In an effort to keep students close to home and create a consistent and supporting school environment, the Kansas City, Missouri School District is moving to a new system of neighborhood-based elementary schools, where young people will grow and mature from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The new school layout is designed to improve student performance in our schools, build confidence in the District and strengthen our neighborhoods.
Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year, the District will reduce the number of middle schools and focus on placing students at campuses within their neighborhoods. This handout is designed to make the transition process as smooth as possible for our students and their families.
Question: How will this transition affect my student?
Answer: Students will return to their neighborhood schools based on their residential address, rather than being bused to schools outside of their residential boundaries. Signature middle schools will remain as a choice for families who want to take advantage of the District’s Signature high schools: Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, Southwest Early College Campus and Afrikan Centered Education Collegium Campus.
Question: What if my student is new to the District?
Answer: Students who are new to the District for the 2007-08 school year – those enrolling in kindergarten or those transferring from other schools – will be assigned to neighborhood schools based on the newly established boundaries. Maps showing those new boundaries will be available at KCMSD headquarters, 1211 McGee St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The maps are also available by clicking here.
Question: When will this transition begin?
Answer: The transition will begin in earnest for the 2008-09 school year, starting in August 2008.
• Students who are enrolled in kindergarten through fifth grade during the school year of 2008-09 will attend their nearby neighborhood school based on the newly established boundaries. Our goal for the younger children is to have them develop deep-rooted, long-term relationships with a school community in their home neighborhoods.
• Students currently enrolled in the 5th, 6th or 7th grades will remain in the schools in which they were enrolled the previous year, where they have established relationships with friends, teachers, and the entire school community. Other students will be enrolled in Neighborhood Schools. The district will continue to provide bus transportation for these older students attending schools outside their home neighborhoods.
Question: How will this transition affect the District’s signature programs?
Answer: The District’s premier “Signature School” education programs will remain intact through and after this transition. They will continue to offer a specialized educational opportunity for students who qualify for entrance. These are:
• The fine arts and performing arts programs at the Kansas City Middle School of the Arts and Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts;
• The college prep programs at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy and Southwest Early College Campus;
• The Afrikan-Centered Education (ACE) program
• The foreign language programs at Longan and the Foreign Language Academy
Bus transportation to these special “Signature School” programs will continue to be offered.
Question: How will this transition affect the Montessori programs currently in place?
Answer: The District’s commitment to offering choice is paramount to the diversity of our community. We will continue to offer Montessori programs at Holliday, Faxon, Border Star and Hale-Cook.
If you have additional questions that haven’t been answered here, please submit your questions by calling Public Information at (816) 418-7420 or try our Hotline by calling (816) 871-7770.