Latest news with #KansasDepartmentofEducation
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Education leaders, parents concerned after multiple Kansas school bonds fail
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Another school bond failed in Kansas this week. Goddard joins Wichita, Mulvane, and Ness City, whose school bonds fail. The Kansas Department of Education says that about 60% of school bonds passed statewide. Goddard USD 265's bond failure has some parents concerned about what the future entails. 'These kids are going to come in whether we build a new school or not. And all they're doing is taking rooms that are already overcrowded and filling them to the brim,' said Leah Ellis, a parent in USD 265. USD 265 says it plans to welcome more than 1,000 students in the next four years. Goddard's school bond proposed upgrades to aging infrastructure and overcrowding. Augusta school bond passes while Ness City school bond fails 'This growth is coming, and with it, the need to ensure that we continue providing the high-quality educational experience our families expect and deserve,' Dane Baxa, the director of community relations at Goddard Public Schools, said. This comes as school bonds worth millions of dollars have been voted down. Leaders in the education space say that it's important for the districts to communicate more effectively about the needs of the district to its voters. 'Did the district story for the need resonate? And to say that, yes, the need outweighs the cost and this is what we need for our community and our schools to move forward,' Frank Harwood, the deputy commissioner of fiscal and administrative services for the KSDE, said. 'Every one of these dollars end up is somehow educating the child in our schools. And so I think we can't lose the point of how these dollars are being spent and how they're affecting our kids,' G.A. Buie, the executive director for USA Kansas, said. Kids, their future, their long-term success. 'We have to just keep our chin up, look for the next option, keep trying to keep Goddard at the forefront and getting our kids the education they deserve,' said Ellis. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
KSDE to reapply for Education Stabilization Fund
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Federal cuts to education are now taking a jab at Kansas schools. The education stabilization fund giving Kansas $22 million in COVID recovery has ended. During COVID, states were given funding for education. The goal was to catch students up on things they didn't have the chance to learn during the pandemic. Last year, the Kansas education department secured an extension through March 2026. But now the trump administration is scaling back. It's now asking states to give them a clear answer on how they plan to use the money. Kansas plans to use the funds to go towards further educating students and teachers. 'We are accelerating any negative impact from covid,' Kansas Department of Education, Jake Steel said. 'So, every single one of these programs would be great even without covid. But with covid being the place, it is to help speed up the return and help students along the way.' Oklahoma man charged in killing of Kansas priest KSDE has reapplied for the funding and believes is confident it will be reinstated. To date, Kansas has spent nearly $2 billion in Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) funding. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Are Wichita-area schools running out of snow days? See what Kansas law says
Wichita school districts students have so far had this week off amid snow and bitter cold. School officials canceled classes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There was no school Monday because it was President's Day. So far this year, including Thursday, Wichita students have been off school eight days because of severe weather. Half of those were in January, with the rest in February. So will they — and students from surrounding districts in similar situations — have to make up days? It may be too soon to tell. Districts have a number of options if they need to make up time, and adding days is only one of them. Kansas Department of Education guidelines require school districts to provide 1,116 hours of instruction, roughly 177 days, with a maximum of 40 virtual learning hours. School days are 6 1/2 hours long. 