A third USD 253 elementary school is now set to undergo education redesign following approval by the USD 253 Board of Education Wednesday evening.
Board members approved a request from staff and faculty of Walnut Elementary School to the purpose of joining the “Apollo II cohort” through the Kansas Board of Education’s Kansas Can redesign effort. According to the presentation from the staff and administrators, the effort has already seen a large amount of support from Walnut faculty and families.
Board member and Walnut parent Melissa Ogelby says both forms of support are crucial to the effort’s success.
Walnut Principal Jami Dakin says they have begun “dipping their toes” into redesign programs, and with the board’s approval, they will now continue to pilot redesign concepts through the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year with additional concepts being implemented in the 2020-2021 academic year and beyond.
In other business, board members received an update on the district’s $78 million “building for the future” facility improvement project. Work is currently underway on three district facilities, Walnut, Emporia High School and the district’s new early learning facility. According to Zac Snethen of HTK Architects, they are beginning to transition from the conceptual phase of work into the schematic phase.
Snethen says essentially this means they are beginning to take the idea and put it on paper.
Wednesday’s presentation followed recent visits by members of the “building for the future” executive committee to Ottawa High School, Bonner Springs High School and the Missouri Innovation Campus located at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, MO. Snethen says work is progressing as expected at EHS and the early learning facility, with work at Walnut currently ahead of schedule.
Up next on the calendar will be a schematic presentation for the board of education. The next board of education meeting will be held Wednesday, Mar. 11 inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
