By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
July 27, 2011

Instead of conducting their meeting on the stage, Kansas City, Missouri Board of Education members sat in the audience July 13. And it raised some questions.

Board President Airick West explained the board is trying a new format with one business meeting per month and one workshop style meeting per month. Decisions will only be made during the business meetings, he said. During the workshops, board members will discuss in-depth issues related to board policy and school related data, listen to special speakers and will be there to learn, he said.

The belief of the board is we’re not spending an adequate amount of time looking at scholar performance. This (workshop meeting) gives us an opportunity to do that, West said.

KCMSD administration lined the table up front and summarized the Transformation Phase II plan.

All new initiatives require money, said KCMSD Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Dr. Rebecca Lee-Gwin.

We had two very good years where the budgets were balanced, she said. We’re in good shape financially and that allows us to move forward and do some of the things we need to do academically.

However, to ensure sustainability with new initiatives KCMSD will need to monitor its funds carefully, she said.

Several new initiatives include the Senior Capstone Project, Truman Academy, KC Prep Academy and installing distance learning labs at every high school.

Senior Capstone Project will be implemented in the spring of 2012 and will require seniors to choose a topic to research and write a paper about and create a portfolio presentation for a panel of judges.

The Capstone reinforces and reflects the district’s vision and commitment to ensuring that every graduate is college, career and workforce ready, the Transformation Phase II plan stated.

Manual Career and Technical Center will receive an upgrade and become a high-tech educational laboratory that includes real world learning centers. The new Truman Academy will open in the fall of 2012 to expand on what Manual Career offers and will allow students to take classes outside of the normal 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. school schedule. Truman will also include job shadowing, internships, virtual and online learning, dual enrollment and on-the-job training.

To cater to underachieving males, KCMSD will launch KC Prep Academy in 2012 to address learning issues, said Dr. MiUndrae Prince, KCMSD associate superintendent for educational accountability and instructional support. KCMSD will determine the curriculum and instructional program by Oct. 1, 2011, Prince said.

KCMSD isn’t focusing only on students. To garner more parent participation, KCMSD will launch Parent University (PU) this fall, which will encourage families to become full partners in lifelong learning, said Dr. Luis Cordoba, KCMSD executive directorof Student Support and Community Services.

Parents with children from early childhood through 12th grade will be invited to participate. Parent University will focus on three areas: learning, support, and health and wellness. Syllabus examples include We don’t bully here and the Magic of Reading to Children. The university will also connect parents to a wealth of resources like refugee and immigration services, homeless children services, free and reduced lunch program information, required immunizations, among other resources. Eventually, KCMSD would like to have satellite university at every school, but for now, the Parent University will be located at Manual Career Technical Center, Cordoba said. Other plans for PU include providing tutors to travel to a student’s home and offering science and math courses for parents, so they can help their children at home.

Covington goes high tech

To connect with the community, Superintendent Dr. John Covington will maintain a Facebook, Twitter account and weekly blog called Covington’s Corner. At least four times a year, Covington will meet face-to-face with constituents at local coffee shops for Coffee with Covington.

KCMSD Chief of Staff Dr. Chace Ramey said this will allow KCMSD to control the message of both the positives and challenges of the district.

We’ve let them (media) control what’s being said about the district, Ramey said. But, we can be proactive about what we’re doing and showcase and highlight our own story.