BY SYDNEY HOOVER
Food and Nutrition Services Director Sharla Miller will step down from her position at the end of this month after 11 years with the Eudora School District.
Miller recently accepted a position with the Atchison School District beginning in January. She thanked administrators and the School Board for the opportunity to work in the district for more than a decade Thursday evening at a regularly scheduled meeting.
“This has been a hard decision for me to leave,” Miller said. “I’ve grown up in Eudora. This is my home.”
She was recognized with a plaque by Superintendent Steve Splichal for her work throughout the pandemic to ensure students in Eudora had meals while at home. All four districts in Douglas County were recognized for their efforts by the Kansas State Research and Extension Program.
“[We] could not be more proud of Sharla and her team, feeding hundreds of children and thousands of meals,” Splichal said. “There was never a doubt that the food service program would rally in the pandemic to support our kids.”
Miller will be replaced by Robert Wood, who was selected by a hiring committee and approved by the board in its consent agenda Thursday. The Eudora Times requested further information about Wood from the district but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
In other news, the board heard a presentation from Ashley Myers, a transportation planner for the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, on a new plan for safe routes to schools in the district.
Myers said the organization has been working on developing the plan for a year. They want to increase the number of students who are able to walk or bike to school through improved sidewalks and safer crossings over K-10 to get to the middle and high schools by 2025.
She also provided recommendations to educate and encourage students on safely traveling to school by walking or biking. She suggested Walk/Bike to School Days hosted by the district, bike safety training and other recommendations.
“I really appreciate this work is being done,” said board member Becky Plate. “Safe walking and biking routes and other means of transportation is something I’ve certainly been paying attention to for Eudora for a few years now.”
The board will next meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 14.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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