The USD 214 school board recently approved a resolution to seek voter approval for a $45 million bond issue for upgrades and improvements to district facilities.
District officials and community members have worked to identify projects and prioritize them based on safety and security, fiscal responsibility, durability and flexibility, and a focus on students' futures. Areas of improvement include plumbing, fire safety, accessibility for those with limited mobility, mechanical systems, lighting, roofing, and cosmetic improvements.
“We’re not just talking five years down the road,” said Corey Burton, district superintendent. “We’re talking about things for students that aren’t even born yet.”
The bond would be paid with revenue from sales taxes and property taxes. The district has been working with City of Ulysses officials to approve a sales tax to shift some of the tax burden away from property owners.
The board heard reports from building principals about the recently concluded 2022-2023 school year. Chase Rietcheck, dean of students at Ulysses High School, reported improved discipline, with fewer suspensions and an overall better atmosphere for learning.
“Kids say it’s better,” said Diana Nunez, board member. “There haven’t been fights or disruptions like they had before.”
Attendance is an area of concern across the district. Marcia Raines, principal for Hickok Elementary School, reported more than half of students in kindergarten through second grade missed nine or more school days in the 2022-2023 school year.
“We gave out 165 stuffed tigers for our ROAR attendance awards,” Raines said. “That’s about 45 percent of our students.”
Raines also reported 46 percent of students are leaving kindergarten on target for reading. While that is an improvement over last year’s 20 percent, Raines said the number is disheartening.
“CKLA is making a big difference,” Raines said, referring to the reading curriculum Hickok Elementary School implemented during the 2022-2023 school year.
Sullivan Elementary School piloted the CKLA curriculum during the last school year, and will implement it across the entire building next school year.
Rietcheck said with behavior improving at the high school, greater focus can be placed on improving academics there as well.
Kevin Warner, the district’s director of student learning, reported the district has received conditional accreditation from the Kansas State Board of Education. This means the district is in good standing with the state board, but lacks evidence of improvement in student performance or an intentional, quality growth process.
While the district has shown improvement in most areas, attendance and academics factored into the decision not to grant full accreditation. Other factors included graduation rates and postsecondary success rates, parent-teacher conference attendance statistics, and results on district assessments.
Warner said the most recent data for the district in these areas showed a lot of improvement.
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