Amy Whitaker for USD 480 School Board

08/17/2021

Do you remember this time a year ago? When everybody was talking about the election? How much do you hear about this year’s election? Do you even know who is going to be on your ballot?

Presidential elections get a lot of attention, and every vote does count. But if we are talking about what that affects you and your family in your day-to-day lives, local elections take the cake.

I contacted the Seward County Elections office and USD 480 to get some numbers. What I learned is not surprising, but it’s concerning nonetheless.

In 2020, Seward County had 10,709 registered voters. Of those registered voters, 5,333 showed up at the polls last November. That’s 49.8% of registered voters in our county who actually voted in the November 2020 election.

Let’s back up another year. In 2019, Seward County had 10,131 registered voters; 1,801 votes were cast - a dismal 17.78% of all individuals who were registered to vote.

Our local elections allow us to choose our mayor, our county commissioners, our city council members, the SCCC board of trustees, and the USD 480 school board. This is where the decisions we deal with every day are made - from road repairs to bonds to emergency services funding to new chrome books versus new sports equipment are made. Through our local elections, we can have a lot of say regarding where our tax dollars go.

USD 480 had a 2020-2021 school year enrollment of 4673 students. That means nearly half of the population of Liberal attends our public K-12 schools. We have a huge responsibility to be sure that we are giving our children the best we have to offer them.

Make sure that this November you exercise your dearly-earned right to cast (an educated) ballot. You can view the candidates’ profiles on the Seward County Elections website.

The two individuals elected with the highest number of votes will receive a four-year term and the individual elected receiving the third highest number of votes will receive the two year term.

08/10/2021

One of my favorite parts of school board meetings is getting updates from the various schools in our district. Last night we heard reports from each of our 5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and high school regarding summer school and other summer activities, including descriptions and data. I can’t begin to express my gratitude for the devotion of so many teachers and administrators in keeping our children engaged throughout the summer.

Of course, one of the highlights of the meeting was a report from our superintendent, Dr. Carter, reaffirming that there are, as yet, no mask mandates from the governor or the Kansas Department of Education. Hurrah! Many summer school teachers had pointed out the joy of seeing students’ smiling faces, and we are all thrilled that we can look forward to seeing each others’ smiles when we return to school in two weeks. Let’s pray that this continues!

I also had a wonderful opportunity to take part in a special meeting that was part of the Kansas Association of School Board’s (KASB) tour. We were able to learn a lot about community and employer input from a few years ago that led to the redesign our district, among many others across the state, has been implementing. This information gave me a greater understanding of the purpose behind our redesign efforts. I was able to have a meaningful conversation with our superintendent, Dr. Carter, both at the meeting and afterward via email, discussing ways we can engage our student families and our community as a whole, in both providing and soliciting values, goals, concerns, and solutions, so that we can move forward with a united and effective front to provide our children with both education and preparation for productive futures.

07/27/2021

One of the first things people ask a candidate:
Why are you running?

Our family has lived in a lot of places. Our children have attended 11 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 2 high schools in 6 states all around the country. Each time we’ve moved, the first thing we’ve considered as we look for a home is the school/school district reviews, performance, etc. As parents of school-aged children, it’s the most important thing to us.

When we moved to Liberal 6 years ago, we compared USD 480 to the surrounding districts to decide what the best fit would be for our children. USD 480 was our top choice. I know that when it comes to attracting people to relocate to a community or to stay in a community, the local school district plays a crucial role. I want to do what I can to continue to make USD 480 the place parents will choose for their children’s education.

In our multiple cross-country moves, our family has taken advantage of the many wonderful resources our communities of choice have offered us. I’ve been a “taker”; now it’s time for me to be a “giver”. With our roots now established here in Liberal, I feel that it’s time for me to pay this forward and contribute what I can to help make my community a place other people will want to both become a part of and stay in.

As a mother of current USD 480 elementary, middle, and high school students, I feel I have an important perspective to offer our school board. My parental involvement with each of their schools here in Liberal, as well as my experience with schools across the country, gives me a unique viewpoint and ability to contribute to our district and help make it the place parents want their children to receive their education.

06/09/2021

Last night’s School Board meeting started with input and questions from a few community members, followed by a presentation on the middle school AVID program. Then the Board was presented with a few bids for the district insurance policy that is up for renewal in a few weeks. This proved to be a very difficult decision for the Board: to remain with the current insurer or to move to an entirely new plan (endorsed by the Kansas Association of School Boards). Our School Board was torn between staying with and supporting a local business or saving a large sum of money, which would go far in answering budget questions for next year. USD 480’s School Board champions local businesses and tries to patronize them whenever feasible; it is also accountable for responsible budgeting and best use of our community’s tax dollars. The Board members were visibly torn when faced with the decision at hand; ultimately, in light of the Board’s fiscal obligations, a motion to change insurance companies was passed.

