Changes come to Kuna schools as students return to classrooms

Kuna kids are headed back to class, but this year they'll see some changes. After a supplemental levy failed in Spring, the Kuna School District had to make some major budget cuts that will impact schools.

• The District cut 25 staff positions this year, 6 of which were teachers.
• The District received a variety of grants to add new programs, train teachers, and improve security on campuses.
• Voters will see a supplemental levy from the Kuna School District on the November ballot.
• A new app called ParentSquare will be the primary form of communication for parents. You can download the app here.

( Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

“We’ve been super excited for our students to return, that’s why we're here," says Allison Westfall, the Communications Director of the Kuna School District.

She tells me they’re ready for kids to return to school.

“So folks have been cleaning up buildings, getting their classrooms ready. We've had open houses all getting ready," says Westfall.

But after a failed supplemental levy in Spring, students will be seeing some changes.

“So we went through a series of budget cuts and the biggest cuts came in reductions in staffing and of that there were several classroom teachers. So as we look at a growing district, it’s very challenging for us to address any class-size issues that emerge," says Westfall.

25 staff positions were cut at Kuna Schools, 6 of which were teaching positions. The cuts will also impact middle school students who are no longer able to take home a school laptop, those laptops stay in classrooms instead.

But changes this school year aren’t only cuts… The District also received a variety of grants to add programs like Lego Explorers Clubs at all elementary schools, get extra training for teachers over the summer, and add updated fencing and gates to campuses.

Parents will also have access to a new resource this year as The District is moving all communications to a centralized app called ParentSquare.

“One of the best things for parents is they can direct message, like a text message, their teacher. So they go through the app, they look up say Mrs. Martin and send her a quick message like Johnny forgot his lunch,” explained Westfall.

Westfall tells me that the new app will make asking questions and staying up-to-date easier for parents.

Even though The District just finished budget cuts for this year, there is still more to cut.

“Our school board took a look at what potential cuts could come, because we had a need to cut nearly $5 million. So we did the first cuts that impacted this school year and there’s another $3 million or so that needs to be cut. As they looked at that, they decided to ask our community for a levy so about $3.6 million. Most of that is going to be teachers," says Westfall.