Parsons USD 503 provides a number of special services to its students through partnerships with other organizations whose personnel are embedded in its schools to work directly with students and families to help students meet with success.
Representatives of those organizations appeared before the USD 503 Board of Education Monday night to provide accountability reports, updating the board members on what they have been doing.
SparkWheel, which is dedicated to keeping students in school and helping them reach their goals by removing barriers, has three people working in USD 503 at the elementary, middle school and high school level. Tanner Smith, Susan Hill, and Dara-Barr-Miller work alongside community partners, filling unmet needs and helping fuel the spark to ignite students' full potential. The three, along with SparkWheel Chief Program Officer Kelly Standford, shared with the board the purpose of the organization, and the dozens of projects and events they have worked on throughout the last year. Projects spanned a wide range, from working with community members and businesses helping provide coats and shoes for children and helping teach them finances, to students volunteering and giving back to the community that gives to them.
Parsons High School JAG-K Career Specialist Shayla Reliford shared how her program, (Jobs for America’s Graduates) works to help prepare high school students for successful futures. Reliford partners with students to help them identify a career path compatible with their interests and skills and overcome the various challenges they face that put them at risk of not attaining educational and career success. She shared with the board JAG program’s success rate in its students graduating PHS, as well as the high percentages of students employed or fulfilling their goals post graduation. Reliford also talked about her new entrepreneurship project she implemented this year with students.
KU Telehealth ROCKS Community Health Worker Jaran Dixon spoke to the board about his position working at the elementary school level to help address attendance rates. His focus is to help children to have access to quality education by helping families remove barriers to reaching their goals. This often means making home visits to talk to parents. His efforts have contributed to a drastic decrease in absenteeism.
Last but not least, Mental Health Intervention Team representatives spoke about their program that is provided in partnership with Labette Center for Mental Health Services. Schools statewide were reporting increased social emotional needs of students, at younger ages and within families. Through MHIT Schools, therapy staff and case management staff is implanted directly into the school settings and works together with staff to provide care to at-risk youth within the school system. It brings mental health services into the schools so that students are not missing a half-day or a full day of school to receive needed services. Robyn Thomas, a mental health liaison for the district, and social worker Kristina Mayhue, reported 193 students are currently being served, 65 of whom are children in foster care.
Superintendent Lori Perkins said all of these services have successful, positive impacts on students, though all have been impacted by recent funding cuts at federal and state levels. It is hoped the programs can be continued into the future.
Certainly, Perkins said, “the key to each of these programs is having the right people in the right spots to make them effective, and we have the right people.”
IN OTHER BUSINESS, the board:
Heard Feb. 16 is President’s Day, so there will be no school and the district office will be closed.
Heard March 6 is the end of the third quarter and students will get out at noon. Lunch will be served.
Heard March 9 is the start of parent-teacher conferences week. Monday is middle school and high school, Tuesday is elementary conferences and Wednesday that week will be all grade levels.
Heard there will be no school March 13, providing a comp day for teachers.
Accepted the retirement of PHS math teacher Eric Swanson at the end of the school year.
Discussed the course description handbook.
Agreed to hire a Kansas Association of School Boards attorney to assist with negotiations.
Accepted December donations to schools totaling $8,220.39, including a $5,214 donation from the Garfield PTO to purchase playground equipment.
Accepted a bid of $27,000 from All State Restoration for sandblasting and painting the middle school fire escape.
Accepted a bid from Midwest Coating to reroof Lincoln at a cost of $348,000. The work has a two year workmanship guarantee and 25 year warranty on materials. Work will begin this summer.
Declined students and staff having to make up the snow day from Jan. 26.
Approved the 2026-27 calendar as proposed.
Extended to the contracts of all district managers.
Heard from KASB that the district's audit is going to be the week of Spring Break.
Heard March 9 is the next Board meeting.