While pressure is being put on the city by a few residents to rename Glenwood Park for Frederick Douglass, in memory of Douglass School which was razed in 1962, some questioned what USD 503 would or should do. Some residents believed it was the district that had razed the school.
Board member Lou Martino said the district closed the school in 1954 after Brown V. Board of Education, and it sat unused, for the most part, until the district sold the building in February 1960 to Parsons Industry Inc. It was deeded to the company in 1961 and the company razed the school in 1962. Martino showed the board the deed, signed by Pete Hughes, which the Parsons Sun located.
Martino said he is not in on the Glenwood Park name change but believes the current board of education should take part in honoring Douglass School, though in a different way. The former location of the school is near the intersection on Central and Morton, beside the railroad tracks and city walking trail.
“There is a lot of potential for what I see could happen at that particular spot,” Martino said.
His idea is for a large monument, about 6-foot tall, by 4 or 5-foot wide, by about 3-foot deep, made from granite, with a bronze plaque to be erected by the walking trail. Someone could write the history of Douglass School on the plaque and “not sugar coat it.” The building was razed with all the trophies and memorabilia still in it.
Martino said he would like to get input from former Douglass students and would like a task force put together to design the memorial. Price wise, Martino said he does not think it will be a factor.
“So, we may want to work with the city and put our ideas together and they can decide what to do with Glenwood Park. As for the school district, it was my thought that this is the way we should go,” Martino said.
Board member Olivia Lyons said she attended Douglass School until the fifth grade when it was closed. She noted the sadness older Black residents who attended the school still carry that everything in the school was destroyed, as though trying to erase its history.
“I think that would be the least we could do to show that it did exist, and it was a wonderful school, wonderful school,” Lyons said.
Board member Lee Ann Hunter said for people to think about how people recently reacted to Washington School being razed, and how upset they got.
Martino said there is a lot of great history connected with Douglass School. Just one example is the Watkins family. The superintendent of the district when Douglass School was open, Rees Hughes Sr., hired Levi Watkins Sr. as principal of Douglass School. Watkins had five children, one of whom was Levi Watkins Jr. who became a heart surgeon at Johns Hopkins, and was the first physician to implant an automatic defibrillator into a human patient. He became chief resident of cardiac surgery, acting as the first African American chief resident at the university. His sister, Annie Watkins Garraway, was a philanthropist and mathematician, who earned her master’s from Berkley, and had a successful career at AT&T Labs and Lucent Technologies, where her algorithms and inventions paved the way in telecommunications and electronic transmission of data, according to her family.
“So, you are right, there are many people that were well educated, that became well known,” Martino said.
Board president Jeff Quirin said he thinks the most important thing is getting the narrative right on the memorial since that is what will be seen.
“You are not doing the memorial justice if the story is not told appropriately,” Quirin said.
Martino said he would also like to have a piece of artwork of the school done by local artist Skip Smith put on the plaque.
Quirin said it is Martino’s desire for the district to enter a dialogue with the city, with a joint venture in mind, so to speak.
Superintendent Lori Ray said the city tabled deciding on changing the name of Glenwood Park until they hear from the school district. Ray intended to contact City Manager Debbie Lamb following Monday night’s meeting.
With the memorial placement being right by the old Douglass school, beside a walking trail and by an intersection where people can stop and see it, Quirin said he doesn’t know how you could get more perfect than that.
Martino asked that the district administration get a team together to work with the city.
Hunter said it would be wonderful if the city would put additional plaques all along the trail there with highlights of the school.
“They did that at George Washington Carver Museum and it’s neat,” board member Kala Green said.
“Thank you, and the whole community,” Lyons said.
SCEC request
Lee Reliford with the Second Chance Education Center spoke to the board Monday. The SCEC is designed for youth struggling with traditional education strategies, whose life trauma keeps them from completing high school. Reliford said the center wants to partner with USD 503 to provide for these students, which are essentially the 18.7 percent of at-risk students who drop out or do not graduate with their class.
