Former School Board Member Phil Hutchinson Honored

Phil Hutchinson was recently honored by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA) for his service to public education. Hutchinson was one of eight individuals to receive the association's Friend of Education Award. This special recognition was made during the awards banquet at the MASA Spring Conference on March 25 at The Lodge of the Four Seasons at Lake Ozark, Missouri.

This award is presented annually to recognize non-educators, one from each of the eight MASA Districts, for their contribution to education locally or statewide.

Hutchinson was nominated for the award by school administrators in the Greater Kansas City MASA District. He served on the Grain Valley School District Board of Education from 2001-2014.

District Earns Fleet Excellence Award for Inspection of School Buses

The Grain Valley School District Transportation department has earned the 2015 Fleet Excellence Award from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Grain Valley received a 95.7% percent first pass rate by the highway patrol during the February 2015 school bus inspection.  The Fleet of Excellence Award means that the Grain Valley School District bus fleet had a 90 percent or better rate with no “out of service” vehicles. Grain Valley has a fleet of 47 school buses owned and serviced by the District’s Transportation department.

“We are pleased to have the endorsement of the Missouri Highway Patrol that our buses are safe and well-maintained,” said Dr. Roy Moss, superintendent. “The Fleet Excellence Award brings attention to our transportation department for their hard work and attention to detail.”

The district’s bus fleet will soon have a new place to be serviced and stored. Construction continues on a new facility for the transportation department on the northeast corner of Eagles Parkway and Sni-A-Bar Boulevard, three-quarters of a mile west of Grain Valley High School. The district expects to occupy the facility in June 2015. The overall design allows for future expansion as the student population within the district grows.

Prairie Branch Principal Heather Gross Named "New Exemplary Principal" in KC Area

A few students shared something special about Mrs. Gross.

Heather Gross, principal at Prairie Branch Elementary School, has been named the New Exemplary Principal by the Kansas City Suburban Elementary Principals Association (KCSEPA). The organization selected Mrs. Gross from among area administrators who are in their second or third year as principal.  In selecting an honoree, KCSEPA looks for an administrator who meets their rigorous criteria, including exemplary performance as a new principal.

Prairie Branch students waiting for Mrs. Gross to enter the gym.

Mrs. Gross pictured with husband Kirk and oldest child Gavin.

Mrs. Gross was presented with flowers and balloons at a surprise all-school assembly Monday morning including the school's 536 students, plus faculty and other school and district administrators.  Mrs. Gross' husband, Kirk, and the oldest of their four children, Gavin, were also in the audience.

A few students spoke about what having Mrs. Gross as their principal means to them.  A video highlighting Mrs. Gross' qualities as a servant leader, wife, and mother was also shared.

Mrs. Gross had the last word.  "I feel so incredibly blessed to work with such amazing teachers who care so much about you (students).  That makes my job easy.  I love to come to work every day.  This is a group honor because I have such a great staff, leaders, colleagues I get to learn with, and I have really great students who make this school rock!  I also appreciate my supportive family."

Mrs. Gross and 11 other new principals will be recognized at the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) Spring Leadership Conference in March.

District Pilots 1:1 Technology Initiative

November 21, 2014

Students in three Grain Valley High School classes will be selected to carry a second generation Chromebook with them to all classes this spring as a pilot project.  The district is exploring the possibility of issuing devices to more students in the future.

The School Board approved the purchase of 150 Chromebook devices at their meeting on November 20.  Seventy five of the new laptops will be issued directly to students to use at school and home.  The remaining 75 devices will be divided evenly between three teachers for use in all courses taught by these teachers.  These teachers will receive ongoing training on integrating technology within their teaching practices. The teacher selection process is underway now and students will be identified before Christmas break.

"Technology can be used to improve learning by encouraging collaboration beyond the classroom as well as providing access to online resources," reports Dr. Brad Welle, Assistant Superintendent of Academic and Student Services.  "Technology is becoming so central to all aspects of life; it is taking a greater role in teaching and learning."  In order to gather data on the learning benefit of laptops in class, students and teachers involved in the pilot program will provide input regularly on their experiences with the devices, from the level of collaboration and research being done, to the functionality of the machine itself.  District officials will monitor how students respond and they expect to gain innovative ideas from the students.

Director of Technology Dr. Nick Gooch says the selection of the Samsung Chromebook came down to value.  "For under $300 per device, this laptop is expected to have the functionality and durability needed for day-long use by high school students."  Student safety is also a priority.  "We have filters in place to prevent misuse and ensure the device is used for the intended purpose."

The goal is to be able to make an informed decision around additional devices for the start of the 2015-2016 school year.

UPDATE: June 15, 2015
After a successful pilot with 75 students being issued Chromebook devices this spring, an additional 375 students will be issued devices beginning in the fall of 2015, bringing the total to 450 students. 

Structures for teacher training have been put in place to support teachers as they work to integrate the new technology in their instruction.

The impact of the new practice of issuing devices to high school students will continue to be closely monitored as the district works towards the goal of issuing Chromebooks to all Grain Valley High School students by the fall of 2016.

PRESS RELEASE - School Board Passes Resolution Opposing Amendment 3

The Grain Valley School Board has passed a resolution opposing Amendment 3.  Superintendent of Schools Dr. Roy Moss made this statement about the Board's action, "The Board opposes Amendment 3 because it imposes a one-size-fits-all approach that, if passed, would take away local control and place greater emphasis on standardized tests instead of on instruction and learning."

