Board considers meal price increase amid $500,000 in unpaid fees

District seeks demographic study to redraw school boundaries

Asbestos discoveries delay elementary school flooring projects

Georgia Matthews Elementary named Apple Distinguished School

AVID program celebrated for closing academic achievement gaps

Board considers meal price increase amid $500,000 in unpaid fees

GARDEN CITY, Kan. - The Garden City Board of Education is considering a 25-cent per meal price increase for the upcoming school year as the district grapples with a dwindling nutrition fund and more than $500,000 in unpaid student fees. Nutrition Director Tracy Johnson proposed the increase at Tuesday's meeting, noting the district's nutrition fund balance has fallen from more than $1 million to about $150,000. District officials said they do not send families to collections for unpaid lunch, technology or textbook fees so as not to financially harm students, but they are encouraging building secretaries to work with families on payment plans and may restrict high school students with unpaid fees from attending non-academic activities such as prom.

District seeks demographic study to redraw school boundaries

GARDEN CITY, Kan. - The board authorized the district to seek proposals from demographic companies to redraw school boundaries ahead of the planned fall 2028 grade reconfiguration. The study will assess migration patterns, birth rates and housing developments to determine new boundary lines as the district transitions to a K-5 elementary and 6-8 middle school model. Superintendent Josh Guymon said the new boundaries will aim to equalize building usage across the district's 13 elementary schools and balance feeder patterns into the district's two middle schools.

Asbestos discoveries delay elementary school flooring projects

GARDEN CITY, Kan. - Unanticipated asbestos discoveries will delay planned flooring replacements at Victor Ornelas Elementary School and Plymell Elementary School. The district received base flooring bids of roughly $65,000 for each school, but initial asbestos abatement quotes came in substantially higher than the $20,000 originally estimated for the combined projects. District officials are seeking additional quotes for full abatement at both campuses before presenting final flooring and abatement contracts to the board for approval later this month.

Georgia Matthews Elementary named Apple Distinguished School

GARDEN CITY, Kan. - Georgia Matthews Elementary School was recognized Tuesday as an Apple Distinguished School, becoming one of only eight schools in Kansas — and one of only two west of the Kansas City metro — to earn the designation. District Technology Director Casey Wise said the achievement reflects the staff's intentional shift away from digital "time-filler" games toward more meaningful technology use. The school underwent an application and vetting process to demonstrate its use of iPads for differentiated learning, problem-solving and student collaboration.

AVID program celebrated for closing academic achievement gaps

GARDEN CITY, Kan. - High school and middle school students praised the district's Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program Tuesday, citing improvements in their public speaking, note-taking and college readiness skills. Data presented to the board showed 92 percent of high school AVID students took at least one rigorous course last year, compared with 82 percent of the general student body, and participants scored higher on state reading and math assessments. The college and career readiness system, which targets and supports students in the academic middle, is looking to double its enrollment at the high school level.

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