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Welcome to the Charter and Virtual Education Advisory Council Webpage! The Advisory Council meets three times a year to discuss charter and virtual education in the state of Kansas. The meetings are open to the public.
Meetings are held at KSDE in room 117 from 1:30-3:30 pm.
Administrator – High School Representative
Ben Boothe USD 231 Gardner Edgerton
Administrator – Elementary School Representative
Gary Lewis USD 266 Maize
Administrator – Middle School Representative
Brooke Blanck USD 383 Manhattan
Certified Staff – Elementary School Representative
Delon Martens USD 312 Haven
Certified Staff – Middle School Representative
Melinda Byers USD 509 South Haven
Certified Staff – High School Representative
Sean Reilly St. Thomas Aquinas
Charter School Representative
Jason Chalashtari USD 373 Newton
Charter-Virtual School Representative
Keith Wilson USD 497 Lawrence
Community/Business Representative
Cindy Higgins University of Kansas
Early Childhood Representative
Clarissa Ross
Higher Education Representative
Steve Ternes Emporia State University
LEA Board of Education Representative
Curt Herman USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden
Parent Representative
Julie Wilson
Service Center Representative
Bill Losey Southwest Plains Regional Service Center
Special Education Representative
Tom Lawson USD 230 Spring Hill
Superintendent Representative
Vacant - If interested please email bjohnson@ksde.org
Technology Representative
Bob D'Andrea Diocese of Salina
Traditional Representative
Christy Ziegler USD 512 Shawnee Mission
Virtual Program Representative
Jody Siebenmorgen USD 258 Humboldt
Virtual School Representative
Leigh Miller USD 259 Wichita
Youth Representative
Killashandra Scheuring
Kansas State Board of Education Representative
Steve Roberts District 2
KSDE Charter and Virtual Education Consultant
Branden Johnson KSDE
Graduation/School Redesign Education Program Consultant Mike Pounds (785) 296-3444 mpounds@ksde.org
Deputy Commissioner Division of Learning Services Brad Neuenswander (785) 296-2303 bneuenswander@ksde.org
Director Career, Standards and Assessment Scott Smith (785) 296-3142 sesmith@ksde.org
Assistant Director Career and Technical Education Stacy Smith (785) 296-0979 slsmith@ksde.org
Assistant Director Curricular Standards/Graduation David Fernkopf (785) 296-8447 dfernkopf@ksde.org Assistant Director Assessment Beth Fultz (785) 296-2325 bfultz@ksde.org
The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations regarding accessibility please contact the Office of General Counsel by email or at 785-296-3204.