'Snows days' are not built into the academic calendar, since weather conditions are different every year, but the district has allotted 50 hours to use for weather cancellations, said USD 259 operations division director Fabian Armendariz. If a district uses all of its allotted time, it can add minutes to the day or days to the school year. It also can add staff learning time. For example, although classes are canceled Thursday, all Wichita school staff will report to work for a professional learning day. Such days count as half of the regular instructional time. These days 'offer teachers and staff opportunities to learn new skills, collaborate and develop expertise,' according to the Kansas State Department of Education. 'A regular school day with students attending counts hour for hour. Professional development activities count for 0.5 per hour,' KSDE deputy commissioner Frank Harwood said. The last day of school for Wichita students is May 22. The USD 259 academic calendar lists May 27, 28 and 29 as possible make-up days for inclement weather. Armendariz said these days are a last resort. 'I don't want to say that we are heading in that direction, because I don't think we're there yet, but that is also an option as a last resort this year,' Armendariz said. 'Just want to remind our community that we're doing the best that we can, and we'll try to come up with the best solutions with minimal impact to our community.' Derby, Maize and Valley Center school districts told The Eagle they follow the same procedure as Wichita to make up for instructional hours lost to weather. Asked how the Wichita district has dealt with weather issues in the past, Armendariz said, 'We've never found ourselves in this situation before.' 'I've been dealing with weather and as part of our weather team for the last 15 years, and I haven't encountered a year like this,' Armendariz said. By Tuesday night, Sedgwick County, including Wichita, had seen between 4 and 7 inches of snow. Wind chills between -15 to -25 are forecast in Wichita until Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Is enrollment declining in Wichita schools? What's happening in city and suburban districts
In our Reality Check stories, Wichita Eagle journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Story idea? tips@ Public school enrollment has been falling in Wichita for years, following a national trend that has left many districts wondering how to best use resources going forward. Since the 2014-15 academic year, Wichita Public Schools has lost nearly 10% of its students, and it's projecting a similar drop over the next 10 years. This past fall, enrollment sat at 46,154 students — 9.5% less than when it peaked during the 2015-16 school year, according to Kansas Department of Education data. Overall student enrollment in every grade in elementary and middle school, excluding preschool, is down compared to 10 years ago, with the largest drops in kindergarten, first and second grades, an analysis of the data shows. Voters will decide this month whether to support a $450 million bond issue that would rebuild, close and make other changes to several schools in the Wichita district. The district has cited several reasons for the proposed changes, among them declining enrollment. So what exactly has enrollment been like in recent years on the local, state and national levels? And how do Wichita's student numbers compare to other school districts in the area? Here's a look. It's been nearly a decade since the Wichita school district's enrollment peaked at 50,988 students during the 2015-16 school year, according to an analysis of 33 years worth of headcount enrollment data available on the Kansas Department of Education's website. Wichita Public Schools says it lost 4,494 students between the 2014-15 and 2023-24 school years, an average of 450 students annually. And it expects the declines to continue at a similar rate, about 480 students per year for the next decade, according to the district's facilities master plan. The sharpest enrollment drop — more than 2,300 students — occurred in the fall of 2020, as schools wrestled with how to continue safely and effectively educating students about six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, an analysis of headcount enrollment data shows. The Wichita district lost more students in 2021 (-286), gained some back the next year (179) then saw enrollment decline again in fall 2023 (-466) and fall 2024 (-260), according to The Eagle's analysis of the KSDE data. This academic year, enrollment in every grade in elementary and middle school, excluding preschool, is down compared to 10 years ago. In that time, kindergarten lost 1,215 students, first grade lost 1,150 and second grade lost 828 students, the data shows. Third grade lost 636 students, fourth grade lost 573, fifth grade lost 302, sixth grade lost 221, seventh grade lost 155 and eighth grade lost 73 