Cost Containment Team Meeting January 6, 2026

Cost Containment Process Moves Forward with Team Consensus on Proposals

Emporia, KS - Emporia Public Schools’ Cost Containment Team met again on Tuesday evening to continue its structured work focused on identifying responsible strategies to reduce operating expenses while maintaining high-quality services for students. This session served as a continuation of the team’s December 9 meeting and built directly on the work completed during earlier sessions.

Participants returned to their assigned rooms and worked in table groups to review the full staffing and supplemental assignment lists. Discussions continued using the district’s established evaluation pillars: Value (financial impact), Feasibility (ease of implementation), and Risk (potential impact to stakeholders). During the first portion of the session, table groups worked toward a general consensus on proposals for further consideration.

Following table discussions, each of the three rooms engaged in a facilitated process to determine a room-level consensus. Proposals were discussed, refined, and prioritized based on alignment with the evaluation criteria and the district’s operational goals.

Room consensus discussions were led by Ms. Sheryl Leeds, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning, and Student Services; Mr. Josh Swartz, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Business/Operations; and Dr. Erica Mickelson, Director of Human Resources. The facilitators guided conversations, provided clarification, and ensured consistency across rooms. The resulting prioritized feedback from each room will be compiled to begin the next phase of the process.

The remaining cost-containment timeline includes: 

• January 20 and February 3: The full Cost Containment Team will reconvene to finalize consensus and develop a recommendation for the Superintendent’s Leadership Team (SLT).
• February 2026: The SLT will review the recommendations and prepare a formal presentation for the Board of Education.

As with previous sessions, the Cost Containment Team’s work is advisory in nature. The team’s role is to analyze realistic, data-informed options and provide district leadership with insight into the potential impacts of each proposal.

Emporia Public Schools will continue to share updates with staff and families as the cost containment process moves forward.