The number of students counted in elementary, middle and high schools on Sept. 21 was down by 837 students this fall, compared to last year, according to a report to the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education on Sept. 22.
When the pre-kindergarten and alternative students were added to the total, the Kansas City, Kansas, school district was down by 1,238 students compared to a year ago, according to the report.
School district officials said although they were not sure of the cause of the declining numbers, they discovered that some students had moved. The district is in remote learning only for the first nine weeks of the school year.
The September student count is used to determine the school district’s funding per student.
School personnel were still trying to reach students who were in school last year, according to Dr. Kimberly Shaw, the district’s instructional improvement officer.
Whether they have moved or not, the district isn’t sure where the students are, she said at the school board meeting. Many home visits have been made, and school personnel have contacted the students’ emergency contact numbers from last school year, trying to make sure students have access to education, she said.
Principals and staff at the schools have been trying to reach students, including making visits in person, she said.
“Some have documented the home is vacant,” she added. They are trying to locate where the student is to make sure they have access to education, wherever they are, she said. Sometimes they knock on the neighbors’ doors to find out where the family went, but there are only so many steps they can take, she said.
Bridgette DeSmet, the district’s coordinator of federal programs, said teachers have been making calls to get in touch with students, and several employees have been going house-to-house.
“They came across some eviction notices on the doors,” DeSmet said at the board meeting. Some students apparently have moved to different cities or states during the pandemic, she said.
Students must have at least one meaningful daily connection with a local teacher, by phone, or interactive video conference, to be counted this year, in remote learning, according to DeSmet. Students who are logging onto their internet classes are being counted. However, some of the students were having trouble connecting to the internet, according to district officials.
The board took action on Tuesday night intended to solve the internet connectivity issues, including an agreement with Spectrum to provide connectivity to more than 6,000 student homes, and a program allowing students with connectivity problems to use school buildings for an hour or two a day to download their assignments. The schools are contacting students with known internet problems for appointments to use the school buildings. The Spectrum internet connectivity program for homes is being paid for with CARES Act funding.
More about the student count
The largest decrease in the student count was at the elementary school level, down 707 students since last year, according to the report. The student count report was made during a six-hour Sept. 22 school board meeting.
Middle schools saw a decrease of 242 students, while high schools saw an increase of 112 students, according to the report.
Pre-kindergarten numbers were down 386, while alternative school numbers were down 15, according to the report.
When including the pre-kindergarten and alternative students, the number was 1,238 students less than fall of 2019, according to the report. Last year’s total was 23,123 and this year’s is 21,885.
Schools submit a count of students in late September every year to the state Department of Education. According to information presented at previous meetings, school districts would have several days this year to count students, because of COVID-19.
Josh Mathiasmeier, director of nutritional services, reported that free and reduced cost meal applications are still being processed, and that the district was down about 3,000 meal applications and down about 2,000 free student meal participants this year. They have been calling families on a list to make sure the students have the opportunity to participate.
Wyandotte County usually sees 1,400 to 1,500 evictions a year
In Kansas, there is a moratorium on evictions, as an executive order is in place from the governor, in effect through Jan. 26 of next year, unless rescinded (https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/EO-20-64-Executed.pdf).
At the Unified Government Administration and Human Services Committee meeting on Sept. 14, a UG researcher reported that there are typically about 1,400 to 1,500 evictions per year in Wyandotte County. They did not have figures yet for evictions during 2020.
The UG researchers were analyzing data to try to predict where more evictions might occur. There is a possibility of CARES Act funding being used to assist persons facing evictions because of loss of jobs from COVID-19.
According to UG staff, resources available might include Kansas Legal Services to find out legal rights; Kansas Housing Resources Corp., tenant-based rental assistance; and HUD, tools for landlords and tenants affected by COVID-19.