By LESLIE COLLINS
Northeast News
July 31, 2013

Kansas City Public Schools’ superintendent has a soft spot for student athletes, he said.

As a Division I football player, Superintendent Dr. Stephen Green said sports inspired him to perform better academically and serve as a role model for others.

As Green talked about the role of sports and recent upgrades to Northeast High School and its gym, he soon transitioned into another positive: regaining state accreditation.

Green spoke during the Northeast High School Vikings’ monthly N Club meeting July 27 and said when he came to the district, state accreditation had been stripped and morale was low.

The school district was at its “darkest point,” he said. In the face of adversity, however, you learn about character and what you’re made of, he said.

Last year, KCPS came close to regaining provisional accreditation, meeting five of the 14 benchmarks on the state’s Annual Performance Report (APR). Since 2012, the state has adopted a new system for measuring a district’s performance, and points range from 0 to 140. To qualify for provisional accreditation, a district must earn 70 points. Items evaluated include graduation rates, student achievement, college and career readiness, attendance rates, among other benchmarks.

Green said the district recently received performance data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and KCPS will provide more detailed information to the public in the upcoming weeks.

“We will be well beyond the 70 points in the next few weeks and on our way to full accreditation,” Green said. “We’re just at the rebound of turning this district around.

“Our goal is to make this district and every school an asset and not a liability, be a beacon of hope… We’re marching and moving, and we will not be derailed, we will not be detoured and we will not be delayed.”