Wichita USD 259
Wichita USD 259
Main page

Wichita USD 259

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Wichita USD 259

Wichita USD 259 is a public unified school district headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States. The district includes most of the cities of Wichita, Bel Aire, Eastborough, and Kechi.

The largest school district in the state of Kansas, USD 259 had these approximate statistics in 2016:

(Of these schools, 24 are specialized-curriculum "magnet" schools.)

The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education, in 2006, reported that, in the fall of 2004, the Wichita Public Schools ranked 91st largest, by total enrollment, among all school districts in the nation. It also indicated that the Wichita Public Schools, in 2003–2004, had a total revenue of $452,437,000.

The Wichita Public Schools (USD 259) are governed by a non-partisan elected school board, the USD 259 Board of Education (BoE), which has seven members. Six members are nominated by voters in six geographically defined board districts throughout the overall school district. There is one nominee from each district. Those nominated then run for election district-wide. The seventh board member is nominated, and then elected, from the school district at large. Elections are for four-year terms, and are held in odd-numbered years (winners taking office the following January). Members are elected with staggered terms. Three members are up for election in 2020; then, two years later, the remaining four members are elected.

The Wichita Public Schools chief executive is the Superintendent of Schools.

Alicia Thompson became Superintendent in July, 2017—the District's first woman, and first African-American, to hold that post. She was previously the district's assistant superintendent for elementary schools. Thompson is one of the district's few superintendents, in recent decades, to be promoted to that post from within the district; most have come from out-of-state. However, polling of the public, during the latest superintendent-hiring process, informed the Wichita BoE that the community strongly preferred a local person, from within the Wichita Public Schools system, for the post. Thompson, who attended Wichita Public Schools at all levels, from kindergarten though high school graduation, served in the district as an elementary school teacher, principal and administration executive, prior to appointment as assistant superintendent, then superintendent.

Thompson succeeded Superintendent John Allison (who announced his resignation, to become superintendent of the Olathe Public Schools in Olathe); Allison served as superintendent since 2009, succeeding Winston Brooks, who resigned in 2008.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.