MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
NICKERSON, Kan. — USD 309 Superintendent Curtis Nightingale says the Nickerson-South Hutchinson school district has raised its graduation rate above the Kansas average while significantly reducing chronic absenteeism.
During an interview on the BW Morning Show, Nightingale said the district recorded a 93.8% graduation rate last school year. The statewide average for Kansas public schools is about 91%.
“That’s kind of been a focus for us for the last several years, getting our graduation rate up and getting our attendance rates up,” Nightingale said. “Really, that’s got a lot to do with educating both the students and their families about the importance of it and why it’s important.”
Kansas defines chronic absenteeism as missing at least 10% of the available school days. Nightingale said about 34% of USD 309 students were considered chronically absent three years ago.
“Last year, we got that down below 2%,” Nightingale said.
The district has also focused on preparing students for college and careers. Nightingale said more high school students are taking college courses while also balancing extracurricular activities, part-time jobs and family responsibilities.
Some students now complete college certificates before receiving their high school diplomas. Nightingale said those credentials can help students enter the workforce and, in some cases, qualify for higher starting wages.
“That’s why it’s important to us to find — and we do that a lot through the individual plans of study we do with all students at the high school — helping them plug into the thing they’re passionate about,” Nightingale said.
The district is also adjusting to new restrictions on students’ use of cellphones during the school day. The rules have particularly affected Panther TV, a program in which students produce photographs and videos promoting school activities.
“This cellphone bill effectively killed that program,” Nightingale said.
Students previously used their cellphones to record classroom activities and school events. The district has since obtained devices without internet access that students can use to gather photographs and video. Staff members are responsible for uploading the finished material to social media.
Nightingale said the district has otherwise experienced little resistance to the cellphone restrictions.
“One of the students said, ‘Well, anybody I would be messaging doesn’t have their phone either, so it really doesn’t matter,’” Nightingale said. “I think there’s a glimmer of hope in that, in that we are getting kids to focus back on what really matters rather than being focused on social media drama.”
Nightingale also discussed changes at Central State Academy, the district’s alternative education program. USD 309 switched learning platforms last year after the cost of its previous software increased substantially.
The replacement was unpopular with families, prompting the district to restore the former platform despite the additional expense.
“Our families let us know that they didn’t like the new program, and so we brought the old program back at that cost,” Nightingale said.
Nightingale said Central State Academy provides another path for people who do not succeed in a conventional school environment. Its graduates can include traditional high school students as well as adults returning to complete their education.
“We’ll see some 30-year-olds walk across that stage and finally grab that diploma,” Nightingale said. “That’s a really big thing for them, and we’re really excited to be a part of their lives.”