Welcome to Paola USD 368 with great students, a professional staff, and and and supportive parents and communities! The schools were

awarded 21 Standards of Excellence a second year in a row in Fall 2009. I encourage

you to check the district’s "Celebrations” link for lists of annual progressive changes and recognitions. The USD 368 Video provides an overview of the district and selected actions taken to implement the district mission statement, "Ensuring Success for All Students”.

 

Changes in District Busing Due to Budget Cuts

Like most districts, USD 368 has been forced to cut over $2 million in the past two years due to cuts in funds by the state legislature.  This has forced the district to raise fees/meal prices, cut/reduce programs and budgets, make energy improvements/savings, create a successful retirement program and cut 15 teachers and 15 classified staff.

District busing has been changed starting August 2010, to save $375,000 and avoid cutting 9 more teachers.  This was a hard but necessary budget cut that will require difficult adjustment for students, families and the schools.

The district will only provide the state-required transportation to and from home to school for students living 2.5 miles or more from their school. Eligibility to ride the district bus is always based on the home address.
Only two exceptions to the state law are being allowed.

1-The home stop may be “substituted” for the year with another approved stop on a district route—only one stop is allowed per student (it is to be the am, pm, everyday stop).

2-All students in the household may ride the bus, if one student qualifies for district busing.

Click the school maps below to see qualifying addresses based on the state’s audit definition of “the shortest reasonable route from each address considered separately (not considered part of a route or where the bus actually travels).

Cottonwood, Hillsdale, Sunflower, PMS, PHS

Kansas Central School Bus is the new bus company located at the same address, 1010 N. Pearl in Paola with new phones 913-294-9610.  Contact KS Bus to register to ride a district bus.

Avoiding Traffic Congestion at CE & SE and Busing Considerations

-KS Bus will not offer private busing less than 2.5 miles due to low interest in sign-up.

-New YMCA Care will be offered for a fee for students up to age 12 before (starting 6:30 am) and after school (to 6 pm) at Cottonwood Elementary.  The service will be offered at Hillsdale, if enough students sign-up.  Call Michelle Kaiser at 913-747-6186 for information/sign-up.

-It is against the law for pick-up lines to extend onto the city street and into traffic.

These cars are subject to traffic tickets and endanger other drivers.

-Use alternate Student Pick-up/Drop-off Points: 

1) North end of the PHS parking lot or

2) Stadium/PMS parking lot. 

Use these points to avoid traffic congestion at Cottonwood, Sunflower and PMS drives.  Do not block the cement bus drive in the Stadium/PMS parking lot.

-Sunflower will encourage parents to pick-up older students in the north end of the PHS parking lot. 

-New sidewalks on campus have been constructed for students to use between buildings.

 

Students Crossing 303rd & Hedge Lane:

1-Before School--An adult volunteer/WatchDog/PTO will monitor the 303rd and Hedge Lane intersection for safety. They are not allowed to stop city traffic, but the law requires cars to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk.

2-After School--The entire group of students not riding the bus or being picked up by car at Cottonwood will be safely walked by staff across the 303rd & Hedge Lane intersection to the paved area behind Sunflower and released, away from traffic. Siblings and older neighborhood children walking them home or to PHS & PMS student pick-up/drop-off points will be released in time to meet their Cottonwood student. Parents may also walk to meet their CE students behind SE, but no patron cars are allowed in this area.

Sunflower staff will walk students across Angela Drive to the north PHS parking lot student pick-up/drop-off point instead of creating a long line around the Sunflower drive.

3-During the day--Staff walk students for any school activities between buildings.

4-City police will help monitor this intersection for enforcement of the law requiring cars to yield to all pedestrians, especially the first few weeks. School Zone speed signs are already posted before this intersection.

-Car pooling is encouraged to avoid increased traffic at Cottonwood and Sunflower. Are there family, neighbors, friends, a day care or an entrepreneur that could transport your student(s) to better accommodate your work/family schedule?

-Adjust your arrival time to avoid waiting or illegally stopping on Hedge Lane or Angela Drive.  Cottonwood has generally placed their students in cars after school within 10-15 minutes.  If you had to wait 20 minutes, then come 15 minutes later.

More District Information Highlights

Note the “Health Services” link on the left for the flu information and the Panther Alerts link, to receive school closings and other school alerts on your cell phone or email.

IP Phones are installed in all classrooms. Teachers use Smart Board Technology for instruction in all core classrooms K-12. Parents and students have 24/7 on-line access to student’s course gradebooks, as well as school message boards and email access to teachers. With a fiber network, high speed Internet and network security, USD 368 is committed to using technology as a “tool” to enhance learning and to support a dedicated professional teaching staff.

Paola Schools are an integral part of a progressive “Community” featuring an active small-town square, a sufficient and growing business corridor, new housing complexes, and quick four-lane access to all of the Kansas City amenities. It is a great place to live, where people care about their children, schools, community and each other. This commitment and collaborations with our communities is evident in a review of the district Programs and Schools. Paola also has a rich historical background. Enjoy our web site, created by our students, and come visit our community and schools.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve your children and our community.

Superintendent Dr. Rod Allen