District keeps student meal prices unchanged for upcoming year

Five elementary schools to continue free meal program

District announces free summer meals program for local youth

Board approves $23,000 purchase of local artificial intelligence server

Board member raises concerns over impending state cellphone restrictions

Rising insurance costs highlight preliminary FY 2027 budget report

Manhattan High School special education room gets $63,000 upgrade

Local first responders to conduct active shooter drill at Frank V. Bergman Elementary School

Ogden Elementary reports massive gains in student reading proficiency

1. District keeps student meal prices unchanged for upcoming year

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Student meal prices will remain flat for the upcoming school year after the board unanimously approved the child nutrition department's administrative recommendation. The board also voted to set adult meal prices to align with the rates recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Stephanie Smith, director of child nutrition, was commended for the department's deep dive into the district's food economics and her ongoing efforts to keep lunch costs manageable for local families.

2. Five elementary schools to continue free meal program

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Students at Bluemont, Lee, Northview, Ogden and Woodrow Wilson elementary schools will continue to receive free meals during the 2026-2027 school year through the Community Eligibility Provision. The board unanimously approved the continuation of the program, noting its importance in supporting local students amid a changing economic picture. Under a new state statute, the board is now legally required to hold public discussions regarding the program for any school with a direct low-income certification rate of 50% or higher.

3. District announces free summer meals program for local youth

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Free breakfast and lunch will be available to all local children and teenagers this summer through a program running from May 26 to July 31. The summer feeding program is entirely free for anyone ages 1 to 18 and will be hosted at Bluemont, Frank V. Bergman, Northview, Theodore Roosevelt and Ogden elementary schools, as well as Manhattan High School. The program will pause operations on July 3 in observance of the Independence Day holiday weekend.

4. Board approves $23,000 purchase of local artificial intelligence server

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The board of education unanimously approved the $23,000 purchase of a private artificial intelligence (AI) server and three configured software models from a Kansas education organization. The closed-network system, which processes queries entirely locally, was praised for minimizing the risk of exposing personally identifiable student information. District officials anticipate the AI tool will save significant staff time by instantly synthesizing testing data to design targeted student interventions and quickly answering queries regarding massive district documents, such as the special education policy handbook.

5. Board member raises concerns over impending state cellphone restrictions

MANHATTAN, Kan. — A looming state statute restricting cellphone use in schools drew concern during the meeting, with fears the mandate will disrupt vital parent-child communication. It was noted the district previously engaged the community to build a localized, consensus-based technology policy, but the new state rules could leave students unable to access necessary daily tools, such as digital bus-tracking applications. Further local discussions were urged to intentionally shape the district's cellphone rules before the strict state guidelines are imposed in August.

6. Rising insurance costs highlight preliminary FY 2027 budget report

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Preliminary budget planning for fiscal year 2027 shows the district facing a 9.7% increase in property, liability and auto insurance, adding nearly $120,000 to the budget following a jump in district claims. Presenting the budget update, Director of Business Operations Andy Hutchinson noted that while the district's workers' compensation premiums will decrease by 12% after changing providers, health insurance rates could spike as much as 23% unless a better market rate is successfully negotiated. Additionally, state base aid per student will increase by 2.9% to $5,778 based on a three-year enrollment average.

7. Manhattan High School special education room gets $63,000 upgrade

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Manhattan High School will receive a $63,186 upgrade to its special education facilities following the board's unanimous approval of a construction bid. A contractor was awarded the contract to complete the high school's Behavior Intervention Room Upgrades project. It was emphasized that these crucial infrastructure improvements will provide staff with better, specialized environments to support students with acute behavioral and educational needs.

8. Local first responders to conduct active shooter drill at Frank V. Bergman Elementary School

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Frank V. Bergman Elementary School will host a comprehensive active shooter training exercise for local emergency responders from June 3-5. Superintendent Eric Reid noted that the multi-day drill is an extended exercise designed primarily to help law enforcement and emergency personnel practice interagency coordination and familiarize themselves with school building layouts. District administrators will also actively participate as roleplayers in the drill to evaluate and improve the school system's internal emergency response and post-crisis plans.

9. Ogden Elementary reports massive gains in student reading proficiency

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Ogden Elementary School achieved significant academic gains in student reading proficiency this year, raising the percentage of students reading at or above grade level from 21% to 66%. According to a building report, the school also cut the number of students who were severely lagging — two or more years behind reading level — nearly in half, dropping from 27 to 15 students. Educators attributed the rapid growth to the successful, school-wide implementation of a new reading curriculum.

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