Olathe School District

The Olathe Unified School District (Kansas Unified School District 233) is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and the second largest school district in the state of Kansas. There are nearly 29,000 students enrolled in the district, which currently operates 4 high schools, 9 middle schools, and 34 elementary schools, as well as a number of additional educational and support facilities.

History

The district was created in 1965 from the consolidation of the Countryside, Meadowlane, Mount Zion, Olathe, and Pleasant View districts. Wayne Fick became the first superintendent of the newly unified district. At the time of its creation, there were 3687 students attending a single high school, junior high school, and 5 elementary schools.

M.L. Winters was named superintendent in 1968, and served in that role for 23 years until 1991 - the longest tenure of any superintendent in Olathe history. During that time, district enrollment increased from 4433 to 15,357 students, and 22 new facilities were constructed or rebuilt. The district continued to grow at a rapid pace under the leadership of superintendents Ron Wimmer (1991-2005) and Patricia All (2005-2010), and Marlin Berry (2010-). In 2010, the district recorded an official enrollment of 27,999, becoming the second largest school district in Kansas.

Beginning in 2009, the district launched a new K-5, 6-8, 9-12 grade configuration. Prior to this time, students in grades 10-12 were assigned to high schools, grades 7-9 to junior high schools, and grades K-6 in elementary schools. As part of this transition, all junior highs were rebranded as middle schools. The transition to this new configuration was completed in 2011. ^{[2] [3]}

In August of 2014, it was announced that construction would begin on Olathe's fifth high school, Olathe West.

Demographics

As of September 2012, there were 28,872 students enrolled in the school district, which is operated by 4442 staff/faculty. The vast majority (83.2%) of students are drawn from Olathe, Kansas with the remainder of students living in the neighboring cities of Overland Park (10.1%), Lenexa (5.9%), Shawnee (0.1%), unincorporated areas of Johnson County, Kansas (0.3%), or outside the district (0.4%). The general population of the district boundaries is 158,000, with a median age of 33.2 years old.

The district has a high school graduation rate of 92.9%, with average class sizes as follows:

• Elementary Schools: 20.5
• Middle Schools: 22.0
• High Schools: 25.5

Racially/ethnically, the student body is predominantly (71.4%) White/Caucasian. The largest minority groups are Hispanic/Latino (13.3%), Black/African American (7%), and Asian (4.6%).^[3][4]

Leadership

In 2010, Dr. Marlin Berry was appointed as district superintendent, replacing outgoing superintendent Patricia All. Dr. Alison Banikowski and Dr. Erin Dugan serve as deputy and assistant superintendents, respectively.^[5]

The Olathe Board of Education is currently composed of the following members (term and district):^[6]

• Debora Daniels, President (2011–15, District 1)
• LeEtta Felter, Vice President (2011–15, District 1)
• Amy Martin (2013–17, District 2)
• Rick Schier (2011–15, District 2)
• Brent McCune (2013–17, District 3)
• Mike Poland (2013–17, District 3)
• Harlan Parker (2011–15, At Large)

Facilities

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See also

• List of unified school districts in Kansas
• List of high schools in Kansas

References

External links

• Olathe School District