Welcome To USD #247
Unified School District #247, Southeast Schools
By Tim Burns, Superintendent
Welcome to the USD #247 web site and thank you for visiting us. As we approach the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a little information about our school district. This information includes a description of our district, district governance information, and a brief description of some of the programs and initiatives that we have implemented, or are in the process of implementing for the new school year. I hope that you and your children have a great school year and a very positive educational experience via our district schools.
About USD #247:
USD #247 is a district of 300 square miles, serving approximately 805 students in grades Pre-K through 12. Communities within the district are Cherokee, McCune, Weir, and West Mineral with Cherokee, McCune, and Weir being locations for K through 8 attendance centers. McCune is also home to our 4-year old pre-school program. Students from these three attendance centers progress to Southeast High School, located just west of Cherokee, for grades 9 through 12. All centers within the district are accredited by the Kansas State Department of Education and provide a great comprehensive education through academic and vocational course offerings as well as a wide range of clubs and athletics. USD #247 employs 75 certified teaching staff and 63 classified support staff to serve the needs of our students. USD #247 receives Special Education services through the Southeast Kansas Special Education Interlocal, which serves 13 districts in the Southeast Kansas area. Additional district information which you might find of interest is:
2008 - 2009 Budget Information:
District Assessed Valuation: $ 26,619,895
General Fund Budget: $ 6,127,736
Local Option Budget: $ 1,675,000
Mill Levies: Total: 42.142 mills
General Fund: 20 mills
Local Option Budget: 22.142 mills
Our Board of Education:
The Board of Education of USD#247 meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the district board office located at 506 S. Smelter in Cherokee, 620-457-8350. Current board of education members for the district are:
Greg Hite - President
Tara Underwood - Vice President
Mindy Dainty - Member
Denise Grasso - Member
Troy Smith - Member
Alan Rogers - Member
Keith Ritchey - Member
Programs and Initiatives:
Programs:
K - 4 Jump Start:
We have just completed our fourth year of a district-wide half day jump start program for selected students in grades K through 4. This program focuses on reading and math readiness with the goal of improving their skills in these areas in order to achieve a greater level of success in school .
PowerSchool:
PowerSchool is an integrated student management system which allows students and parents access to selected educational information. This information includes; grades, attendance, account balances, etc. The link for PowerSchool is on the right hand side of the district web site pages. A password and ID, allowing you access to your child(rens) information only, may be obtained from the building principal where your child(ren) attends school.
Technology:
Now in the third year of implementation, the 1:1 Laptop Initiative at Southeast High School provides a laptop computer to each student in grades 9 through 12 for use 24/7 during the school year. There are restrictions, as outlined in our district Acceptable Use Policy which must be read and signed by all students and parents, but the program is designed to allow access to technology to all students. To better facilitate this initiative, we have implemented StudyWiz as well, which is a program designed to give students greater access to homework assignments, instructions, and assistance on-line from teachers (even at night). Students at the elementary schools have access to both a computer lab, scheduled at regular times, and mobile, wireless laptop carts for in-classroom use by the regular classroom teacher.
Random Student Drug Testing:
Our random student drug testing program, implemented during the 2007-08 school year, for students in grades 7 through 12 wishing to participate in extracurricular and/or co-curricular activities, or who wishes to drive to school and park their vehicle on school grounds, must agree to be part of the random testing pool. A third-party, independent testing company will select the students at random from the pool and conduct the tests on-site at the schools. The rationale for this policy is encourage students to remain drug & alcohol free by giving them a reason to say NO. Students will receive a copy of the policy and the agreement sheet, which must be signed by the student and his/her parent(s) prior to participation is allowed. The policy may also be viewed on the district web site.
Testing:
MAP Testing , The Measure of Academic Proficiency (MAP), will be given this year for the first time in grades K through 8. This assessment can be given multiple times during the year to check students progress and will help us provide quicker and more appropriate assistance to each individual child.
State Assessments : State assessments are given each year, some on a rotating schedule and some on an every year basis. Students in grades 3 through 8 take the Reading and Math assessment each year; students at the High School must take the Reading and Math assessment once during their high school career. Other state assessments, such as Writing, Social Studies, and Science are given at specific grade levels on an every-other-year basis.
