A New Program For USD #215
by Tuanua Swartz
September 06, 2011
Greetings! USD #215 is excited to announce the addition of a new program this year. Our new program is called the Migrant Education Program. In the past, this program has been managed by Southwest Plains Regional Service Center on behalf of our school district. However, last year the district had a significant number of migrant students, and so we believed it would be in our best interest to take over the management of our own program so we could make it more personal. This new program is bringing new money into our school, as well as creating more jobs within our community by hiring additional paraprofessional support for the classroom. The Migrant Education Program is self sufficient and does not require any money from our General Fund in order to operate.
There seem to be some misconceptions about what a migrant student is. According to the Kansas Migrant Education Program website a migrant child is “ Any child age 3 to 21 who has not yet graduated from high school nor obtained a GED and has moved from one school district to another in the past 3 years to enable the child or a parent, guardian, or spouse to seek or obtain agricultural or fishing work. This work must be temporary or seasonal and it must play an important part in providing a living for the worker and his or her family.” Because of this type of lifestyle, migrant children can face many challenges in school due to the disruption of their education. As educators, we know that education is the key to dreams and opportunities. It is the goal of the USD #215 Migrant Education Program to provide support and assistance to our migrant students so that they are able to unlock their potential for success, realize their dreams and seize opportunities for their future.
If you have any questions or would like more information regarding our new Migrant Education Program, please feel free to call me, email me or stop by my office, which is located at Lakin Middle School.
Kim Panzer
ESOL and Migrant Director
620-355-6973
kim.panzer@usd215.org
