As part of the District's process to update our Strategic Plan for 2025-30, Platte County School District recently reached out to our parents and community members to gather feedback that will inform the development of our updated Strategic Plan. Nearly 1,200 responses were received.

Below are the results of the 2024 survey, along with answers from our 2021 survey.

In addition to the results above, we have provided some information on frequent topics shared in the open-ended questions of the stakeholder survey/ThoughtExchange: "What does/can the District do that would delight you; and what information or advice would you give the District as it makes decisions about long-term priorities and goals?" For each topic listed below, we share actions our District is currently taking. With the development of our updated Strategic Plan for 2025-30, additional action steps addressing these topics may also be identified.

You can view the full ThoughtExchange Results by clicking here.

Teacher Salaries and Retention

The District is committed to offering competitive salaries to attract and retain high-quality teachers and supporting staff members. Efforts have been made to address salary disparities and ensure competitive compensation. Following the Prop C Waiver/Levy Transfer ballot issue approval in April 2024, and using the results of the compensation and classification market comparison study, staff representatives along with District leaders developed a salary and benefits recommendation to position the District within 5% of the median of the competitive market for all staff positions, among other enhancements.

In early May, the Board of Education approved a salary enhancement recommendation, positioning the District within 5% of the market median, providing incremental step movement for all employees, increasing the base salary by 4% for certified, support, and professional/technical staff and 3% for administrators, and adding longevity stipends.

Average salary enhancements resulting from the salary recommendation:

• Certified Staff: 10.18%
• Support, Professional/Technical Staff: 8.31%
• Certified Administrators: 5.27%
• Non-Certified Administrators: 8.57%

The tables below show PCR-3’s difference from the median 2023-24 salaries in the “Northland 6” (PCR-3, Park Hill, North Kansas City, Liberty, Kearney, and Smithville) with cells highlighted in orange showing where our schedule is lower than the median by 5% or more; grey where our schedule is greater than the median by 5% or more. The first table shows differences before the ballot question and salary recommendation were approved. The second table shows the progress that has been made since.

Learning Environments, Behavior Management, Counseling and Student Supports

Participants highlighted the importance of maintaining small class sizes to enhance student achievement, student behavior, and teacher retention. The need for improved access to school counselors and mental health support was also a recurring theme.

PCR-3 has consistently maintained low student-to-teacher ratios that are between the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's recommended standard and desired standard:

• Grades K-2 = Standard 25:1; Desired Standard 17:1
• Grades 3-4 = Standard 27:1; Desired Standard 20:1
• Grades 5-6 = Standard 30:1; Desired Standard 22:1
• Grades 7-12 = Standard 33:1; Desired Standard 25:1

The District monitors class sizes as they approach the upper end of the range and uses this information, along with enrollment projections, to plan for additional staffing needs and supports.

We are supporting our students and staff in the area of behavior management by deploying safe and civil schools training. The Board approved partnering with Safe and Civil Schools last spring to implement a comprehensive behavior framework District wide. The partnership is providing training and resources for preK-12 teachers and support staff focused on positive behavior support for individual students, classrooms, and buildings. Safe and Civil Schools is a research-based framework to assist all students to be successful schoolwide. 

Grading System and Timely Updates on Student Progress

The District is reviewing the current grading and reporting system to ensure Kindergarten through 12th grade alignment, articulation of expected learning outcomes, and mastery of standards and skills, by grade-level and course. This will provide continuity, as we monitor a student’s progression through their K-12 academic journey. In addition, our goal is to ensure our academic reporting process is focused on academic mastery, and is easily accessible by students and families.   

During the month of October, the Teaching & Learning Team will request feedback from stakeholders (parents, students, and staff) seeking input on these questions:  

• What do you see as the strengths of our current K-12 grading system?
• What are your concerns with the current K-12 grading system?
• What do you want to see in an aligned ideal grading system?

From this feedback, and research related to grading and reporting, PCR-3’s Teaching and Learning Team will develop a plan to refine the PreK-12 process for measuring a students growth towards academic proficiency and the process for how that growth is communicated to families. This plan will support improvement efforts related to our elementary standards-based grading approach and grades 6-12 (secondary) 95/5 grading approach.

Improving school-to-home communication and understanding regarding individual student academic progress is a current priority under our strategic plan.

Facilities and Safety/Long-Range Facility Plan

The Long-Range Facility Planning Committee recommended an updated plan in July 2023 after reviewing relevant data including the District’s enrollment forecast and community growth data, the District’s current and projected financial capacity, building functional capacities and utilization, educational programming and facility needs, stakeholder survey results, and district-wide facility assessments. Click here for a summary of the plan prioritizing facility considerations into 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15 year time frames.

Some participants expressed the need to build a second high school. When the District will build another high school is not determined by date, but by need based on student enrollment as well as financial feasibility. Within our Long-Range Facility Plan planning criteria, the optimal high school size (enrollment) for student/staff success and operational efficiency is 1,400-1,600 students. The District's property surrounding Platte Purchase Middle School has been master planned for a future second high school when enrollment and financial feasibility dictates.

The District has prioritized safety and security improvements throughout the past school year, guided by recommendations from the Long-Range Facility Plan and Safety and Security Community Advisory Committee. These improvements include infrastructure enhancements, personnel additions, and updates to the District’s Emergency Operations Procedures.  

Key safety improvements:

• Installation of emergency numbers and secured entries at various District facilities
• Professional development for staff pertaining to safety and security protocol and processes
• Construction of perimeter fencing and crosswalk at select elementary schools
• Replacement and addition of security cameras district-wide
• Implementation of crisis response plans and training for staff
• Partnership initiatives with external organizations (MDOT for driver’s education enhancements and Platte County Prevention Coalition for various prevention programs)
• Replacement of intercom systems at multiple schools 
• Creation of a new District Safety Manager position and addition of District Safety Officers at various schools, supported by the passage of the April 2024 Prop C Waiver and Levy Transfer