The USD 253 Board of Education has several options to consider as it looks to address declining enrollment across the district. The major question is what option will best fit the district’s needs moving forward.
During the board’s regular meeting, Kansas Association of School Board’s Field Specialist Sue Givens presented a summary of the district’s recent enrollment study. Givens says the study resulted in five possible strategies which Givens referred to as the “top five.”
The options include:
*Redisctring boundaries
*Retention and recruitment of all staff
*Daycare and preschool programming expansion
*District virtual alternative purpose school
*Efficiency studies regarding administration, busing and all district buildings.
Board members are planning further reviews of each option to see which would best fit the district’s needs at this time. While no formal decision has been made on how to proceed, Superintendent Dr. Allison Anderson Harder says it is encouraging to have multiple paths in place.
The enrollment study discussion led directly into a review of the district’s current enrollment trends. According to the presentation, the district’s total unaudited enrollment increased between the 2020-21 school year from 3,898 to 3,951 students. Director of Assessment and Accountability Dr. Ryan Karjala says he expects those numbers to drop following a formal audit, however, he says the district is trending in the right direction.
Superintendent Harder says the uptick is encouraging, however, the district still needs to proceed “cautiously.”
For the third consecutive meeting, board members also held one executive session for consultation with the district’s legal counsel. Once again, the district could not comment on the reason for the session or if it was related to the alleged assault that occurred at Emporia High School back in late August.
In other business, board members:
*Approved a quote from Cytek Media Systems, Inc. for new audio/visual equipment to furnish the new Emporia Middle School gym and storm shelter at a cost of $67,533.
*Received the quarterly district budget update
*Received a program highlight from Walnut Elementary School’s leadership group
The USD 253 Board of Education will next convene on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 pm inside of the Mary Herbert Education Center.
