BY RILEY WILSON
Steve Splichal moved to Eudora five years ago excited to live and work in a town he and his family had on their radar for years.
“It was a district that we watched from afar and when the opportunity came about to apply, then we did," Splichal said.
Splichal was hired as superintendent of schools for the Eudora School District in July 2014 after Don Grosdidier retired. There were exciting things going on regarding mental health in the Eudora School District and lots of community support, he said.
Five years later, Splichal reflects on his time as superintendent and the progression of the school district.
“The five years has really just been about a journey and a journey, I think, to do everything we can to prepare our students to be good people and good citizens,” Splichal said.
Since 2014, Splichal has worked to make Eudora schools a place of growth for students.
Part of this process was expanding electives, he said. Elementary students now have access to art and Spanish electives. A teaching pathway has been added at the high school to prepare future educators, and high school students also have the opportunity to enroll in home construction.
“Ultimately, we want a broad experience for our kids,” Splichal said. “We don’t know what their calling will be in life so it’s important that we offer kids experiences and opportunities in a wide variety of courses.”
Additionally, Splichal said the introduction of the Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities (WRAP) Program at the school district has been a vital part of providing support for students.
The program allows a social worker to be stationed at each Eudora school for behavioral, social or emotional student needs.
“It’s huge. It’s been a real important part of what it is that we’ve been able to do for our kids," Splichal said.
The Eudora Early Childhood Program has undertaken a major revamping since Splichal became superintendent, expanding about three times its original size, said Eudora School Board President Eric Votaw. Early Childhood is a preschool program with an extended care option for a full-day experience.
Part of expanding the program included moving the location to West Resource Center and renovating the hallway to fit the needs of preschoolers. Additionally, the district is looking to expand enrollment opportunities for the program, according to the Eudora USD 2019-2022 Strategic Plan.
“The early childhood program is maybe the biggest example of his footprint on the district,” Votaw said.
Eudora Elementary School Principal Susan Tinich said Splichal is very student-centered when making decisions.
Tinich is in her second year as principal at the elementary school and said Splichal is proactive in finding ways to reach students who need services, like the Early Childhood Program. Additionally, Splichal works to find ways to make certain financial aspects of the program possible to ensure all students who need access can obtain it, she said.
“He’s been willing to say, even though we have the funding for X amount of students, we’re going to go ahead and recognize the need that there’s maybe four or five extra that we can add on,” Tinich said.
Splichal has made efforts to work with students, rather than around them, and works to provide an education that meets each student’s individual needs, she said.
With this comes different academic interests, which Eudora School Board member Bryan Maring said Splichal has done a good job at addressing.
“He does a really good job of looking at expanding opportunities for our students, not just in the traditional classroom,” Maring said.
Maring said he’s been most impressed with Splichal’s ability to look for student opportunities.
Splichal not only focuses on classroom happenings, but also keeps an eye on what the next thing for the school district needs to be, Maring said. He looks forward to what’s next for the district.
“What excites me is, what’s next?” Maring said.
As for the next five years, Splichal said he will prepare for further expansion as Eudora grows in size. There are 1,754 students in the Eudora School District this year. Splichal said enrollment has slightly increased over the past five years.
Additionally, expanding academic and extracurricular activities for students are other areas Splichal said he will focus on in the coming future.
“We don’t get to the end of the chapter, and that’s it,” Splichal said. “There’s always a new one to be written, and I think that that’s part of those resolutions is just, what’s next?”
Reach reporter Riley Wilson at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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