New Kansas Education Commissioner Hosting Community Conversations

NOTE:  The following news release was written by KES Principal, Adrian Howie for release to the elementary parents. I felt it needed to be shared to the district. 

Incoming Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson will host “Kansas Children. Kansas’ Future” community conversations across the state to give Kansas residents the opportunity to answer the question, What is the future we want for our children and what role should education play in supporting that future?

Parents, educators, legislators, school board members, business community members and other interested parties are encouraged to attend. Your feedback will be used to help shape Kansas’ strategic plan for education.

While there are 13 opportunities to be a part of this event, the conversation will come to our area on:

Date: January 27

Location: School Service Center

Address: 3850 N. Hydraulic

City: Wichita, KS

Time: 1:00-3:00

Date: January 28

Location: ESSDACK

Address: 1500 E. 11th, Suite 200

City: Hutchinson, KS

Time: 1:00-3:00

The outcomes of these conversations will impact all schools in Kansas, including ours. As such, I encourage you to attend this important event and let your voice be heard.

For more information, please visit the Kansas State Department of Education website at www.ksde.org 

School Board Recognition Month

January 2015 is School Board Recognition Month, a time to say a formal ‘thank you’ to a dedicated group of individuals - our school board members. The theme this year is “School Boards Lead so Student Achieve.” This reflects the invaluable contribution our elected school board members who volunteer countless hours in their roles as leaders in our community.

School board members in USD 331 Kingman-Norwich develop policies and make decisions that help shape the future of our education system, and in turn our community. This community entrusts them with the responsibility of an annual budget of approximately $10 million, 1000 students, 160 employees and three attendance centers along with numerous other assets.

Our board of education preserves the core of our democracy - public education. They ensure that decisions affecting our communities’ children in both Kingman and Norwich are made by people who are elected locally to represent our local values, hopes and dreams for our children.

Showing appreciation for the important work of school boards should be a year-round process, but too often we neglect to recognize the dedication and hard work of these men and women.  This January, the staff and students of our district are asking all members of the community to take a moment and thank a school board member. Thank them for volunteering their time and fulfilling this very important civic responsibility to make local control of public schools in our community possible.

We applaud them for their dedication for leading our schools so that today’s students can become tomorrow’s leaders. The men and women serving USD 331 Kingman-Norwich and their years of service are: David Lux, president, 4 years; Andrea Shipley, vice president, 6 years; Allen Young, 12 years; Matt Ricke, 4 years; Jeff Branstetter, 4 years, Tammy Schrag, 4 years; Jeff Samuelson, 2 years.