students. High school grades so far haven't followed that trend. All have more students now than in 2014, the data shows: 111 more freshmen (3,551 total), 390 more sophomores (3,664 total), 246 more juniors (3,468 total), and 168 more seniors (3,234 total). Headcount enrollment is the total number of students enrolled in a district and includes K-12, virtual and non-graded students and some preschoolers. It is different from full-time equivalency enrollment, or FTE, and weighted FTE, which is used to calculate a district's funding levels. The Wichita school district has cited falling birth rates, fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the state's new school choice law as contributing to the enrollment declines, although it said in an October news release that there is 'no indication' the new law impacted enrollment this year. This fall, overall enrollment was down 'due to declines in unique programs that serve special populations like adult virtual learners and a national diploma completion program that no longer serves Wichita.' But traditional prekindergarten through 12th grade enrollment had 'increased for the first time in several years,' high school enrollment was at its highest in more than two decades and elementary enrollment 'increased for the first time since COVID,' according to the release. Declining enrollment isn't just a local issue. It's happening state- and nationwide, and the trend is expected to continue. Enrollment for all public, private and state schools in Kansas peaked at 521,208 students in 2014-2015 and has mostly been on the decline since, according to state department of education statistics. This year, there are 503,540 students, 3.4% fewer than 10 years ago. That's a drop of more than 17,000 schoolchildren. In the same time, statewide enrollment in public schools dropped by more than 16,000 students, or 3.3%, from its peak of 492,906 in 2014-2015. This past fall, 476,833 students enrolled. The number of students in private schools in Kansas peaked almost 25 years ago, during the 2000-01 school year, with 31,962 students enrolled. Private school enrollment is currently among the lowest of the past 33 years, sitting at 26,406 students, according to the KSDE statistics. The department does not track the number of students in home schools. On the national level, public school enrollment is down from more than 50.7 million students in 2019 to 49.5 million in 2023, a decrease of 2.5%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Every region in the country saw declines during that five-year period. Future declines are expected. Across the U.S., public school enrollment is projected to fall to 47.2 million students by 2030, according to the National Center for Education Statistics' predictions. In Kansas, the number of students in public schools is expected to drop to 440,300 by 2030 — 7.7% less than current figures. Wichita Public Schools expects its enrollment to decrease to just over 40,000 students by 2034. A study that looked at falling birth rates and future housing development plans was used to make the enrollment projection, Wichita Public Schools spokeswoman Susan Arensman said. According to the Congressional Budget Office's population outlook, current fertility rates in the U.S. aren't keeping up with what's needed for a generation to replace itself, absent immigration. For that to happen, the rate has to be 2.1 births per woman. But fertility rates dropped to a historic low in 2023, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, following the most recent peak of 2.12 in 2007. The U.S. fertility rate — currently about 1.62 births per woman — is expected to continue declining through at least 2035, according to the population outlook. In 2016, more than 3.9 million live births were recorded in the U.S., or 12.21 for every 1,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fewer than 3.6 million births were recorded, or 10.74 for every 1,000 people, in 2023. Kansas and Sedgwick County also recorded fewer live births, even though their populations grew by thousands during that same time. Statewide, 38,053 live births were recorded — 13.09 per 1,000 people — in 2016 compared with 34,065 in 2023, or 11.58 per 1,000 people, according to the CDC data. Sedgwick County recorded 7,309 live births — 14.28 per 1,000 people — in 2016 but only 6,474 births — 12.25 per 1,000 people — in 2023. Falling birth rates means fewer children to enroll in schools when they reach school age. According to the Wichita School District's facilities master plan, capacity was built for more than 62,000 students across 81 schools — thousands more students than are enrolled now