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Wichita Public School District, Kansas

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Budget Y
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Meetings Y
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Elected Officials Y
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Administrative Officials Y
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Contracts Y
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Audits Y
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Public records Y
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School district websites
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Wichita Public Schools, U.S.D. 259 is a school district in Kansas. The district serves 49,779 students.[1]

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of Kansas school district websites

This website was reviewed on Jan.10, 2012.

[edit] The good

  • Board of Education members are posted with contact and term information.[2]
  • Meeting agendas and minutes are posted.[3]
  • Information is posted on how to make a public records request.[4]
  • Background check policies are posted.[5]
  • District checkbook registers are posted.[6]
  • Contact information for administrative officials is provided.[7]
  • Budgets and audits are posted.[6]
  • Local tax rates are posted within the budget.[8]
  • Academic assessment reports are provided or linked to.[9]
  • Bid opportunities are posted.[10]

[edit] The bad

  • None

[edit] Leadership

[edit] School board

2011 Board of Education[2]
NameDistrictPositionTerm Expires
Betty Arnold1stPresident2013
Connie Dietz2ndVice President2013
Barbara Fuller3rdMember2015
Jeff Davis4thMember2015
Lanora Nolan5thMember2013
Lynn W. Rogers6thMember2013
Sheril LoganAt-largeMember2015

[edit] Superintendent

Wichita's superintendent is John Allison. He has held the position since 2009.[11]

[edit] Budget

Wichita's 2011-12 budget is for $606 million.[8]

2011-12 Revenues by Source[8]
Source% of Total Revenue
State62%
Federal11%
Local27%
2011-12 Expenditures by Category[8]
Category% of Total $606 Million Budget
Salaries and Benefits72,1%
Purchased Services5.4%
Utilities1.8%
Transportation3.9%
Supplies and Materials6.0%
Property and Equipment2.6%
Bond Payments6.7%
Other Expenditures1.5%

[edit] Cuts

The 2011-12 budget includes $27.8 million in cuts, including cutting 236 full-time equivalent employees.[8]

[edit] Taxes

The total mill levy proposed for 2011-12 is 56.9, the same as the previous year's.[8]

[edit] Retirement benefit costs

For 2011-12, the district budgeted $36,412,013 for the Kansas State Employee Retirement System.[8]

The district's non-pension retirement benefits -- or Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEBs) -- had an unfunded liability of f $41.8 million in 2010.[12]

[edit] Academic performance

[edit] Adequate yearly progress

Wichita did not meet AYP goals in 2010, with the student body failing to meet math assessment standards and several subgroups failing to meet reading and math standards.

[edit] Math and reading

2011 Math and Reading Assessments[1]
GradeSubject% Met or Exceeded Standard
3rdReading76.4%
5thReading79.5%
8thReading71.6%
11thReading77.4%
3rdMath82.1%
5thMath80.3%
8thMath62.1%
11thMath62.8%

[edit] Graduation/dropout rate

In 2010, the district's four-year graduation rate was 63.1%, and its dropout rate was 1.9%.[1]

[edit] College readiness

Wichita students' average ACT score in 2011 was 19.8, compared to a statewide average of 22.0 and a nationwide average of 21.0.[13]

[edit] Reforms

[edit] Wider school boundaries

In November 2011, Superintendent John Allison is weighing a proposal to widen school boundaries and close some small neighborhood schools. He says there are trade-offs between efficiency and maintaining neighborhood schools.[14]

[edit] Eminent domain

In November 2011, the school board voted to use eminent domain to force 10 homeowners out of their houses. The district says it needs the land for parking lot expansions and more athletic fields. The homeowners, who did not accept the "fair market value" the school district offered them, plan to fight the seizure of their property. The district won in court in its last eminent domain case, in 2005.[15]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kansas State Department of Education "Report Card," Accessed November 18, 2011
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wichita Public Schools "Board of Education," Accessed November 18, 2011
  3. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "Board Agendas and Minutes," Accessed November 18, 2011
  4. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "Kansas Open Records Act," Accessed November 18, 2011
  5. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "Board Policy 4514," Accessed November 18, 2011
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wichita Public Schools "Finance," Accessed November 18, 2011
  7. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "Contact Us," Accessed November 18, 2011
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Wichita Public Schools "2011-12 Proposed Budget at a Glance," Accessed November 18, 2011
  9. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "Innovation & Evaluation," Accessed November 18, 2011
  10. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "Purchasing," Accessed November 18, 2011
  11. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "Superintendent," Accessed November 18, 2011
  12. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "CAFR 2010," Accessed November 18, 2011
  13. ↑ Wichita Public Schools "Innovation and Evaluation ACT/SAT," Accessed November 18, 2011
  14. ↑ The Wichita Eagle "Wichita students could travel farther under boundary proposal," Accessed November 18, 2011
  15. ↑ KSN TV "Homeowners forced to sell for school expansion," Accessed November 18, 2011


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