Wichita school board delays vote on district training, behavior policy

Wichita school board members delayed a vote Monday on a plan to establish the district’s Multi-Tier System of Supports as permanent policy.

The system, commonly referred to as MTSS, involves teacher training and behavior plans that are consistent throughout the district. Since officials launched the system in 2010, it has become a framework for how Wichita schools operate.

The proposed policy is only three paragraphs long. But some board members on Monday said it left too many questions unanswered.

Board member Joy Eakins said she couldn’t vote to approve the policy because of the following sentence it contains: “The MTSS framework links all services in the district in a way that achieves the highest student outcomes in an effective, efficient, and cost-effective manner.”

“I think there’s a belief that that’s true, but the data that supports those outcomes is not here yet,” Eakins said.

Board member Barbara Fuller said she wouldn’t support the policy as written because teachers and administrators need more specific direction.

Lynn Rogers suggested tabling the policy to let Wichita superintendent John Allison tweak the wording, which could make it more palatable to all board members.

“I think we should be a united front. … This is really foundational to what we need to do,” Rogers said. “I don’t want to send a mixed message to our staff that we don’t believe in this.”

Allison said he would rework the policy and bring it back to the board.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 9:34 PM with the headline "Wichita school board delays vote on district training, behavior policy."