Board approves $525,000 contract for targeted middle‑school math coaching paid with federal SIG funds

The Kansas City, Kansas Board of Education voted June 24 to approve a contract with Bailey Education Group to provide intensive, one‑year math coaching for sixth‑through‑eighth‑grade teachers at five middle schools, not to exceed $525,000 and funded through the federal 1003(a) school improvement grant (SIG).

District staff said the Bailey coaching will provide 35 days of in‑person, side‑by‑side coaching at Argentine, Carl Bruce, Central, Eisenhower and Gloria Willis schools; building instructional coaches will continue their regular cycles and provide additional support in between Bailey visits.

"The Bailey coaching will be 1 year of targeted weekly coaching sessions for the sixth through eighth grade teachers at each of the sites receiving the grant," said Lisa Walker, a district staff presenter. "This targeted coaching will happen on a more frequent basis with these math teachers compared to the coaching cycles in place with building and district instructional coaches."

The board pressed staff on how the program will be measured and whether the contract replaces existing coaches. Walker and other staff said it does not replace district instructional coaches, and cited several assessments and tools that will be used to monitor implementation and outcomes: FastBridge universal screening, i‑Ready diagnostics and group reports, quarterly CAP assessments and the KSDE (Kansas State Department of Education) observation tool for high‑quality math instruction.

"Those diagnostic group reports and instructional groupings will help to inform teachers where students might have skill gaps and how they're progressing on the curriculum," Walker said. Staff also said the cost of current district instructional coaches who support those five schools in 2024‑25 totals $688,308.99, a figure board members used to ask about layering and sustainability.

Board members asked whether the schools were selected because of ongoing state identification. Staff responded that the five schools were identified on the state's targeted support list for the past three years and were eligible for school improvement grant funding intended to support buildings with persistent low performance.

Members also discussed sustainability after the one‑year coaching. Staff said the Bailey coaches will collaborate with building and district coaches, that teachers from nonparticipating schools may observe lessons, and that the district could write another school improvement grant if the intervention shows gains.

The motion to approve the contract passed on a roll‑call vote. Board members who voted yes were Yolanda Clark, Randy Lopez, Robert Marley Jr., Wanda Brownlee Page, Rachel Russell and Dr. Wynne.

The board asked staff to attach the grant‑required outcomes and local implementation data to the board materials when available and to return with additional detail on long‑term funding options if the program is extended beyond the SIG year.

Clarity on which students generate the baseline scores, and how longitudinal student mobility will be handled in measuring school progress, were marked as follow‑up items for staff.

The board approval allows the district to proceed with the one‑year, federally funded coaching cycle while keeping district instructional coaches in place to support broader teacher needs.

What’s next: staff said they will provide the district‑specific outcomes reported at the SIG application and use the KSDE tools and curriculum‑level diagnostics to track progress through the year. The board requested the data be returned to the board for review.