These students appear in a Kansas City Public School district video explaining the facilities master planning process, which has been put on hold.
The school district has canceled several upcoming meetings scheduled in its facilities master planning process.
The district says it is slowing down its study of potential changes to schools and attendance boundaries so it can better focus on student achievement.
This news comes as the district is in a fight with the state of Missouri on several fronts. First, the unaccredited district faces student transfers to neighboring districts, which would require it to pay for student transportation and tuition. Secondly, it has sued the state over its unaccredited status, claiming improved test scores should allow it to regain provisional status and avoid transfers.
“Through the Facilities Master Plan process that began in September 2013, the district has gained significant insight from the community regarding expectations for its schools. Input from community discussions and a strong desire to focus on student achievement during the upcoming testing season have led administrators to conclude that it is in the best interest of students and their families to extend the timeline of the project,” the district said in a press release.
“Student achievement is our no. 1 priority, and we must continue to prove to this community that our students are moving in the right direction. That’s why it’s important we take a deliberate and thoughtful approach,” Superintendent R. Stephen Green said. “If we do not increase student achievement, nothing else matters. We will continue to be good stewards of our taxpayer resources and address our important facility and boundary needs in the near future. That process isn’t over.”
The facilities planning process will be paused until the late summer/fall of 2014, with a final recommendation to the superintendent and school board expected in December 2014.
Community meetings to discuss school attendance boundary options, originally scheduled for Jan. 14 and Jan. 16, have been postponed.
More information about the facilities master planning process
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