Category: Education

KCK school board to consider bond refinance and raising local option budget authority

The Kansas City, Kansas, school board, meeting today at 5 p.m., will consider a bond refinance and increasing the local option budget authority to 33 percent.

Currently the local option budget (LOB) is at 30 percent.

District officials explained at earlier meetings that by refinancing the bonds they could save about $4 million in interest costs.

Then the district proposes to move 1.16 mills from the bond and interest fund into the LOB fund for additional operating expenses.

That would increase the local option budget to 33 percent, but according to the district officials, it would not increase the dollar amount of taxes that are paid by local taxpayers.

While the school district has not yet approved its budget for the next school year, it has held some discussions on it. Some of its decisions were pending budget bills in the Kansas Legislature, which wrapped up its session over the weekend.

The school board meeting space is not yet open for the public to attend, because of COVID-19 precautions. The public may watch the meeting on YouTube at https://youtu.be/a3x6wQyeKls.

Several other items are on the school board’s agenda for Tuesday night. The agenda is at https://go.boarddocs.com/ks/kckps/Board.nsf/vpublic?open#’.

KCK student receives award at KU

Jordan Young, a senior from Kansas City, Kansas, who is majoring in communication studies, recently received the Rusty Leffel Concerned Student Award at the University of Kansas, Lawrence.

The award goes annually to students who demonstrate a concern for furthering the ideals of the university and higher education. The award was established by a group of seniors in 1973 to honor a fellow student, Rusty Leffel.

Young was one of several KU students receiving University Awards recently.

“Coming to the University of Kansas, I promised myself I was going to make a positive impact on this university, as well as the student community,” Young said. “The day people are born and the day people pass isn’t what makes a person memorable. What a person does during their life is what people remember. I hope the things I’ve accomplished at KU live on for those who come after me and I am remembered as a person who chased the change he wanted to see on the campus until his ideas became a reality and I inspire others to do the same.”

Sumner Academy named top high school in Kansas, No. 6 in nation

Sumner Academy of Arts and Science has been named the top high school in Kansas and also the No. 6 high school in the nation, according to the U.S. News and World Report rankings.

Sumner Academy also is the No. 1 high school in the Kansas City metropolitan area in the rankings and is ranked No. 4 of all magnet high schools in the United States, according to Dr. Alicia Miguel, interim superintendent of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools.

“We are incredibly proud of the hard work our teachers and students have done over the past year,” Dr. Miguel said at the KCKPS board meeting Tuesday night. It takes a team effort of teachers, students, staff, parents and the community.

Sumner Academy Principal Rick Malone said at the board meeting that it is the third year Sumner Academy has been ranked No. 1 in the state of Kansas on the U.S. News and World rankings. It also received first place in 2019 and 2020.

“Sumner is built on a history of excellence, beginning since Sumner High School,” Dr. Malone said at the board meeting. “There is no doubt we would not be the school we are today without the legacy before us.”

Dr. Malone said one of his goals has been to be one of the top 10 school districts in the nation, and they’re closer to that goal than ever before.

The U.S. News and World rankings are based on performance on state-required tests, graduation rates, how well prepared students are for college, the number of students in advanced placement and international baccalaureate classes, and performance in those classes, he said.

“I’m really proud of those rankings,” Dr. Malone said. “It’s a huge honor for students, staff and the whole community.”

He said Sumner Academy students continue to be academically focused, resilient, and each day they earn the honor to say they’re graduating from the top school in Kansas and the top school in the nation.

According to the U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools rankings, Blue Valley North is the No. 2 high school in Kansas, and Blue Valley West is the No. 3 high school. Other high schools on the top 10 list for Kansas included Blue Valley Northwest, No. 4; Olathe Northwest, No. 5; Shawnee Mission East, No. 6; Blue Valley, No. 7; Andover Central, No. 8; Mill Valley, No. 9; and Northeast Magnet of Bel Aire, No. 10.

According to the rankings, the No. 1 school in the nation was Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia.

For more information on the rankings, visit https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2021-04-27/us-news-announces-2021-best-high-schools-rankings.