District Leadership Team Receives Invitation
April 17, 2025
Ness City USD 303 District Leadership Team Receives Invitation
Making decisions that affect the school district is a difficult task requiring numerous meetings (both Zoom and in-person), working on problems then solutions, and driving hours to attend training and seminars. However, Ness City’s District Leadership Team stepped up to this challenge.
Derek Reinhardt, Tom Flax, Dawn Flax, Brent Kerr, Lesa Schulte, Jennifer Foos, Linda Tillitson, Tonya Fenley, Kolin Klozenbucher, and Emily Keener comprise the District Leadership Team (DLT) for USD 303. Their goal is “district-wide improvement that ensures an equitable system is implemented to ensure that all students’ needs are met”. Using the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) model, the team focused on “a five-year cycle of improvement designed to address systemic issues, promote accountability, and ensure students are prepared for lifelong success”. This would be outlined through our district’s KESA Action Plan.
KSDE has four fundamental areas for the KESA Action Plan: structured literacy, standards alignment, balanced assessment, and quality instruction. It is up to the DLT to select one area for implementation. Our team’s plan will focus on “Quality Instruction with a structure on Educator Evaluation”. USD 303 will invest in “high quality instructional materials and professional development, equipping teachers with the tools and strategies needed to meet diverse students' needs and maintain sustainable, impactful practices.” Accountability for this plan will require teachers and administrators to perform “peer to peer” feedback through “walk through observations” aligned with “rigor, relevance, and student engagement” rubrics.
KESA’s Action Plan Committee reviewed, approved and determined that “the plan meets all review criteria and is Ready to Implement with no remediation, no questions or concerns”. This status is impressive as only 35% of the 259 school systems in Kansas who have submitted their Action Plans achieved Ready to Implement status on the first submission. The next step is to begin implementation of the action plan and work towards meeting our 6-month targets.
All of this hard work and dedication caught the attention of the Kansas State Board of Education. This resulted in a very special opportunity– an invitation to present at the KSDE Annual Conference on Quality Instruction/Educator Evaluation.
Dear Ness City USD 303
Your Innovative Work Deserves the Spotlight!
We're thrilled to invite you to take center stage at the KSDE Annual Conference as a featured presenter about your groundbreaking work in Quality Instruction/Educator Evaluation.
The Great Ideas in Education Conference is Getting a Makeover! Starting this year, we've transformed this event into a powerful "back-to-school kickoff" launching pad for district and building leadership teams. This July gathering will energize and inspire teams to craft winning strategies for their district action plans. You'll connect with innovative peers from similar districts to exchange game-changing practices and success strategies!
Mark Your Calendar!
- When: Tuesday, July 29 (Exact time coming soon!)
- Where: Hyatt Hotel, Wichita, KS - This summer's heart of educational innovation!
- What: Present and discuss your district's plans and implementation strategies and lead a discussion with those attending the session so that everyone learns from each other!
Ready to Ignite Minds? Your expertise deserves to be shared! If you and your team are prepared to lead an engaging 90-minute breakout session on July 29, hit reply, and let's make it happen! Please confirm by May 1. 2025
Congratulations District Leadership Team! Thank you for representing USD 303!
