Dec. 7, 2018 ~ Board of Education members checked off another task on the list of things to accomplish before the district’s newest elementary school opens in August 2019. The board adopted boundaries for Canyon Creek Elementary School during their regular meeting on Dec. 6.
Canyon Creek will open at 24001 W. 97th Terrace as the district’s 36th elementary school. Three boundary options were presented to patrons and feedback was used to make a recommendation to the board of education. View the entire presentation and adopted boundary Concept 1.
The next task is to name a principal who will work with students and the community to determine school colors and a mascot.
Legislative Update
Cheryl Semmel of Ad Astra Government Relations LLC, the district’s legislative liaison, spoke with the board about recent election results and the upcoming 2019 Kansas legislative session.
K-5 Math Adoption
Bridgette Stevens, district K-12 math coordinator, gave a short presentation about a future action item involving a potential new elementary math curriculum resource. A committee of teachers from each elementary grade level, as well as Title I math, gifted, instructional resource teachers and elementary principals recommended new math instructional materials. Their process included reviewing texts from major publishers and studying research-based math recommendations, district assessment results, priorities for the review, and the Publisher’s Criteria for the Standards of Mathematics. An action item will be on the board’s January meeting agenda.
Portrait of a Graduate
Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Jessica Dain and others updated the board on the Portrait of a Graduate process which involved input from communities of faith, business, higher education, the community at large, social service agencies, district and school leaders, families, teachers and students. The overall goal of this process is to identify competencies that are valued by the entire community in order to ensure that Olathe students are prepared for learning, work, and life after high school. Those competencies will be used to write the new district strategic plan by “beginning with the end in mind.”
The final Portrait of a Graduate competencies will be submitted as a board action item at a future meeting.
Recognitions
- The Olathe Public Schools Foundation was honored for its longstanding support of the district through various grants, scholarships, and recognition programs.
- Alicia Jackson, Olathe West High School counselor, was named Kansas School Counselor of the Year by the Kansas School Counselor Association.
- Sean Bohon, principal of Manchester Park Elementary School, was named the Kansas School Counselor Principal Advocate of the Year by the Kansas School Counselor Association.
- The Olathe East High School gymnastics team won the Kansas 6A state championship.
- Liz Wasinger of Olathe East earned the 6A state championship title in the balance beam competition of gymnastics.
- The boys soccer team at Olathe East won the 6A state championship title.
- The Olathe North High School boys cross country team won the 6A state championship title.
In other business, the board:
- Approved audit reports for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018
- Approved a consent agenda including meeting minutes, reports, student trips, textbook purchases, revised curriculum for the Distinguished Scholars Academy, license renewal for the Reading A-Z subscription database, and review of the KCP&L rate case settlement agreement.
- Approved the replacement of failing scoreboards and audio systems at the district’s two athletic complexes. (self-supporting and revenue generating through sponsorships)
- Approved a proposal for engineering services to deed approximately 3.1 acres of land on the north side of Walnut Grove Elementary School to adjacent homeowners. (general fund)
- Accepted bids for summer roofing projects at Cedar Creek and Ridgeview elementary schools, California Trail and Oregon Trail middle schools, Olathe North High School, and the Education Center. (2016 bond)
- Accepted bids for summer heating / ventilation / air conditioning projects at Central and Rolling Ridge elementary schools, California Trail Middle School, Olathe North, and the Education Center and Food Production Center. (2016 bond and capital outlay)
- Approved the proposal for construction management services for Heartland Early Childhood Center interior renovations; Olathe North interior renovations; performing arts center upgrades at Olathe East, North, Northwest and South high schools; and aging facilities work at multiple locations. (2016 bond)
- Approved the purchase of playground equipment and surfacing for Canyon Creek Elementary. (2013 bond)
- Approved the annual licensing renewal for the district’s library management system. (general fund)
- Approved the annual licensing renewal for the district’s professional learning management and applicant tracking system. (general fund)
- Approved the annual support and maintenance agreement for all Cisco Systems equipment. (general fund)
- Approved bids for Microsoft Surface Pro wired and wireless video adapters. (2016 bond)
- Approved the purchase of the Cognos reporting and analytics tool for the district’s Business Plus software. (general fund)
- Approved a contract addendum for “denial of service attack prevention” to the district’s existing Internet connection. (general fund)
- Received information about several future action items including Medicaid provider, joint meeting with City of Olathe representatives, student trips, material and supply procurement for Canyon Creek, technology-related items, fixtures and furnishings for Canyon Creek, Head Start policies, board policy revisions, and elementary math instructional materials.
- Received a written report about participation in the fall parent-teacher conferences. More than 22,000 students were represented by a parent at the conferences.
- Received the Head Start director’s monthly report.
The complete agenda and supporting documents are available on BoardDocs.
