What’s new at south KC public schools

By Sara Wiercinski

Public school children returned to classes this week. The Telegraph asked the four local school districts to share news for the 2024-2025 school year.

Center School District

Center School District is rolling out a partnership with Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City to strengthen the district’s support of students’ social, emotional and behavioral health. The pilot program will last two years. In addition to connecting families to available health resources, Children’s Mercy staff will train administrators, teachers and support staff to implement restorative practices from RestorEd, a framework for interaction proven to improve classroom relationships, increase personal accountability and foster community. The district expects to see a decrease in total suspensions and violent incidents as a measure of the program’s success.

Hickman Mills C-1 School District

On the first day of classes, Hickman Mills High School students entered the Real World Learning Center, located at 10307 Hickman Mills Drive, a complete remodel of the former Pinnacle Career Institute. The center will provide hands-on learning experiences, staff development space, community space, and a student-run coffee shop that is open to the public. It will house Burke Academy, the district’s school for children who need nontraditional classroom settings. High schoolers will take classes at the center as part of the World of Work coursework, where they encounter real-life situations in various industries including construction, health sciences and entrepreneurship. Middle school students enrolled in pre-engineering, Project Lead the Way and other STEM classes will visit the center for field trips. District educators are in the process of developing PreK and elementary curriculum, which will roll out later this year. The district will host a grand opening in September.

In 2023, 62% of Hickman Mills High School students graduated with a Market Value Asset– real-life skills that set up graduates to continue their education or pursue a well-paying job right away. Examples include welding training or Adobe Creative Suite certification. The Real World Learning Center is one way that Hickman Mills School District hopes to expand the number of high schoolers graduating with a Market Value Asset to 90% or more.

This year, 6th, 7th and 8th graders are once again together, only now in two buildings–Hickman Mills Middle North (9010 Old Santa Fe Road) and Hickman Mills Middle South (1053 Greenwood Road). Each school has a theme to offer more concentrated programming, though students at both schools will receive a full curriculum and extracurricular opportunities. North will be a Fine Arts theme, and South is STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math). Two schools make for smaller classroom sizes, and the 6th graders will be in separate spaces from the other grades. North and South will come together to play sports, fostering a camaraderie between the schools which both feed into Hickman Mills High School. 

Grandview C-4 School District

Grandview spent $7 million in various upgrades across the district, thanks to funding from the bond issue passed last April. Students at Conn-West Elementary, High Grove Early Childhood and Belvidere Elementary will all enjoy renovated playgrounds with a new emphasis on safety and fun. The district renovated the gym at Center for Alternative Instructional Resources (C.A.I.R.) and installed front entrance security enhancements at several schools. Grandview High School got a new athletic field and track, plus enhancements to the athletic and manufacturing wings of the building.

Kansas City Public Schools

Kansas City Public Schools has partnered with Zum Student Transportation Services for the 2024-2025 school year. Zum buses are air conditioned and have safety features like cameras and iPads for student riders to check in and out. All data will be available to parents through a mobile app.

Next April, KCPS will ask voters to approve a General Obligation bond to address critical infrastructure improvements. There will be a public meeting on August 22 at 5:30 pm at the Board of Education, 2901 Troost, to see the initial plans and offer feedback. KCPS says its current tax revenues are insufficient to meet the $400 million in deferred maintenance costs. The average age of a school building within the district is 60 years old.

School District Map

South Kansas City spans multiple school districts. View district maps and look up your school district at showmekcschools.org.