Leading the Charge

Jared Meitler is the sitting president of the USD 323 School Board and currently holds the at-large position meaning, he represents the whole district. Jared is from a small town in western Kansas, which he described as “a rural area similar to Rock Creek”. He played baseball at Bethany College for 1 year, then transferred to K-State, where he got his degree. During his time at K-State, him and his friends started the club baseball team. Jared has coached both of his son’s baseball teams since they were old enough to play.

The first major involvement Jared had with the school board was when the community meeting for the middle school started. He became very involved with the process, and that encouraged him to become a school board member. Jared was elected to the school board and makes all of his decisions with kids in mind.

“Kids first. What’s in the best interest of the students is always at the front of my mind. At the board table, ultimately our job is to shape the vision and policy, but every vision and policy that we make has an impact on kids’ lives,” Meitler said.

Being on the board is a challenging position. Board spots are volunteer positions that require monthly meetings and 10-15 hours per week of other work. This work includes communicating with constituents, going over meeting agendas, and researching to better understand issues. It is important to have people on the board who enjoy doing this work.

“I do enjoy being on the board. It is something different every week. There’s always something unexpected that pops up that forces you to think a little bit differently than you did before,” Meitler said.

Serving on the board comes with many ups and downs. Part of the challenge is incorporating a wide range of opinions when making decisions.

“At the board table on any given policy related topic there’s seven Board of Education members, so its possible we will have seven different perspectives. A lot of work is trying to understand all of those perspectives, and then really coming back to what is in the best interest of the students,” Meitler said.

Rock Creek is a large school district with a diverse population. What benefits one student might not benefit another.

“A student at one area of the district might have different needs than a student at another area of the district, and our job as board members is really to represent our constituents and make sure that we’re being mindful of the people we represent in our seats,” Meitler said.

Since Jared joined the school board, the district has made several notable achievements. Some of these happen behind the scenes, while others are more public.

“I feel that some of these things are not glamorous, but they’re little things like the track for example. It needed an upgrade for a long long time, and so that certainly is a big one that I’m proud of. I’m glad that so many of our students, whether you’re a track athlete or or you’re in a PE class, you get to take advantage of that,” Meitler said.

The school board is always looking to the future and working on new initiatives. Board members need to be well-informed on these topics and offer suggestions and critiques for new plans.

“We’ve had some HVAC issues in some of our buildings, and we want to make sure that those are addressed so that we create the best learning environment possible for our students and teachers. Another thing is we’ve done a lot of work over the last year getting input from the larger community about facilities and program related needs,” Meitler said.

Since Jared became a school board member, he has encountered many issues and tackled numerous obstacles. He devotes a significant amount of time to enhancing the life and learning environment of students in the district.