Welcome to the Wichita Public Schools

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Welcome to the Wichita Public Schools

• An Update For The Kansas
• State Board of Education

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Who Are We?

• 48,865 students in 05-06
• Largest public school district between
  Mississippi River and Denver, Dallas and the
  Canadian Border
• 90th largest district in the US
• 92 schools, 11 additional program options
• MSAs 5th largest employer
• 3,669 teachers, 224 admin., 2,110 classified
• 434 million annual budget
• 73 percent for salaries and benefits

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Who Are We?

• District rich with diversity
• 43.5 Caucasian - 21.5 African-American
• 21 Hispanic - 6 Multi-Racial
• 5 Asian - 3 American Indian
• 66 qualify for free or reduced lunches
• 5,500 bilingual students served
• 8,500 special education students served
• A great choice for Wichita families!
• Neighborhood schools offer strong options
• 25 magnet school programs at all levels
• Special programs to meet needs of all learners

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A District of Achievers!

• American School Board Journal recognizes Wichita
  as one of seven urban leaders in student
  achievement
• Eight consecutive years of increasing student
  achievement, gap narrowing
• 32 schools receive Standard of Excellence
  recognition, 5 receive the Challenge Award
• WPS students receive prestigious Gore and Barton
  scholarships from Wichita State University, East
  High student named National Achievement Scholar
• Nationally recognized band and orchestra
  ensembles, National Academic Leagues teams, JROTC
  programs

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With Teachers To Make It Happen!

• Wichita math, science teachers received
  Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and
  Science Teaching
• Robinson Middle School teacher received National
  Educator Award from Milken Foundation
• Superintendent, Stucky Middle School principal
  and Heights teacher all named Fulbright Scholars
• Spaght Elementary teacher named 2006 Kansas
  Teacher of the Year finalist
• Teachers across the district recognized
  regionally and nationally for being the best of
  the best

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Our Efforts Are Working
8th Grade Reading
District-wide results
Caucasian and African American gap narrows
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Our Efforts Are Working
4th Grade Math
District-wide results
Caucasian and African American gap narrows
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Exceeding National Peers

• Outstanding growth, especially compared to urban
  peers in the U.S.

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New Facilities Support Wichita Kids

• 284.5 million school facility bond issue
• supported by Wichita voters 2-to-1 in April
  2000
• Features 92 school
• projects, all completed
• by the start of school
• this fall

• All architectural
  firms and contractors are from Wichita/
  south-central Kansas - 17 architectural
  firms
• - 25 general contractors
• - 51 sub-contractors

Wichita elementary students help to celebrate
the groundbreaking of the districts
newest school, Jackson Elementary !
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High-Quality Learning Spaces

• 5 schools rebuilt in Wichitas core area
• Horace Mann, Allen, Enterprise, Linwood and
  Washington

• 1.2 million square feet of new space
• 6 million square feet of existing space fully or
  partially renovated
• 29 FEMA safe rooms added

Washington Elementary, one of the districts
oldest school buildings, before and after
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High-Quality Learning Spaces

• 21 new libraries
• 227 portables replaced with new spaces
• 500 classrooms
  (including art and
  music)
• 150 science labs
  (middle, high)

Library at Harry Street Elementary, new space
capturing the architectural tradition of the
existing building
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Featured Projects
Stucky Middle School
Wichita High School North
Horace Mann Elem/Middle
Wichita High School East
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Saving Taxpayers Dollars

• Projects on schedule, on budget
• Low interest rates in bonds will save taxpayers
  approximately
• 49 million
• Refinanced bonds
• will save
• 3.3 million

Colvin Elementary expansion one of the final bond
projects completed this spring
Will insert pix
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• School
• Finance

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Special Session How We Used the New Money in
05-06

• Increased labor costs 16.1 million
• New teachers, paras 7.6 million, 145.4 FTE
• Special ed expansion 2.6 million, 38 FTE
• Computer/technology instruction 1.7 million
• Bi-lingual expansion 1.4 million, 19.9 FTE
• Custodians, equipment 1.02 million, 31.7 FTE
• School supplies, textbooks, equipment 1
  million
• All-day kindergarten 509,140, 10 FTE

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Significant Needs Remain

• LPA studied the cost of K-12 education
• Ran four models, all four found Wichita schools
  short between 93 to 133 million based on our
  student population
• Consistent with WPS Suitable Education analysis
• Current need is 142.3 million
• 2006-07 budget priorities are based on this
  analysis

