The possibility of expanding college opportunities for Iola High School students and continued support for early childhood education were discussed at Tuesday’s USD 257 Board of Education meeting.
Dana Daugharthy, IHS career counselor and the new president of the USD 257 Endowment Association, outlined a proposal that could help remove financial barriers for students pursuing college coursework while still in high school.
Inspired in part by the Humboldt Promise program, the endowment is exploring ways to cover the cost of dual-credit classes for Iola students.
“We feel like there’s an opportunity for us to be able to create something here,” Daugharthy said.
The concept, still in its early stages, would allow current students to enroll in college-level courses without worrying about tuition costs. Daugharthy said the endowment is considering eligibility requirements, such as academic standards, similar to those used in other scholarship programs.
“It would be really nice if we could say to all of our students wanting to do dual credit, that it’s free,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about it.”
Daugharthy said the endowment board is expected to actively pursue the idea in the coming weeks.
Daugharthy said the proposal is targeted mainly at Allen Community College for the time being. He explained that the courses offered through Neosho Community College and Flint Hills Technical College are already funded through Excel in Career Technical Education funds as a part of Senate Bill 155. The bill allows students who take approved technical courses offered by Kansas technical and community colleges to qualify for state-funded college tuition.
The cost for a dual credit class via concurrent enrollment — taught at the high school by high school teachers who have been approved as adjunct college professors — is $50 per credit hour. For online classes or those taken in-person at Allen, the cost is $50 per credit hour and $15 in fees.
“There is some excitement about this,” he said. “I think it would set our district apart from other districts in a different way.”
THE BOARD also accepted a $290,250 Kansas Preschool Pilot (KPP) grant, continuing funding that the district has received for several years.
Curriculum Director Jenna Higginbotham reported that while state funding procedures have changed and some districts expressed concerns after funding sources were consolidated, Iola received the full amount it requested.
“We received the same amount that we’ve received for the past couple of years,” Higginbotham said.
She described the past year as a success for the preschool program, citing improved staffing stability after implementing an agreement with ANW Cooperative. For the first time, preschool staff were employed beginning in August, helping the district maintain nearly the same workforce throughout the school year.
“That was a huge difference maker in our preschool program,” Higginbotham said.
The district will operate five preschool classrooms next year instead of six. Higginbotham said enrollment is expected to increase slightly while maintaining current staffing levels. “We’ve got great people in place,” she said.
