9 things to know about Wichita schools as a new year kicks off

Wednesday is the first day of school for more than 51,000 students in Wichita public schools, the state’s largest district. Sixth- and ninth-graders will attend a half-day orientation Tuesday.

As the buses roll and bells ring to start another new year, here are nine things to know:

1. Wichita students will be in school a half-hour longer each day, thanks to a revised calendar school board members approved in June.

Most middle and high schools will release students at 3:40 p.m. Most elementaries will go until 4:40 p.m. Early-start schools, including Northeast Magnet High School, will release students at 2:40 p.m.

Under the new calendar, students will go to school 158 days instead of 173. They’ll get a week-long fall break around Thanksgiving and a winter break Dec. 16 through Jan. 3. The last day of school is May 17.

If the district cancels school for inclement weather, make-up days are scheduled for May 19, 22 and 23.

2. Wichita’s new Southeast High School – the largest project to be built as part of the 2008 bond issue – will open to students this week. The $68 million school at Pawnee and 127th East is the first new comprehensive high school to open in the district since Northwest High in 1978.

The school board’s vote to build a new Southeast High in the far reaches of the district came after months of debate, which began after the district closed several schools and put bond projects on hold as education funding dropped from expected levels. The Wichita district plans to move its downtown administration offices to the old Southeast High at Lincoln and Edgemoor later this year.

The community is invited to a bond celebration and open house at Southeast High at 7 p.m. Aug. 25.

3. Kansas students will spend less time taking tests this year.

The Kansas State Department of Education announced last month that it will reduce the material being assessed by 60 percent in response to concerns from teachers, school officials, parents and advocacy groups.

The spring tests in language arts and math, which had been administered over four class periods, will now take place over two class periods from mid-March to April, state officials said. The maximum time students spend taking state tests is expected to decrease from 14 hours to six hours.

4. Wichita superintendent John Allison is starting his eighth year with the district, bucking a nationwide turnover trend among urban school leaders, whose tenure averages 3.2 years.

Across Kansas, more than 20 percent of districts will start this school year under new leadership, marking the highest turnover of superintendents in the state’s history, according to a state official.

5. Kids who spent their summer hunting virtual creatures on Pokemon Go likely will find restrictions on gameplay when they return to school.

Wichita district officials recently visited each school site to check for nearby PokeStops and Gyms “so we can identify those areas where teachers will need to be vigilant,” said district spokeswoman Wendy Johnson.

“We want the instructional year to begin strong and help our students clearly understand that distractions from Pokemon Go play during the school day will not be tolerated.”

6. Wichita teachers will begin the school year with their contract in dispute.

Negotiations between the school board and United Teachers of Wichita are on hold as district leaders consider a union proposal to unfreeze longevity pay and waive some proposed health insurance premiums for teachers.

Included in the district’s proposal is a one-time, 1 percent lump sum payment to Wichita teachers and some raises linked to additional experience and education, known as “steps” and “tracks.”

The union, which represents about 4,200 certified employees, has proposed a 3 percent increase to the salary schedule as well as moving all teachers to their appropriate pay level for steps, tracks and longevity.

7. Elementary students in Wichita will get more recess this year.

A recess committee, formed last spring at the urging of parents and recess advocates, has recommended elementary schools schedule one 15-minute block of unstructured play each day in addition to lunch recess.

The new directive also says schools should not withhold recess as a disciplinary measure.

8. Nearly 2,200 Wichita students who used to ride buses will have to walk or find rides to school this year.

In an effort to trim transportation costs, the district canceled many bus routes that, because of new sidewalks, crosswalks or other improvements, no longer meet the criteria for hazardous-route busing.

Last year, nearly 18,000 Wichita students rode a bus to school, said Fabian Armendariz, director of transportation. This fall, the number of students assigned to buses is about 15,150.

9. Education funding continues to be an issue to watch this school year in Wichita and across the state.

Wichita school board members tentatively approved a proposed budget that will lower property taxes and cut about $22 million in programs and expenses. Among other changes, the district closed Metro-Meridian Alternative High School.

And when the Kansas Legislature convenes for its 2017 session in January, it will have to craft a new school finance formula, regardless of how the Kansas Supreme Court rules in a pending lawsuit over the adequacy of school funding.

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 10:21 AM with the headline "9 things to know about Wichita schools as a new year kicks off."