Nonpartisan · USD 489 Board of Education member
Sources for Derek Yarmer
24 public sources used in researching this candidate. Every claim in the profile traces back to one or more of these URLs.
14
primary
10
secondary
Primary Records
14 sources- Open
Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
USD 489 HighBond/Diligent member pageusd489.community.highbond.com
- Derek Yarmer is listed as Dr. and Board Member.
- Yarmer is associated with regular, special, retreat, and work-session board meetings.
- USD 489 HighBond member page: https://usd489.community.highbond.com/portal/members.aspx?id=18
- Official results scan places Derek Yarmer among elected USD 489 board candidates.
- Scan includes typed vote totals and handwritten +1 adjustment notes.
- Ellis County official 2023 city/school election results: https://www.ellisco.net/DocumentCenter/View/5815/OFFICIAL-RESULTS-2023-CITY-SCHOOL-GENERAL-ELECTION
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Pawnee Valley Community Hospital · 2026-05-19
Dr. Yarmer new ED medical director at Pawnee Valley Community Hospitalpawneevalleyhospital.com
- PVCH announced Yarmer as Emergency Department medical director in 2023.
- Profile identifies him as an Albert native, Hays resident, and HaysMed emergency physician.
- Pawnee Valley profile: https://pawneevalleyhospital.com/dr-yarmer-new-ed-medical-director-at-pawnee-valley-community-hospital/
- Hays Post published Yarmer's 2021 applicant letter as submitted.
- Yarmer framed education as a parental responsibility.
- Yarmer cited emergency medicine, pandemic response, and construction experience.
- Yarmer identified as a 39-year-old ER doctor with children in USD 489.
- Yarmer asked for board meetings to be broadcast and agendas to be released earlier.
- Yarmer described the board role as oversight of goals, spending, and what students are taught.
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Hays Post · 2026-05-19
Opinion: Hays USD 489 board member critical of use of bond, capital fundshayspost.com
- Hays Post said Yarmer responded by email and published his statement in full.
- Yarmer criticized capital-outlay spending on items he said should have been bond-covered.
- Yarmer criticized spending priorities including concession stand, scoreboards, tennis courts, and marquee.
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Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Jan. 22, 2024 - Agenda/Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- District-level administrator contract extension passed 5-1-1.
- Derek Yarmer abstained on the administrator contract extension vote.
- Jan. 22, 2024 agenda/minutes page: https://usd489.community.highbond.com/document/4617/File.html?handle=7A80C62703E94B0E80A35ACBCCEDEF73
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Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Mar. 24, 2025 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Yarmer moved to look into hiring a project manager for the remainder of the bond; motion failed 3-4.
- Yarmer voted no on Hays High softball bleachers/press box and Hays Middle School athletic field bleachers.
- Yarmer voted yes on Hays High student devices from Dell.
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Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Sep. 22, 2025 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Yarmer voted no on Hays High PCCO 007 change orders for $88,347.
- Yarmer voted yes on HMS floor tile removal and asbestos-containing mastic abatement for $69,480.
- Yarmer voted yes on the HHS marketing partnership contract.
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Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Oct. 13, 2025 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Yarmer voted no on HMS furniture purchase from Circadia for $181,236.17.
- Yarmer voted no on Lincoln Elementary playground equipment removal for $32,832.
- Yarmer voted yes on district staff desktop replacements.
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Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Feb. 9, 2026 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Yarmer voted no on the Glassman HVAC preventive maintenance update.
- Yarmer moved to table the HVAC decision until more information could be provided.
- Yarmer voted yes to table administrative personnel contract extensions until the next meeting.
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Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Feb. 23, 2026 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Yarmer voted no on the annual Glassman HVAC update but seconded a limited 2026 update with RFP direction.
- Yarmer voted no on the Felten Elementary GMP of $5,734,887.
- Yarmer seconded administrator contract postponement motions.
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Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Mar. 9, 2026 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Yarmer seconded tabling administrator/director contract language updates for work-session discussion.
- Yarmer voted no on administrator contract extensions through 2027-28.
- Yarmer voted yes on district director contract extensions through 2027-28.