Amendment 3 is on the ballot for Missouri voters on Tuesday, November 4.

The language of the resolution passed by the Grain Valley Board of Education is listed below.

WHEREAS, Amendment 3 on the November ballot is a state mandate that shifts local control for educational decisions away from parents, teachers, administrators and school boards; and

WHEREAS, Amendment 3 is a poorly drafted and deeply flawed proposal that has many unintended consequences for teachers, administrators and school boards; and

WHEREAS, Amendment 3 would prevent school boards from hiring, promoting, compensating or dismissing teachers in accordance with board policy; and

WHEREAS, Amendment 3 would force taxpayers to pay for additional standardized tests at a time when our public schools remain significantly underfunded by the state; and

WHEREAS, Amendment 3 significantly changes teacher evaluations away from a tool to improve teacher performance;

Therefore be it RESOLVED, the Grain Valley R-5 Board of Education on this 21st day of August 2014, hereby opposes Amendment 3 on the November ballot.

Dr. Roy Moss Named Superintendent of the Year

Dr. Roy Moss, Superintendent of Grain Valley R-V School District, has been named the Missouri Superintendent of the Year by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA).  The announcement of the award was made on September 27 during the Missouri School Boards’ Association and MASA joint fall conference held at Tan-Tar-A Resort.

As the winner of this award, Moss received an award acknowledging his selection, a $500 scholarship for a student in the Grain Valley R-V School District and a commemorative ring.  The award is sponsored by PFM Asset Management, LLC, which is the program administrator for the Missouri Securities Investment Program.  As the recipient of the award, Moss will represent Missouri in the National Superintendent of the Year program conducted by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).

Dr. Moss has been employed by the Grain Valley R-V School District as Superintendent of Schools since July 2009.  He previously served as Superintendent of the North Callaway R-II School District from 2004-2009 and as a high school principal at South Callaway School District from 1994-2004.

Under Moss’ leadership, the Grain Valley School District has opened a designated facility for early childhood special education, which has brought a greater emphasis on closing the achievement gap in preschool-aged children with learning delays.  The facility has become a point of pride for the families of preschool-aged children in the community who have special needs.

The district has developed a funding strategy to fund the construction and makeover of the existing high school through the passage of annual bond issues and without increasing taxes.  The plan will span more than ten years.  To date, two phases of classrooms have been added to the high school.  In addition to the classrooms, the sports stadium has been renovated, and construction will soon begin on a new transportation center. 

During Moss’ first year at Grain Valley, the district established the Grain Valley Education Foundation.  Each year, the foundation provides scholarships to graduating seniors.  In addition, classroom grants are awarded to teachers twice each year.  The foundation has grown its overall fund balance from $0 to $222,426.03 in its first five years.

Dr. Moss has served as President of the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City; President of the Northeast School Administrators District; President of the Missouri River Valley Conference and on the Board of Directors of the Missouri Securities Investment Program.  He serves on the Grain Valley Economic Development Board, the Grain Valley Assistance Council and the Grain Valley Tax Increment Financing Commission.  He is a Deacon, member and Financial Trustee of the First Baptist Church in Blue Springs, Mo.

Construction to Begin on New Transportation Facility

School Board members, architects, engineers, contractors,
and district personnel break ground at the site of the district's
new transportation facility set to open the summer of 2015. 

School bus drivers and their families joined planners and school district leaders for a ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday on the site where construction on the district's new transportation center is set to begin in a few days.  The $3.8 million project will be completed next summer. The centerpiece of the project is a 10,627 square foot building to house transportation department offices, a meeting room for bus drivers, and work bays for four buses.  A secured parking lot will hold 56 buses.

The facility is being constructed on the north end of a 17-acre property located on the northeast corner of Eagles Parkway and Sni-A-Bar Boulevard, three-quarters of a mile west of Grain Valley High School.  Buses will enter and exit the facility from Sni-A-Bar Boulevard.  The south half of the property, along Eagles Parkway, will remain undeveloped at this time.

Street view of the new transportation center, looking north.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Roy Moss states the importance of a new transportation facility, “We need a modern transportation facility to secure and maintain our growing fleet of buses.” Dr. Moss adds, “Our long-range plan calls for ongoing additions and renovation to the high school to grow its capacity to approximately 1500 students.  Moving the buses to a different location allows the expansion of the high school to continue.”  The district's school buses have been housed behind the high school since 1997, when the district had just 20 buses.  

The second phase of a multiple-year expansion and renovation of the high school was completed in time for the start of the current school year.  There are 1100 students in the high school this year.  The capacity of the high school building was 850 students just three years ago.

Dr. Moss states that the School Board has set aside funds over the past few years specifically for this type of project.  "We recognized several years ago that there would be a time when our bonding capacity would be stretched to keep up with demand for new classroom and student activity space.”

According to Dr. Moss, 4060 students attend Grain Valley Schools in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grade this year, up from 2160 students just ten years ago, “This is the next step on an on-going journey of growth as a school district.  We will continue to plan and prepare.”  Site planning for the facility also leaves room for future additions to the facility to potentially accommodate twice as many buses and twice as many work bays.