On Friday, April 2, Sarah Foreman submitted her resignation as President of the USD 480 Board of Education to Superintendent Renae Hickert effective immediately. Foreman has served as the board president since January.

“Sarah has tremendous passion for the health, education and well-being of children. Her commitment to children was evident in her service to the district as a board member and as president,” said Hickert.

“Mrs. Foreman was a strong advocate for all students and was particularly passionate about the needs of marginalized students and students with disabilities. We appreciate her leadership on the board,” said Dr. Todd Carter, Deputy Superintendent.

Resolution 04.05.2021, that authorizes the board clerk, Jerry Clay, to notify the public of the vacancy in the Leader & Times, was passed unanimously. Once the resolution is published, the board of education must wait 15 days after the publication date to take any formal action in accordance with K.S.A. 25-2022.

K.S.A. 25-2022 authorizes the Board of Education to fill the vacancy left by any board member who does not complete their term; however they see fit, until the next election cycle.

The board decided to open the vacant board position to interested community members via an application process. Application process and due dates will be announced at a later date.

Alan Brown motioned to name current board vice president, Stewart Cauble, as the new board president, Naomi Vargas as new vice president, and Mike Brack to fill the seat on the IBB/negotiation team, left vacant by Foreman’s departure. Motion passed 6-0.

“We are headed in a great direction as a direction as a district,” said Cauble. “I’ve been president and vice president before so it isn’t an unfamiliar role for me.”

“I hate to see Sarah leave, she is a great board member and did a lot for the community,” said Cauble. “She did some great things while on the board and we’ll continue on track. We have a great board with some great perspectives.”