North Kansas City Schools Superintendent Dr. Rochelle Daniels presented a midyear balanced-scorecard report to the school board, detailing progress across student achievement, staff development, community engagement and finance.
Daniels told the board the district convened an executive-session review of goals and that evaluation teams have begun audits of AVID and alternative-education programs. She said AVID program evaluation work has identified data collection plans including surveys and focus groups, with findings to be presented to the board in March.
On standards-based learning, Daniels said the district has rolled out professional-development sessions that 95% of participating staff rated as useful for classroom practice and that schools are communicating proficiency scales to families. She also described growth in social-emotional programming and a district mental-health task force aimed at reducing stigma and increasing resources for staff.
Treasurer Mister Jacobs gave the financial update. He said November operating receipts were $16,800,000 and fiscal-year-to-date operating receipts totaled $78,200,000, constituting a $4,400,000 (6%) increase over the prior year. Fiscal year-to-date operating expenditures and encumbrances were reported as $129,900,000, representing approximately 34.8% of the total operating budget. The treasurer said state revenue numbers were not yet available and the district is working with RSM US LLP on the fiscal-year audit; field work is under way and the final report is due prior to the statutory deadline of 2025-12-31.
In the finance quadrant of the update, Daniels said the district's 2025 bond expenditures exceeded $32,000,000 through November and described facility projects underway, including renovations at the Northland Innovation Center and initial designs for performing-arts centers at Oak Park and Winnetonka. She said the district's overall tax rate decreased by about $0.12 as part of debt restructuring and that projected bond issuances were contemplated for 2028 and 2032.
Board members largely praised the report and asked clarifying questions about staffing ratios, growth in students with IEPs and enrollment trends that drive resource allocation. Several trustees stressed the district's accountability mechanisms, noting that survey feedback is being used to refine programming and that findings will be transmitted to the board at regular intervals.
The board did not take any formal action on the balanced scorecard update at the meeting; further program evaluations and budget monitoring will appear on upcoming agendas.