volunteered at the facility.
Interest in the club has continued to grow. Hitchens reported that 85 students attended an informational meeting Sept. 9 as the club prepared for its second year.
Consent Agenda
The board approved the consent agenda as presented. Items included:
Meeting minutes and personnel recommendations.
Carl D. Perkins Secondary Program Improvement Grant funding.
An internship agreement between Spring Hill Schools and Fort Hays State University.
Renewal of the AEPSi license.
Renewal of Read Naturally Live for grades K-5.
August pay applications associated with the elementary additions, HVAC improvements and Spring Hill High School Career and Technical Education and commons projects.
Additional district license renewals.
2026-27 Site Council appointments.
A Spring Hill High School orchestra travel request.
Athletic trainer internship agreements.
Building Opportunity Bond 2025 Update
Executive Director of Operations Marc Williams provided the board with an update on projects included in Building Opportunity Bond 2025, including construction progress, project contingencies and projected savings.
At Spring Hill Elementary School, students now have access to approximately 9,000 square feet of expanded asphalt. New sod adjacent to the area will remain protected until approximately mid-October. The sidewalk configuration was also adjusted to improve access to the expanded area.
HVAC work at Spring Hill Middle School, Spring Hill Elementary School and the Early Childhood Center has been completed. Williams reported approximately $193,000 remained in HVAC contingency funding at the time of the meeting.
Work also continues at Spring Hill High School on the Career and Technical Education addition and commons expansion. The building pad for the CTE addition had been prepared and crews were preparing to pour footings. Demolition of the existing commons area had been completed, the expansion pad prepared and stormwater lines installed. The CTE and commons portion of the project had slightly more than $1 million remaining in contingency at the time of the report.
Williams also reported a roofing issue at the Prairie Creek Elementary School addition. A flat portion of the roof near an HVAC unit was holding water because a planned slope was omitted during development of the construction documents. Williams told the board the design firm acknowledged the oversight and that the cost to correct the issue would be covered by the firm rather than charged against the district's project contingency.
Financially, the elementary addition projects were approved at slightly more than $12 million and were projected to finish approximately $430,000 below the approved amount. HVAC projects were approved at approximately $10.226 million and were projected at approximately $1.3 million below the approved amount. Final savings for roof replacement projects and the high school CTE and commons work were not yet known because those projects remain in progress.
Spring Hill High School Advanced Learning Opportunities
The board received an update on opportunities for Spring Hill High School students to earn college credit through Advanced Placement and Johnson County Community College College Now courses.
During 2026, 203 Spring Hill High School students completed 263 AP exams across 11 AP course offerings. Students achieved an 84% pass rate. AP exams cost $99 each, providing students who earn qualifying scores an opportunity to receive college credit depending on the institution they attend.
Students also earned 645 Johnson County Community College credit hours through College Now courses. Of those, 129 were Excel in CTE credits offered at no cost to students. Those opportunities include courses such as medical terminology and Certified Nurse Aide coursework. Teaching as a Career was also added as an option.
Spring Hill High School currently offers seven College Now courses taught by six teachers who meet JCCC requirements to serve as College Now instructors.
Insight School of Kansas Annual Update
The board received an annual update on Insight School of Kansas, the district's virtual school program.
State assessment results showed slight shifts in student performance, with the percentage of students scoring at Level 1 increasing while Levels 2, 3 and 4 declined slightly in English language arts and science. Staff reported using the results to review and adjust instructional maps, including providing additional instructional time in areas where assessment results identified student needs.
Participation in the ACT has continued to increase, and the composite score among Insight students who tested increased in 2026.
The school's official 2025 graduation rate was 78.7%, an increase of approximately 7.9 percentage points from the previous year, according to the presentation. The official preliminary 2026 graduation rate had not yet been released at the time of the meeting. School staff said their internal calculations indicated a rate of approximately 80%, but emphasized that the figure was preliminary and subject to the state's review process.
Board Member District Boundaries
The board reviewed proposed changes to its board member representation districts in response to population growth throughout USD 230.
District staff presented Scenario 1A, which redraws the three board member districts while allowing all current board members to remain residents of the areas they currently represent. The proposal included population calculations, legal descriptions and a map showing the proposed boundaries.
District staff told the board that Kansas law requires the population of each board member district to remain within 5% of the mean population of the district's member districts.
