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Artificial turf installation underway
On June 15, The Board of Education approved Hellas Construction, Inc. for the artificial turf installation project at five high schools, which is the first major project of the $370 million bond issue approved in November 2008. Hellas was the lowest responsible bidder following a competitive bid process which included an extensive contractor pre-approval process, attendance at a mandatory pre-bid conference and a turf product pre-approval process. Hellas' bid was 2-percent lower than the original project budget of $3.7 million.
East, Heights, Northwest, South and Southeast are slated to receive artificial turf fields this fall in phase one of the bond issue plan. The installation of the artificial turf is underway and is scheduled to be complete before the beginning of the football season. Installation of the turf began June 16 at South and Heights high schools. Click here for a brief video of the first visible work as a result of the 2008 bond issue!
"I am very excited that our student athletes and coaches will be able to play on a first-rate field that will provide great experiences for all stakeholders," said Athletic Director Bill Faflick. "Turf fields will allow teams to practice and play on a durable, safe field that will not feel the effect of Kansas weather."
“We did everything possible to provide a fair and open process, and we are very excited for our students who will be able to have artificial turf fields installed for the fall sports season," said Julie Hedrick, Director of Design and Construction.
Turf fields at West, North and the new high schools will be bid at a later date.
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Phase 1B architectural firms approved
On June 8, the Board of Education approved architectural firms for Phase 1B bond issue projects for the $370 million bond issue. Contractual work on those schools will begin immediately. The district tried to match architects that did the original design on school additions during the 2000 bond issue whenever possible.
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Phase 1B project |
Architectural Firm |
New southeast K-8 School
New north elementary school
Dodge Elementary rebuild
Hadley Middle School addition
Jackson Elementary addition
Mueller Elementary addition
Stucky Middle School addition |
Gossen Livingston
Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey
Spangenberg Phillips
Hanney and Associates
Law Kingdon
Randal Steiner
Folger and Associates |
The projects in Phase 1 were selected based on school and district needs, to provide a balance between small and large projects, and to spread bond projects throughout the community. This is the most efficient and cost-effective way to implement the bond plan. The district's goal is to have all Phase 1 projects under design by the end of the calendar year.
To see the complete bond phasing plan, click here.
The overall bond issue plan is anticipated to be completed in 5-7 years.
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Board of Education members look at budget cuts
The Board of Education is currently facing more than $21 million dollars in general fund budget reductions. This is a combination of $11.6 million in state reductions and projected cost increases for negotiated items like salaries and insurance. Contract negotiations are still in progress.
The Board has been meeting to look at the potential reductions list of items that are recommended to be cut to make up the budget deficit. The BOE will finalize the reductions list during its June 22 meeting. The amount of reductions needed will depend on contract negotiations.
"It's going to be a difficult process when you have to make these types of cuts," said Lynn Rogers, BOE president. "Any place we look, it's going to have an impact on our students and employees."
“We need to keep in mind that for every item we may take off this list, something else will need to be put on the list in place of it,” Rogers said.
BOE votes to move Urban League, close Dunbar daycare
During the June 8 meeting, the BOE voted to move the Urban League Learning Center to Dunbar and to discontinue the Dunbar daycare program. The BOE voted to terminate the lease agreement with the Urban League of Kansas, Inc., where the Learning Center is currently housed. With the vote, the Learning Center will move to Dunbar and be renamed Dunbar Learning Center. The BOE’s vote saves the district nearly $45,000 in rent.
The BOE also voted to discontinue the Dunbar daycare program and move the 4-year-old program at Dunbar to Little Early Childhood Center. The elimination of the daycare program, effective June 30, will save the district $200,000.
In the same motion, the BOE voted to keep the 4-year-old program at Midtown Community Resource Center, 1150 N. Broadway. There were earlier proposals to combine the Midtown and Little programs, but BOE members wanted to keep the Midtown program available to 4-year-olds in that part of the community.
Other items the BOE discussed included learning and instructional coaches, PLC days, elimination of an in-service day or one school day, and the cost savings in utilities and salaries to shut down all buildings between December 25 and January 1 and between June 30 and July 5. No action has been taken on any of those topics.
The BOE will adopt the budget in August.
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Budget information online
Information about the 2009-10 budget process, along with fact sheets and news stories, is available on the Wichita Public Schools’ website at www.usd259.com/news/0910budget. The webpage offers staff and community members the chance to provide input on budget priorities to assist the BOE with their decisions. The website will be updated as the budget talks continue.
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Students learn the importance of leadership
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| Photo courtesy Patty Stuever |
Seventy-nine high school students from across the district participated in the second-annual Youth Leadership Retreat at the 4-H Center in Rock Springs, AR. The retreat allowed students to share ideas and to learn from each other about different topics, including preparing for college, graduation rates, bullying and violence prevention. The theme for the retreat was Service Learning.