06/03/2021

I had the opportunity to attend a Site Council Meeting today at LHS, as a member of the Parent Focus Group. It was exciting to see some of the data on specific gains our high school students have made in the areas of Internships/Work Study, Civic Engagement, Graduation with Industry-Recognized Certificate or Acceptance Letter, and Co-Graduation from LHS and SCCC. Our 2021 graduates surpassed their 2020 predecessors in each of these areas!

We also discussed the details of the high school's plan for the upcoming school year, including overarching concerns, short- and long-term objectives, and plans for implementation. Then each attendee had the chance to ask questions, give suggestions, and express concerns.

As a parent and community member, I was grateful for the open communication and the opportunity to give my input. As a School Board Candidate, I appreciated the view today's meeting gave me of what kinds of challenges our students, teachers, and administrators face, as well as what kinds of things are happening in our district to ensure that every one of Liberal's teens is prepared for post-secondary education success.

05/18/2021

05/18/2021

Congratulations to everyone who graduated from LHS Sunday! And a big thank you to the teachers and administrators who helped graduation become a reality for our students, especially with the craziness of the past 15 months. I wish all of our graduates the best in their future ventures, whatever their paths may be. This leads me to today’s discussion - because every person is different, and while there is no one-path-fits-all, there is a way to help each of our students find success in their chosen path.

Did You Know?

College is not for everyone. And that’s perfectly okay.

Did you also know that, according to data gathered from a 10-year longitudinal study of 15,000 high school sophomores, non-college attending high school graduates who are “highly credentialed” in their high school education are on par with their 4-year college degree earning peers at age 26, in terms of job security, wages, and benefits, as well as civic involvement? Every student can achieve success after high school if we prepare them!

There are specific things USD 480 can do, even starting in middle school, to ensure that every graduate leaves LHS highly credentialed. That way, each graduate is college- or career-ready, whichever path best meets their needs, interests, and personality. Our school board can establish goals for our administrators and educators to meet, to make sure every LHS graduate is highly credentialed.

05/11/2021

Did You Know?

School Board meetings are open to the public.

I attended last night’s meeting. It started with teachers-of-the-year recognition, and then the high school had a round-robin of various teachers and department heads sharing some of the great things the school (and students!) have accomplished in this difficult year. After that, we got into the business part of the meeting: how many staffing positions need to be filled in USD 480 by fall; COVID update; district testing software renewal (MAP) and discussion of how to eliminate overlapping testing software; proposal of new software that will assist the schools in our district with records, accountability, and both short-term and longitudinal analysis, as well as communication back to students and family; proposed new software for food services to plan better and reduce waste; and a myriad of maintenance items that need approval for those expenditures.

It’s enlightening to see just how much goes into running a school district. The school board has to be sure budget is being met, while providing the best learning opportunities to the students and keeping facilities in good repair. We need a school board that does its research and can ask the tough questions to be sure our families’ tax dollars are being used in the best way possible.

05/07/2021

I think it’s helpful to know there’s a human behind the yard sign, so I’m going to start this page off with Seven Things About Amy.

1) I grew up the youngest of 6 children.
2) Robert and I will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary the week after elections. (Hopefully it will be a double celebration??)
3) We have 5 children: LHS grad 2018, LHS grad 2019, LHS sophomore, EMS 6th grade, and MacES 3rd grade. I’ve been blessed to have been able to be a stay-at-home mom for 21 years.
4) I am a lifelong member of my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and am an active volunteer in it.
5) My hobbies include: home improvements with Robert, reading, quilting, cycling with Robert, walking/jogging with my dog, scrapbooking, family road trips, writing, and learning just about anything (currently taking classes at SCCC and learning Spanish with daily Rosetta Stone lessons)
6) I was born in Oregon, grew up in Texas, and over the past 15 years also lived in Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, and Nevada before settling in Kansas in 2015.
7) Fun trivia: What’s my dream job? Well, it’s the one I have now (mother & homemaker) - but if I had to work outside of the home? If I had never had the opportunity to be a mother, I think I would have been an orthodontist. As a mother, it would be District Traveling Story Time Lady (I just made that up) - I’d love to visit classrooms across the school district and read books to the children all day!

I hope that now I’m more than a name on a ballot. I’ll be back soon to talk more about the school board and the election!

05/05/2021

Welcome to my Candidate Information Page. I am running for a seat on the USD 480 (Liberal, Kansas) School Board. I will be updating this page regularly throughout my candidacy, to let you know a little more about who I am, why I am running, what school board members actually do, and issues that I think are important to our school district. Please come back and visit often, and PLEASE remember to vote this fall! Local elections affect YOU!