and at the district's peak. Last year, only 70% of available seats were utilized across the district, according to the plan. The optimal utilization is 80-100%. Middle schools had the most 'surplus capacity' with more than 5,500 empty seats (38% open), while elementary schools averaged 380 students and had more than 8,800 surplus seats overall (30% open). Twenty-four of 54 elementary schools had fewer than 350 students, with the lowest enrollment at 231. Each elementary school should be serving around 600 students 'to have sufficient funds from the state to provide the staff, programs and interventions identified in a model elementary school,' according to the WPS facilities master plan. If nothing changes, school building utilization is expected to fall to 64% by 2034. 'WPS schools were built for a population from a different era, and as the population steadily declined, the buildings largely remained. Given the recent state allocation of funding per student, the loss of 450 students per year has translated in over $2M dollars in lost revenue per year for WPS to educate their students,' the facilities master plan says. Most of the other large school districts in Sedgwick County have grown over the past 10 years as Wichita's enrollment dropped off. Goddard, Maize and Valley Center school districts have all seen double-digit percentage increases in enrollment from the 2014-15 school year to 2024-25, while Andover, Circle and Derby school districts have experienced single-digit percentage jumps, according to an analysis of KSDE data. The increases amount to more than 100 to more than 700 additional students, depending on the district. Haysville was the exception, with 1.8% fewer students now than 10 years ago. All of the suburban districts except Andover have experienced their enrollment highs in the past six academic years. Andover's happened in the 2013-2014 school year, with 10,072 students, according to the KSDE headcount enrollment numbers. The enrollment jumps didn't carry over to other local districts, though. A dozen smaller districts located completely or partially in Sedgwick County saw enrollment declines, or only slight increases, compared with 10 years ago. Percentage-wise, among the hardest hit were the Burrton School District, which lost more than half its students since fall 2014; the Conway Springs School District, down by nearly a quarter; and the Haven School District, down nearly 21%. Enrollment in school districts close to Wichita that are in other counties also dropped. Compared with 10 years ago, Augusta has lost 16.5% of students (-386); Newton lost 17.5% (-648); Douglass lost 18.9% (-135); Belle Plaine lost 11.2% (-71); Pretty Prairie lost 1.8% (-5); and Udall lost 13.9% (-48), according to an analysis of Kansas Department of Education statistics. (Largest districts located all or part in Sedgwick County) Wichita (USD 259) Highest enrollment: 50,988 Peaked in: 2015-2016 Current enrollment: 46,154 Change from 10 years ago (2014): 4,818 students lost (-9.5%) Andover (USD 385) Highest enrollment: 10,072 Peaked in: 2013-2014 Current enrollment: 9,586 Change from 10 years ago: 711 students added (8%) Circle (USD 375) Highest enrollment: 2,091 Peaked in: 2024-2025 Current enrollment: 2,091 Change from 10 years ago: 126 students added (6.4%) Derby (USD 260) Highest enrollment: 7,416 Peaked in: 2019-2020 Current enrollment: 7,385 Change from 10 years ago: 316 students added (4.8%) Goddard (USD 265) Highest enrollment: 6,316 Peaked in: 2022-2023 Current enrollment: 6,312 Change from 10 years ago: 711 students added (12.7%) Haysville (USD 261) Highest enrollment: 5,879 Peaked in: 2019-2020 Current enrollment: 5,410 Change from 10 years ago: 97 students lost (-1.8%) Maize (USD 266) Highest enrollment: 7,950 Peaked in: 2023-2024 Current enrollment: 7,912 Change from 10 years ago: 776 students added (10.9%) Valley Center (USD 262) Highest enrollment: 3,194 Peaked in: 2022-2023 Current enrollment: 3,191 Change from 10 years ago: 360 students added (12.7%) (Smaller districts located all or part in Sedgwick County) Burrton (USD 369) Highest enrollment: 318 Peaked in: 1994-1995 Current enrollment: 109 Change from 10 years ago: 135 students lost (-55.3%) Cheney (USD 268) Highest enrollment: 827 Peaked in: 2009-2010 Current enrollment: 788 Change from 10 years ago: 15 students lost (-1.9%) Clearwater (USD 264) Highest enrollment: 1,347 Peaked in: 2008-2009 Current enrollment: 1,070 Change from 10 years ago: 109 students lost (-9.2%) Conway Springs (USD 356) Highest enrollment: 708 Peaked in: 2003-2004 Current enrollment: 437 Change from 10 years ago: 143 students lost (-24.7%) Halstead (USD 440) Highest