The proposed changes affect the residency areas associated with board positions, not who votes in board elections. Board President April Horne clarified during the discussion that voters throughout USD 230 continue to vote in board races, while candidates for district-specific positions must reside within the appropriate board member district.
No action was taken Sept. 14. District staff said the proposed boundaries could return to the board for action at an October meeting. If approved, the district would provide the updated boundaries to Johnson and Miami counties in preparation for future board elections.
Action Items
Local Option Budget Resolution
The board approved Resolution 27.06, establishing the district's Local Option Budget percentage at 33% for the 2026-27 school year.
The Local Option Budget, or LOB, is also known as the supplemental general fund. It allows Kansas school districts to supplement their general funds to help cover day-to-day educational and operational expenses. The amount a district may budget through the LOB is calculated as a percentage of its general fund budget. The Kansas State Department of Education identifies the LOB as part of Kansas' school finance structure.
The 33% authorization does not represent an increase in the district's LOB percentage. KSDE records show Spring Hill Schools also had a 33% authorized LOB percentage for 2025-26.
Although the percentage remains unchanged, that does not necessarily mean the LOB will generate the same number of dollars or require the same amount of local property tax revenue as the previous year. The underlying budget calculation, state aid and assessed valuation can change from year to year.
Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
Following the budget hearing held before the regular meeting, the board approved the district's fiscal year 2027 budget.
Superintendent Search Consultant RFP
The board approved a request for proposals to select a consultant to assist with the search for the next superintendent of Spring Hill Schools.
The RFP establishes a proposed search schedule beginning immediately. The district planned to issue the RFP Sept. 15, with questions due Sept. 25 and proposals due Oct. 5. Initial proposal evaluations are anticipated Oct. 9, followed by potential finalist interviews Oct. 23 and an anticipated contract award Oct. 26. The selected firm is expected to begin the superintendent search Nov. 1, with selection and an offer to a superintendent candidate anticipated in January 2027. The anticipated start date for the next superintendent is July 1, 2027.
The RFP calls for the selected consultant to help the board develop a superintendent leadership profile and, as directed by the board, engage stakeholders including administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, community members and business and civic leaders.
The district is asking the consultant to conduct national, regional and statewide recruitment and to proactively contact candidates who might not otherwise apply. The RFP specifically calls for consideration of both traditional and nontraditional candidates and asks the consultant to help the board distinguish professional experience from leadership capacity.
Search firms will initially be evaluated on a 100-point scale. Capability and experience, proposed approach and methodology, and fixed project fee are each worth 25 points. The remaining points address insurance requirements, the sample contract, travel and other fees, exceptions to the RFP and overall proposal quality. The district may select a firm following that review or conduct finalist interviews under a separate evaluation process.
Proposing firms must also provide at least seven references from comparable searches conducted within the previous two years.
The RFP establishes the Board of Education as the final decision-making authority for selection of the superintendent and negotiation and approval of the superintendent's employment contract. Questions and proposals related to the search-firm RFP are being routed through district legal counsel Greg Goheen of MVP Law, and firms are instructed not to contact individual board members outside the established RFP process.
The RFP also states that materials submitted by firms may be subject to disclosure under the Kansas Open Records Act.
Superintendent's Report
Superintendent Dr. Link Luttrell reported that the district had completed its first 20 days of the 2026-27 school year and was preparing for the state's official enrollment count.
Preliminary enrollment was still being monitored. Luttrell said the district was not seeing the same percentage increases experienced during some previous years but was still anticipating some growth. Early childhood enrollment for 3- and 4-year-old students appeared to be exceeding projections.
Final enrollment figures were expected to become clearer following the official count period.
Executive Sessions and Leadership Transition
The board held two executive sessions during the meeting.
The first occurred following public participation and was for matters deemed privileged under the attorney-client relationship. Board members, legal counsel and others as requested were included in the session.
Later in the meeting, the board entered executive session at 7:35 p.m. to discuss personnel matters of nonelected personnel to protect the privacy interests of identifiable individuals. The open meeting resumed at 7:55 p.m.
After returning to open session, the board amended the agenda to add Action Item 19.1. The board then authorized board members Ted Beauchamp and Jon Chitwood to finalize a superintendent contract and leadership transition agreement for execution by Board President April Horne and Dr. Link Luttrell.
No additional details about the terms of the superintendent contract or leadership transition agreement were stated during the open portion of the meeting.