Board of Education

All USD 373 Board of Education meetings are held at McKinley Administrative Center, 308 East First St. and begin at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated.
Board Members
Melissa Schreiber, President
Ian Long, Vice President
(currently vacant seat)
Dayna Steinmetz
- Contact a BOE Member
- Board Notes
- District Goals
- School Board Elections
- Board Policies
- Out of District Enrollment
- BOE Meeting Dates upcoming
Contact a BOE Member
Board Notes
District Goals
USD 373 Board of Education goals:
Goal Area 1: Focus on core instruction
Big Idea/Main Concept/Objective:
- To include hard and soft skills
- Reading and mathematics are foundational skills necessary for all students to succeed.
- Focus on important soft skills that are age appropriate throughout the district.
Strategy #1: All core instructional areas will be aligned to state standards.
Strategy #2: All core instructional areas will have common assessments created at the grade level and/or content area that validate the rigor of the curriculum at the system level.
Strategy #3: Grade levels and content areas that have the interim assessments available to them will administer those assessments during the three open windows
Strategy #4: Focus on instructional strategies that matter
KESA (accreditation) Goals:
- USD 373 will reduce the percentage of students performing in level 1 on the state assessment in ELA by 5% per year over the current KESA cycle (spring of 2023 through spring of 2026 as there is no fifth cycle available prior to an accreditation visit). The 2022 ELA level 1 in ELA was 41.06%.
- USD 373 will reduce the percentage of students performing in level 1 on the state assessment in mathematics by 5% per year over the current KESA cycle (spring of 2023 through spring of 2026 as there is no fifth cycle available prior to an accreditation visit). The 2022 mathematics level 1% was 43.08%
Goal Area 2: Improve and/or sustain Culture
Big Ideas/Main Concepts/Objectives:
- Invite the community to support kids on the field, at performances.
- How do we give people permission to be proud? Has to be organic, not toxic positivity.
- Consistencies with processes in behavior, leadership,
- What things are we doing to encourage the negative rather than put spin on the positive? Proactive vs. reactive.
- Recognize students/staff at BOE, or at the schools
- Bring everything back to your goals.
Goal Area 3: Form Partnerships/Connections with stakeholders
Big Idea/Main Concept/Objective:
- Sharing our good intern/partner experiences to bring more people to table. Expand if/when possible
- Bring our community INTO the lower grades, establishing connections early.
- Get people into our buildings. Showcase volunteering early on. Introducing our kids.
Strategy #1: Develop a specific and intentional plan for communication for all stakeholders
Strategy #2: Engage the school parent and community patron population in a more regular and meaningful manner
School Board Elections
USD 373 Board of Education members are chosen during November elections in odd-numbered years and candidates need to file with the Harvey County Clerk's office by noon on June 1 of those years. BOE members must be registered voters in the Newton school district and cannot be an employee of the board. Each four-year term of office begins the second Monday in January following the election.
More Information
School Board Elections (KS Association of School Boards)
Candidate Information (Harvey County Elections)
General Harvey County Election Information
For questions about the election process contact the Harvey County Clerk's Office.
For general questions about the USD 373 Board of Education, contact Joni Jantz:
316-284-6206 |joni.jantz@usd373.org
Board Policies
Out of District Enrollment
USD 373 Enrollment Projection & Nonresident Enrollment Report
Per K.S.A 72-3123, 72-3124, and 72-3126, before May 1st of each year, the superintendent of schools or designee will develop and submit a recommendation to the board of education declaring the projected enrollment and number of open seats available to nonresident students. By June 1 of each year, the district will publish on its website, at a minimum, the number of students expected to attend the district in the next school year and the number of open seats available to nonresident students. Included in this report are recommended actions the board of education is asked to take to fulfill such statutory requirement.
OPEN SPOTS FOR OUT-OF-DISTRICT ENROLLMENT PER GRADE AND SCHOOL
Potential open spots based upon District Enrollment per grade and projected enrollment based upon current statistics. Please keep in mind that due to the fact we have a district direct process there may not be space in the building requested through the lottery process but there could be space in the district if the lottery selection does not result in your student being assigned to the building of choice.
|
School |
Total Slots |
KG |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
Slate Creek |
9 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
||||||||
|
Sunset |
19 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
5 |
||||||||
|
Northridge |
31 |
10 |
10 |
7 |
5 |
0 |
||||||||
|
South Breeze |
59 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
12 |
24 |
||||||||
|
Sante Fe |
25 |
1 5 |
10 |
|||||||||||
|
Chisholm |
58 |
24 |
34 |
|||||||||||
|
Newton High |
68 |
3 |
26 |
14 |
25 |
|||||||||
|
Opportunity Academy |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
BOE Meeting Dates upcoming
Monday, August 25, 2025
Monday, September 8, 2025
Monday, September 22, 2025
Monday, September 29, 2025 (Work session)
Monday, October 13, 2025
Monday, October 27, 2025
Monday, November 10, 2025
Monday, December 8, 2025
Monday, January 12, 2026
Monday, January 26, 2026
Monday, February 9, 2026
Monday, February 23, 2026
Monday, March 9, 2026
Monday, March 23, 2026
Monday, April 13, 2026
Monday, April 27, 2026
Monday, May 11, 2026
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 (Work session)
Monday, June 8, 2026
Monday, June 22, 2026
Monday, July 13, 2026 (Organizational Meeting)
The BOE meets monthly on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at McKinley Administrative Center, 308 E. 1st Street, Newton, KS 67114 unless otherwise stated.
Joni Jantz
Clerk of the Board
Administrative Assistant
Jane Nichols
Deputy Clerk of Board
Director of Business Services & HR
McKinley Administrative Center
308 East 1st St. |Newton, KS 67114
Phone: 316.284.6206
Fax: 316.284.6207