enrollment: 834 Peaked in: 2008-2009 Current enrollment: 770 Change from 10 years ago: 31 students lost (-3.9%) Haven (USD 312) Highest enrollment: 1,242 Peaked in: 1996-1997 Current enrollment: 748 Change from 10 years ago: 198 students lost (-20.9%) Kingman-Norwich (USD 331) Highest enrollment: 1,348 Peaked in: 1999-2000 Current enrollment: 872 Change from 10 years ago: 131 students lost (-13.1%) Mulvane (USD 263) Highest enrollment: 2,014 Peaked in: 1999-2000 Current enrollment: 1,698 Change from 10 years ago: 127 students lost (-7%) Remington-Whitewater (USD 206) Highest enrollment: 592 Peaked in: 1996-1997 Current enrollment: 530 Change from 10 years ago: 6 students added (1.1%) Renwick (USD 267, includes Andale, Colwich, Garden Plain) Highest enrollment: 2,070 Peaked in: 2003-2004 Current enrollment: 1,969 Change from 10 years ago: 31 students added (1.6%) Rose Hill (USD 394) Highest enrollment: 1,897 Peaked in: 1999-2000 Current enrollment: 1,684 Change from 10 years ago: 5 students added (0.3%) Sedgwick (USD 439) Highest enrollment: 574 Peaked in: 2009-2010 Current enrollment: 516 Change from 10 years ago: 14 students added (2.8%) (Districts near Wichita in other counties) Augusta (USD 402, Butler County) Highest enrollment: 2,378 Peaked in: 2009-2010 Current enrollment: 1,950 Change from 10 years ago: 386 students lost (-16.5%) Newton (USD 373, Harvey County) Highest enrollment: 3,770 Peaked in: 2011-2012 Current enrollment: 3,052 Change from 10 years ago: 648 students lost (-17.5%) Douglass (USD 396, Butler County) Highest enrollment: 949 Peaked in: 1999-2000 Current enrollment: 580 Change from 10 years ago: 135 students lost (-18.9%) Belle Plaine (USD 357, Sumner County) Highest enrollment: 888 Peaked in: 1998-1999 Current enrollment: 564 Change from 10 years ago: 71 students lost (-11.2%) Pretty Prairie (USD 311, Reno County) Highest enrollment: 345 Peaked in: 1997-1998 Current enrollment: 276 Change from 10 years ago: 5 students lost (-1.8%) Udall (USD 463, Cowley County) Highest enrollment: 449 Peaked in: 1993-1994 Current enrollment: 296 Change from 10 years ago: 48 students lost (-13.9%) (Statewide enrollment) All schools in Kansas Highest enrollment: 521,208 Peaked in: 2014-2015 Current enrollment: 503,540 Change from 10 years ago: 17,668 students lost (-3.4%) Public schools statewide Highest enrollment: 492,906 Peaked in: 2014-2015 Current enrollment: 476,833 Change from 10 years ago: 16,073 students lost (-3.3%)
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
College readiness continues downward trend in Kansas
KANSAS (KSNT) — Postsecondary enrollment and spending are up, but college readiness has dropped 43% since 2015 in Kansas. Kansas college preparedness has been on a downward trend since 2015, according to data published by Students meet the benchmark for being ready for college when they have about a 50% chance to earn a 'B' and about a 75% chance to earn a 'C' on the ACT. 'Students who meet a Benchmark on ACT Explore or ACT Plan are likely to have approximately this same chance of earning such a grade in the corresponding college course(s) by the time they graduate high school,' the ACT explained in an information brief. In 2018, the state of Kansas started paying for all juniors to take the ACT. Director of Communications for the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) Denise Kahler said that before the change, the ACT was primarily taken by students pursuing a college education. In 2021, Kahler said the Kansas Board of Regents removed the ACT requirement which led to a decline in the number of students retaking the ACT to improve test scores. Kansas granted extension for winter storm relief 'All this is not to discount the drop in scores over the years, but it does provide some context,' Kahler said. While fewer students were taking the ACT, the number of students enrolling in postsecondary classes increased. In 2017, 29,514 high school students were enrolled in postsecondary classes. That number jumped to 38,002 in 2024. Kahler said the hours of postsecondary work increased from 256,836 in 2017 to 332,615 in 2024. Schools in Kansas have paid more per student each year since 2012. In 2015 Kansas was paying $13,088 per student. In 2024, the spending per pupil was $18,324 – a 28.5% increase from 2015, according to data from The most recent increase is about 4% over the previous year, beating the 3% cost of inflation for the region. 'Very personal': Sen. Moran lobbied for direct Wichita flight College Readiness 2024 18% 2023 19% 2022 21% 2021 21% 2020 23% 2019 27% 2018 29% 2017 29% 2016 31% 2015 32% For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