The students who helped plan the retreat and lead the discussions were Gehrig Keane, East; Madison Wheeler, Heights; Jami Jackson-Howell, North; Kaycee Anderson, Northwest; Sam Kegley, South; Tevin Parks, Southeast and Elijah Simpson, West. They had attended the National Youth Leadership Council Conference on Service Learning in Nashville over spring break and taught their peers and staff about service learning. Prior to the retreat, the students decided to have their service project be recycling for the upcoming school year.
Each school developed two plans, one for recycling and one for another issue they felt was important for their school.
“Young people have such wonderful ideas about how to make things better and this gives them an opportunity to explore and share those ideas with their peers, as well as learning from each other what has worked and not worked,” said Patty Stuever, Student Leadership Coordinator.
“It’s wonderful for our students to see that we are all Wichita Public Schools and we all are trying to make things better. Many students see their schools as different from each other, and the retreat gives them an opportunity to see the similarities as well,” she said.
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SCOPE students send messages by pigeon
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| Photo courtesy SCOPE |
Forget email and Facebook, some students learned how to send messages by pigeon. Students involved in the SCOPE program (Summer Classroom Opportunites for Personal Expression) at Northeast Magnet sent messages by pigeons as part of a history lesson on June 9. Students from across Wichita are participating in SCOPE's leadership class entitled, "You Be the General." The students have been learning about the pigeon's contributions to the Allied victories in World War I and World War II.
Besides writing the messages, the students calculated the time and distance it took their pigeon to fly away and return to its base.
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Video showcases accomplishments of the year
The Wichita Public Schools has much to celebrate as it wraps up the 2008-2009 school year. The district had many accomplishments, including the passage of a bond issue, the hiring of a new superintendent and student achievement continuing to increase. Students and staff also received many awards and honors.
A video celebrating the many major accomplishments that were realized by the Wichita Public Schools this past year is posted on the district's website. To watch the video, click here.
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Changes in Pupil Information Forms for fall enrollment
All students will have to fill out a new Ethnicity/Race form and will have to update their Pupil Information Forms (PIF) in the fall because of changes mandated by the federal government in regards to collecting ethnicity/race information. Every school district in Kansas is required to report student data by ethnicity and race categories set by the federal government for census purposes. All parents must update their child's data.
The data will be collected with the PIF and the Ethnicity/Race Form. The Ethnicity/Race Form asks two questions. The first question asks if a student is Hispanic/Latino (yes or no). The second question asks the student's race, which a parent can select from one or more categories: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White. The same two questions are asked on the PIF.
If parents or students do not provide the information, schools are required to provide information on the students' behalf.
All district employees will also be required to go through a similar process with an ethnicity/race form. Human Resources will provide information to employees in the fall regarding the requirement. The guidelines will be similar to the form filled out for students.
More information can be found on the Kansas Department of Education's website.
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Fall 2009 enrollment information online
Enrollment information and required forms for the 2009-2010 school year are available on the district's website. In order to streamline the enrollment process, parents are encouraged to fill out required forms before they go to their child's school to enroll. Certain forms are required to be signed by parents for all students. Those forms are available online to download and complete. Other forms may be required at certain grade levels and will be given to parents by the school.
Other useful enrollment information, including enrollment fees and the elementary school supply list can be found by clicking here.
Enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year is July 29 – 31 and August 3 – 4. The first day of school for all students is August 17.
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District hosts third golf tournament for staff
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| Photo by Susan Arensman |
The Wichita Public Schools hosted its third "District Masters" golf tournament on June 3. Thirty-nine teams and 136 players participated in the tournament held at Braeburn Golf Course at Wichita State University. The purpose of the golf tournament was to allow employees to socialize and to celebrate the end of the school year. Many area businesses donated prizes for the event.
Business sponsors helped support the tournament to keep costs for employees down. Durham School Services was the Presenting Sponsor. Shaefer, Johnson, Cox and Frey Architecture, Virco, Credit Union of America, Lifetouch and Wichita Vending were also tournament sponsors. Every team received a complimentary picture courtesy of Lifetouch.
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High school seniors receive millions in scholarships
The 2009 senior class received many scholarships to help support their future educational endeavors. The amount of scholarships given to students throughout all high schools totals $28,224,884.
"We are incredibly proud that many of our students will have the opportunity to continue their education with financial assistance," said Denise Wren, Assistant Superintendent of High Schools. "Some have received full-ride scholarships, others have received more than one scholarship, but we are always excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our students."
The scholarship amounts from 2008 totaled $15,823,252.
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Northeast Magnet will celebrate 20 years
Northeast Magnet High School will celebrate its 20th year as a magnet high school on Saturday, August 1, 2009. A special get-together for all current and former staff members will be 8 – 10:30 a.m. with a breakfast and program. Staff members should RSVP to Principal Joel Hudson by July 15. Hudson can be reached by email or at 973-2301.
The building will be open on August 1 from 4 – 8 p.m. for all alumni to meet and celebrate class reunions. Alumni class officers are urged to contact Hudson for more details and to finalize plans for this celebration.
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