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Unified School District 489 · 2026-05-19
Regular Meeting - Apr. 20, 2026 - Minutesusd489.community.highbond.com
- Yarmer seconded adding HHS Bathroom Discussion to the agenda.
- Bathroom discussion included vandalism, tracking reports, processes, and bathroom closures.
- Yarmer voted no on the first personnel-transactions motion and seconded the revised motion.
Reporting and Public Context
10 sources- Open
Hays Post · 2026-05-19
Hays USD 489 district administrators' contracts extended another yearhayspost.com
- Hays Post attributed Yarmer's abstention to lacking information on the contract vote.
- Hays USD 489 district administrators' contracts extended another year
- Yarmer's oversight posture also shows up in personnel and contract discussions. At his first 2024 board meeting, he abstained from extending administrator contracts after a short executive session, saying, "You're askin...
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Hays Post · 2026-05-19
Hays BOE debates need for state special education funding, district spendinghayspost.com
- Coverage attributed to Yarmer comments about leaner spending, needs versus wants, money not being the core education problem, and core academic focus.
- On education policy, Yarmer's public comments emphasize core academics, leaner operations, and skepticism of expansive school roles. During a 2025 discussion of special education funding and district spending, he said t...
- Special education / SEL / district spending, Feb. 2025: https://hayspost.com/posts/753ae9c5-9a0b-4bc2-b319-57e7fc4efdeb
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Tiger Media Network · 2026-05-19
USD 489 Board approves furniture purchase, playground removal, device purchasestigermedianet.com
- Tiger Media attributed to Yarmer an objection to receiving numbers and voting the same night.
- His process critique is just as consistent as the spending critique. As a candidate, he said all school board meetings should be broadcast, agendas should be released at least a week in advance, and board members should...
- Furniture/playground same-night vote, Oct. 2025: https://tigermedianet.com/?p=90779
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Tiger Media Network · 2026-05-19
USD 489 Board of Education approves asbestos abatement at Hays Middle Schooltigermedianet.com
- Tiger Media attributed to Yarmer the emergency-process quote during asbestos-abatement discussion.
- Asbestos abatement, Dec. 2025: https://tigermedianet.com/?p=93176
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Tiger Media Network · 2026-05-19
Board of Education approves Felten Elementary School bond projectstigermedianet.com
- Tiger Media attributed to Yarmer a process objection about purchases over $100,000 being discussed before a vote.
- Felten GMP, Feb. 2026: https://tigermedianet.com/?p=94701
- Coverage attributed to Yarmer questions about whether Felten plumbing was scoped before bidding.
- His public safety and facility comments are usually tied back to practical oversight. In 2026, he asked whether Felten Elementary plumbing had been scoped before bidding, saying it is good to know what a project involve...
- Felten scope questions, Feb. 2026: https://hayspost.com/posts/f5e69fbd-0165-4db1-b896-07613f7a31ed
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Tiger Media Network · 2026-05-19
Board of Education extends administrator, director contractstigermedianet.com
- Tiger Media attributed to Yarmer concerns about superintendent contract language and a motion to vote on administrator contracts individually.
- Admin/director contracts, Mar. 2026: https://tigermedianet.com/?p=95549
- Coverage attributed to Yarmer a concern that cameras outside bathrooms were not adequate for safety/security.
- Bathrooms/vandalism, Apr. 2026: https://hayspost.com/posts/7b63aeb8-e2d2-40a4-af96-5e92884d3ede
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Hays Post · 2026-05-19
Hays USD 489 board members question parental rights in emergency policy revisionhayspost.com
- Coverage attributed to Yarmer a direct parental-rights statement in an emergency-policy discussion.
- Emergency policy / parental rights: https://hayspost.com/posts/d89d076f-4f16-4002-a12d-d27ea8cd6471
- Hays USD 489 board members question parental rights in emergency policy revision
- Hays USD 489 School Board Candidate: Derek Yarmer
- I am originally from Albert, Kan. - Hays Post candidate profile, 2023; https://hayspost.com/posts/ae86883e-49b6-4bb5-af6c-acddd174da30
- > -- Hays Post, 2023, https://hayspost.com/posts/ae86883e-49b6-4bb5-af6c-acddd174da30