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2006-07 Budget Priorities

• Highlights include
• Reaching the state average class size 34
  million
• - Includes 647 additional teachers to reach
  target
• Adding instructional time for teachers 5.5
  million
• - Includes 4 addtl. class days, 40 minutes per
  week
• Increasing teacher salaries 8.4 million
• - 4 percent salary increase to be competitive
  with private sector, attract
  highly-qualified teachers
• Implementing high school reform 8 million
• - Smaller learning communities, academic deans
• Supporting fixed cost increases 10 million
• - Includes steps and tracks, utilities, fuel

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Unique Urban Needs

• 400 homeless students
• 400 district students in foster care
• About 50 of students live with two parents
• Number of students in poverty has risen from just
  over half nine years ago to 66
• 25 increase in bilingual student population in
  six years 4,110 students to 5,500 today
• 8,500 students receive special education services

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Unique Urban Needs

• According to LPA, student poverty and limited
  English proficiency are two factors that
  negatively affect student performance
• ..almost 50 more than the base level costs for
  student in poverty to achieve the same
  performance levels.
• the costs of educating students in four
  inner-city districts is even greater.
• urban poverty is associated with a variety of
  more serious social problems, including drugs and
  violent crime.
• Children with a parent in jail or prison are
  eight times more likely to have contact with JJA

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Added Resources DO Make A Difference
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North High Story

• Demographics
• 43 Hispanic
• 35 White
• 16 African American
• 6 Other
• 73 Free/Reduced
• 19 Special Ed
• 19 ESOL

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North High Story

• Attendance Rate
• 01-02 83
• 02-03 84
• 03-04 88
• 04-05 88
• Graduation Rate
• 01-02 48
• 02-03 54
• 03-04 60
• 04-05 74

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North High Story

• Expulsions
• 01-02 67
• 02-03 64
• 03-04 48
• 04-05 32
• Drop-out rates
• 01-02 14
• 02-03 7
• 03-04 4
• 04-05 3

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North High Story

• State Math
• 01-02 25 proficient
• 02-03 25 proficient
• 03-04 30 proficient
• 04-05 26 proficient
• State Reading
• 01-02 30 proficient
• 02-03 44 proficient
• 03-04 47 proficient
• 04-05 53 proficient

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North High Story

• Achievement Gap
• Reading Proficiency
• White 61
• Black 42 (up from 18)
• Hispanic 42.9
• Math Proficiency
• White 46.4
• Black 15.3
• Hispanic 19.9

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Advanced Placement

• 23 tests given in 02-03
• 78 tests given in 03-04
• 122 tests given in 04-05
• North average score 2.9
• National average 2.8
• AP enrollment from 6 sections with 106 in 02-03,
  to 14 sections of 242 in 05-06
• Minority percentage from 8 in 02-03, to 31 in
  05-06

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North High Story

• Challenges
• Large Hispanic mobility rate
• Hispanic male 4.7 dropout/ 34 graduation rate in
  02-03 (up to 60 graduation rate in 04-05)
• Illegal status
• Work to support family
• Cultural attitudes towards Education

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North High Story

• Challenges
• Poverty issues
• Enter workforce earlier
• No history of educational success
• Parental involvement
• Teacher recruitment
• Minority representation
• Passion for urban students

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Demography is not Destiny

• Culture of High Expectations
• Behavior/Safe and Orderly
• Accountability
• Support
• Relationship
• Academic Rigor
• Data
• Mindset
• Support

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North High Story

• Small Learning Communities
• Academies
• AVID
• Auto Tech
• Bio Med
• School-wide support structure

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All ninth graders tested in ACT Exploration
College ready
All Seniors tested ACT
AP support. AVID. Senior Project Institute.
Learning Center. Mentors
All Juniors tested in PSAT/Some take ACT
Content tutorials. AP Support. College. Career
Institute Curriculum. AVID. Learning Center.
Mentors
All Tenth Graders tested in ACT Planning/Some
take PSAT
Institute looping. AVID. Content tutorials.
Career Exploration Institute Curriculum. 3 tiered
English/Math intervention. mentors
All ninth graders tested in ACT Exploration
Social Studies/ L-Arts teaming. AVID. Peer
Mentors. Success Pathways Institute Curriculum. 3
tiered English/Math interventions. Content
tutorials
By Alexander R. Liebeno
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Staff Development How do we prepare and train
our teachers?

• Differentiated
• Knowledge, Application, Impact
• Reading, Writing, and Problem Solving strategies
• Cultural considerations

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• QUESTIONS?

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Wichita Public Schools