School board members providing input during Kansans Can Success Tour

Posted Date: 08/19/2021

School board members attending the Kansans Can Success Tour on Wednesday said the state has made progress in public school education recent years but more needs to be done.

During meetings on the 50-city tour, Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson and Deputy Commissioner Brad Neuenswander review the Kansans Can vision of focusing on improving kindergarten readiness, individual plans of study, high school graduation and post-secondary participation rates and social and emotional growth. Watson and Neuenswander also are seeking input from those attending the meetings to see if there is anything else they should focus on.

At a meeting at Independence High School, Sam Blackard, president of the Independence USD 446 school board, said the school district is constantly analyzing if it’s meeting the needs of students in the current economy.

Blackard is also involved in economic development in the area. “Jobs are a driving factor in everything we do,” he said. He said he was gladdened to hear information about the state’s increasing high school graduation rate, including increases in specific groups.

From 2015-20, the overall graduation rate has increased 2.6 percent, from 85.7 percent to 88.3 percent. Among English Language Learners, the rate has increased 6.5 percent, from 77.2 percent to 83.7 percent; free and reduced lunch students has increased 3.7 percent, from 77.5 percent to 81.2 percent and students with disabilities has increased 3.1 percent, from 77.2 percent to 80.3 percent.

Kansas ranks second in the nation in graduating students with disabilities, and the statistics indicate Kansas is closing the graduation gap between white and minority students.

Mike Kastle, a member of the Parsons USD 503 school board, participated in the meeting in Chanute.  He said Kansas schools are doing a good job in educating students and specifically mentioned the increased number of counselors and school psychologists that have been hired.
 
“We are doing better, but we have a way to go,” Kastle said.

At the meeting in El Dorado, school board member Norm Wilks said state education officials have done a good job focusing on changes, but continued improvement is always needed. “We need to integrate the curriculum to meet the needs of kids,” he said.

The tour continues Thursday in Winfield, Arkansas City and Derby. Here is a link to a schedule.