Reliford said there are a variety of ways the district can partner with the SCEC. For example, rather than suspending students, USD 503 can send them to the center to stay up on their curriculum. There Reliford said, in addition to curriculum, they will teach the students soft skills and project-based learning to overcome life’s barriers, through teaching positive mental attitude, encouraging students to believe in themselves. Reliford said the intent is to prepare them to reenter the traditional educational setting when possible.
Reliford said the SCEC is accredited nationally through Cognia and they are working on Kansas accreditation through Kansas State Department of Education and anticipate having provisional accreditation by Aug. 1. Board members said further discussion would have to take place once the center is accredited. Quirin said the board needs further information regarding matters of cost of the program and accountability under state accreditation.
Building Needs Assessment
The board was presented with the Building Needs Assessment, which is State Assessment review questions put out by the Legislature for budget considerations and answered by building administration.
The three questions asked by the Legislature are basically:
● Identify the barriers to every child reaching proficient on state assessments.
● What budget actions could be taken to remove those barriers?
● Identify the amount of time it is going to take for all students to reach proficient on the state assessments.
Ray said building leadership identifies the barriers in their schools to answer the questions the state requires.
The known reality is it will never happen that every child will reach the proficient level, for reasons such as an ever-changing student population coming with varying degrees of cognitive abilities and disabilities, precluding districts from being able to set a date when all students will meet a singular level of proficiency, Ray said.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, the board:
Heard a report on social emotional and attendance data.
Heard there are about 110 elementary school students in summer school and about 40 middle school and high school students.
Heard a Strategic Plan update and received a draft.
Heard the District Office will be closed June 19 in recognition of Juneteenth and July 4 in recognition of Independence Day.
Accepted a total of $4,497.83 in donations to the district’s schools.
Tabled renewal proposals for property and liability, cyber liability, and Worker’s Compensation insurance for the 2024-2025 school year. Approved the plan for Safe Return to in-person instruction and continuity of services.
Discussed first reading of the student parent handbooks, bus driver handbook, parent/student transportation handbook.
Approved policy JMCC on enrollment of nonresident students with changed dates and addition of students in good standing back. Not applicable to pre-school.
Discussed first reading of Kansas Association of School Board June policy updates.
Set a July organization meeting for 6 p.m. July 8. The regular board meeting will commence at 6:10 p.m.
Authorized the transfer of funds to close out fiscal year 2024.
Approved participation in Greenbush Energy Group and Hedging Authorization for 2024-2025.
Approved the memorandum of understanding and the yearly lease agreement with the Parsons Recreation Commission for use of the soccer field.
Approved increasing adult meal lunch prices by .05 cents to $4.80 for the coming year. Adult breakfast prices will remain the same. All students eat free for the 2024-2025 school year.
Approved the procurement plan for the Child Nutrition Program for July 1 through June 30, 2025.
Approved the food service Written Standard of Conduct.
Approved application for the Safe and Secure Schools Grant through KSDE for middle school and high school security camera projects.
Accepted the resignation of second grade teacher Allie Jones, LaKaito Barr-Miller PHS track coach 2024 season, and Heather Heady Lincoln billing clerk.
Approved recommendations for employment of Logan Bowman, as part-time custodian. James Gilpin, high school construction teacher, Eric Lyons, Guthridge Title I Aide.
Approved the transfer of Avery Perez from elementary art teacher to second grade teacher.
Heard a report on the Tri-County Special Education Cooperative meeting. Tri-county heard the state was giving more special ed money and they thought they were getting it, because all special education money is pass through money, sent to the districts and then straight on to the coops. Ray said the state however decided the money would go directly to help districts covering additional costs related to special education from their general funds, like transportation, so the money is being sent to the districts instead of interlocals and coops Ray said Tri-County plans to raise the amount the district will pay by 13%. Hunter said at the last Tri County meeting there was a lot of concern about filling positions. With no increase in pay, they can’t be competitive at all with other places of employment. There has been a shortage of paras and Special Education teachers for several years.