Correction — According to a previous version of this story it stated that an offer has been made to hire a new Wellington High School football coach. That is not the case. Activities Director Brian Buchanan said a candidate could be hired soon, but no offer has been or was made.

On Monday, the Wellington School Board officially accepted the resignation of Tyler Ryan, the four-year head football coach, who announced his resignation in late April. The board also accepted the resignation of T.D. Buck as an assistant football coach so he can become an offensive line coach in Winfield.

A committee has been interviewing several candidates for the open position this week. Buchanan said the school district had about 40 applications, and it was weeded down to a handful for interviews which were conducted Tuesday at the school district.

Wellington board member Pat Zeka was one of the members on the committee during the early going and said she helped with reviewing the resumes. That sparked a discussion at Monday’s meeting whether a board member should serve on committees to hire teachers or coaches.

Wellington board President Jackie Berryman said this is a precedence as board members have been involved in administrative hirings but never for teachers or coaches which is left to the administrators.

Zeka said she wanted to help out and trusted her administrator to steer her in the right direction.

It was the board’s consensus that a board member should only serve on such committees only if he/she gets board approval first.

————

In other school board business:

•Susan’s Photography was named the official photographer and will take school pictures for the 2016-17 academic year.

•The USD 353 school district has refunded the general obligation bonds for the safety/security construction project after receiving an “A” rating by Standards and Poor. The refunding will save taxpayers $1.7 million with better interest rates.

“It should be noted this is a much better than the State of Kansas has under Governor Brownback and his extremist led legislature,” wrote Rick Weiss, Wellington Superintendent in the agenda packet. “Evidently, they have more faith in USD 353 than the state.”

•The following employment changes were approved at USD 353.

Resignations include:

– Dr. Raj Sharma – USD 353 Special Education Director;

– Buck – assistant WHS coach;

– Stephanie Ryan – fifth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary;

– Jayme Lowe: WHS assistant cheerleading sponsor;

– Ryan – head football coach/ P.E. teacher;

– Marcia Dickinson – USD 353 Food Service Employee.

Hirings include:

– Molly Callaway – WMS Functional Special Education Teacher;

– Ann Biles: Title 1 Supplemental Contract for $2,000 – funded by Title 1;

– Sabrina Torneden: Title 1 Supplemental Contract for $2,000 – funded by Title 1.

– Margarita Barnett: .5 WHS Spanish teacher and .5 District ELL Coordinator;

-Chelsea Urban: WHS Spanish Teacher;

– Karen Herrington: Secretary at Kennedy Elementary School.

•The board heard word that the Kansas All-Star Scholars Fund from the Kansas Star Casino has provided a $35,234.36 grant to fund the Pitzco Education Modular for the sixth through eighth grade classes at WMS.

•Three bids have come in for the resurface of the high school track facility. The board tabled the matter until it could hear from the track coaches on what would be the best surface to use.

Follow us on Twitter.