Ark Valley News - District considers Parents as Teachers

District considers Parents as Teachers
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: April 16, 2018

In an effort to better prepare young students for school, the Valley Center school district is pursuing a program that has proven popular in several area school districts.

The school board April 9 gave elementary principals Mark Hoy and Mary Carpenter the green light to apply for a grant to implement Parents as Teachers.

The program, which is used in area districts such as Andover and Maize, works with families who have pre-kindergarten children, teaching parenting skills and identifying child-development resources.

According to its website, the national Parents as Teachers organization says it helps prepare children for a "stronger start in life and great success in school,"

One of the goals in the Valley Center school district's strategic plan is to better prepare students for kindergarten.

"It is to get them ready for school," Carpenter said.

According to a memo to the school board, the program would start with two full-time "parent educators" who would "share age-appropriate child development information, address parenting concerns and engage the family in activities."

The program would coordinate group connections, screening and playgroups and provide resources.

Home visits also are part of the program.

Hoy said he and Carpenter plan to submit a grant application this week, seeking $60,000 in funds. If approved, the district would pick up the remainder of the total estimated cost of $100,000.

The program will not move forward if it does not receive the grant, Hoy said. However, they would reapply for the grant.

Some board members wondered whether the services the program provides could be accomplished by an organization other than the school district, since the children in the program aren't students.

"What's the gigantic benefit to our district?" asked board member Brad Barbour.

Superintendent Cory Gibson said the district should help prepare children for kindergarten.

"We know that with our state board goals, we're going to be held accountable for kindergarten readiness and post-secondary success," Gibson said. "… Right or wrong, I think that's where we're heading. … I want to be sure we're doing everything possible to make sure our kids are prepared when they walk through our door."

Board member Roger Joyal, who was the only one to vote against moving forward with the grant application, said the program would take money away from classrooms.

In other business April 9, the board:

•Heard a presentation on the "7 Habits" of leadership by Abilene Elementary students.

•Approved out-of-state travel requests from Gibson (AASA National Superintendent State Leadership Conference May 3 through 5 in Los Angeles), from the intermediate school robotics team (world competition April 29 through May 2 in Louisville, Ky.) and from the FBLA club at the high school (FBLA national conference June 26 through July 2 in Baltimore).

•Was reminded that high school graduation was 3 p.m. May 13 at Koch Arena and that The Learning Center graduation will be 7 p.m. May 16 at the high school.

•Learned that the district has applied for a grant to continue the summer food service program.

•Approved a request to waive five credits from graduation requirements for three TLC students.

•Approved e-rate and Smartnet agreements.

•Approved the disposal of technology equipment and various district items.

•Approved the acceptance of funds from a variety of donors for the intermediate school robotics team to attend the world competition.

•Approved an agreement with Skyward software.

•Heard a report from the Abilene Site Council.

•Heard a legislative update from Gibson. The Kansas Legislature early April 8 approved a plan that increases school funding by about $100 million a year for five years. The plan will go before the state supreme court in May to determine whether it meets the constitutional mandate for adequacy. "It's a step in the right direction," Gibson said. The plan would increase per-pupil funding by $50 next year.

•Heard an update on Kansas Educational Systems Accreditation. The district is in the second year of a five-year process in the state's change in how a district receives accreditation.

•Heard a report on future technology needs and approved bids for technology purchases. The bids included $161,213.70 from CDW-G for 670 Chromebooks, $80,302.50 from Mvation Worldwide Inc. for 150 desktop computers and $131.928.95 from Apple Inc. for 401 iPads. With the purchases, the district plans to spend about $550,000 on technology in 2018-19.

•Tabled a decision on the 2018-19 student handbooks. Final approval will take place next month.

•Set a special meeting for 7 a.m. April 16 at the high school library to consider bids on summer construction projects.

•Met in executive session for seven minutes to discuss an individual employee's performance.

•Approved changes to the district's decision-making teams, which will add $7,400 to supplemental contracts costs in 2018-19.

•Approved an agreement to use three lanes of the Newton YMCA swimming pool for the high school's new swimming team. The team will not host any meets in the first season.

•Accepted supplemental contract resignations from Holle McQuitty (girls soccer assistant coach, March 14) and Taylor Hagerman (high school boys basketball assistant coach, March 27).

•Approved supplemental contracts for Dimitri Hill (girls soccer assistant coach, $2,800, March 26), Abra Thieme (boys and girls swimming head coach, pay rate to be determined, Nov. 12 and Feb. 25), Chris Edwards (boys and girls golf head coach, $3,400 Aug. 13 and $3,400 Feb. 25) and Phil Van Horn (bowling head coach, pay rate to be determined, Jan. 2).

•Approved the hiring of Mike Vestering (HVAC technician, $20.35 per hour, March 26), Ashley Bowers (middle school English teacher, $45,154, Aug. 9), Katrina Polson (middle school family and consumer science teacher, $40,000, Aug. 9), Samantha Aeschliman (middle school math teacher, $40,550, Aug. 9), Alexandria Sells (Abilene kindergarten teacher, $42,648, Aug. 9), Lisa Gamble (middle school English teacher, $43,302, Aug. 9) and Sara McKnight (high school business and computers teacher, $40,997, Aug. 9).

•Accepted the resignations of Dalene Unruh (Abilene instructional aide, retirement, May 18), Holly (Rutter) Avalos (high school business teacher, May 21), Todd Larkey (middle school art teacher, May 21) and Brooke Ward (middle school English teacher, May 21).