District awarded Star Award, school board approves emergency technology

Charlotte Richter/Staff Writer

Members of the Unified School District 207 Board of Education heard a report on Special Services Enrollment from Dr. Diane Greer, shared recent district awards and approved new crisis alert technology and construction projects during the monthly school board meeting Oct. 24 in the district office.

Special Services update

Director of special services Dr. Diana Greer shared a report on enrollment and personnel in the USD 207 Special Services Department for the 2022/2023 school year. Greer said as of Sept. 20, the district identified 201 students as exceptional, 19 of which identified as gifted and 182 as special education.

“When we look at the overall percentage, we’re at about 12 percent of our population being identified as needing special education services, either gifted or for disability.”

She said the rate is lower than the national percentage for exceptional students in a given district, just above 13 percent. She identified historic data by exception and school with the highest trends in autism, developmental delays, speech and language, and learning disabilities. Greer pointed out nuances in the data reflected. For example, learning disabilities often continue as students age, hence the continued upward trend across schools over time. She said the data is consistent from year to year.

Greer said she anticipates growth in the gifted population as the department completes testing in the school district.

Greer also shared personnel changes, including five new employees supporting the department.

School board members asked about Individualized Education Program progress following Greer’s presentation. Greer said even with improvements in the IEP process to streamline paperwork and identification, the process is time-consuming. She said her team is doing better with interventions, and progress is going well.

Project WIN grant

Dr. SuAnn Grant, deputy superintendent, said the Department of Defense Education Activity awarded USD 207 a $2.2 million five-year grant, one of the largest grants the district has ever received.

Grant said the Project WIN grant focuses efforts on student intervention programs. While the district values similar programs, this grant provides additional funding to incorporate what she said DODEA calls “well-defined individualized novel interventions.” The district has already incorporated the grant into activities and will begin offering optional training to district teachers by December.

Grant said the district is excited to learn more about the grant.

“We’re pleased to be a part of the DODEA family and pleased that we keep getting chosen to win.”

Star Award recognition

Superintendent Dr. Keith Mispagel shared that USD 207 earned a silver award for the second year in a row in the Kansans Can Star Recognition Program.

Mispagel said the program measures academic preparedness for postsecondary education based on data from state assessments. The metrics, known as outcome measurements, “are categorized as either quantitative or qualitative measures, (and) serve as the roadmap for Kansas to reach its vision for education,” according to a KSDE press release.

The Star Award in silver is the second-highest award offered in the program. USD 207 is one of two school districts to earn a silver Academically Prepared for Postsecondary Award for 2022. No school districts earned a gold award this year.

“I think that speaks to the hard work of our teachers and staff, especially as we presented last year to the state board of education — especially in light of student turnover of more than 50 percent each year,” Mispagel said. “That is a huge focus on how our parents support the schools and how our teachers and staff really love helping kids move forward and improve.”

Centegix CrisisAlert

Mispagel recommended that the board approve a five-year contract for Centegix CrisisAlert badges, which would allow USD 207 staff members to press a button on a lanyard for distress calls and emergencies.

Unlike other emergency alert systems, the battery-operated badges can discreetly geolocate issues on school grounds for an efficient response from administration and emergency services. The school board approved the recommendation and will work on additional details with Centegix to customize the system to USD 207 needs and interests.

The school board also approved a district resolution documenting its support for military families, a replacement retaining wall, sewer improvements and other administrative responsibilities.

The next USD 207 school board meeting is at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at the MacArthur Elementary School cafeteria. Meetings are open to the public.

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