2-24-25 Superintendent Update Letter
Greenback Families,
This letter includes several update items.
First, we were able to hold off converting April 18th to a school day because we converted our February 19th emergency school closure to professional development time. Per a KSDE rule, we can count ½ of the PD hours towards student-contact hours. We are out of emergency closure days, though.
Second, we have information regarding the PowerSchool data breach. PowerSchool will notify all impacted persons via email, but the process can be slow. In their notification, they will be offering free credit monitoring and cyber monitoring services. If you wish to expedite that process before you receive communication, here is the link to access the notice online and the link to these services. Here’s the link: https://bit.ly/41a679J
Finally, I wanted to touch base regarding our survey that we put out in December. The BOE members have access to the full survey and we reviewed the results. I reviewed the survey with our District Leadership Team (DLT), which includes school administrators and teacher leaders. I also reviewed the survey with our Site Council, and we had an extensive discussion on several of the questions.
One survey result, in particular, redirected our planning for professional development. While our DLT was leaning strongly towards early releases, the survey showed parents strongly supported 2 full day professional developments over 6 early release dates. For that reason, we have incorporated 2 additional professional development days in our calendar planning for 2025-26. We plan to put a calendar before the board at the March BOE meeting for approval.
We appreciate the supportive comments and it reinforces what elements of our schools enjoy big support from our parents. For the wishes/concerns, the administrative team and board grouped those into themes and we discuss if a solution is feasible or if a policy change would conflict with other goals. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at our central office, 620-672-4500.
Sincerely,
Tony Helfrich