Wyandotte special-education leaders outline 3-year plan after KSDE compliance findings; board presses for public updates

Leaders of the Wyandotte Comprehensive Special Education Cooperative told the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Education on Tuesday that they have developed a three‑year action plan to address compliance shortfalls identified by the Kansas State Department of Education and outside reviewers.

“This is more than a checklist. It's a living commitment to improvement,” said Dr. LaShonda Lowery, director of the cooperative, as she summarized progress and remaining gaps in special education services across the cooperative’s three districts.

The cooperative reported progress on several state compliance indicators but said it fell short on four measured areas for the most recent reporting year. Dr. Lowery told the board the cooperative scored 19 out of 23 on the state’s compliance matrix for the year — an improvement over previous years but still short of the level required for full compliance. She said parent evaluation requests rose from 376 in the prior year to 475 this year.

Board members pressed staff for specifics about the compliance findings and about rebuilding parent trust. “There are still some parents who feel there's still a lack of trust,” said Board Vice President Rachel Russell, asking staff what they would say to families who remain skeptical. Dr. Lowery urged families to contact her office directly so staff can investigate and respond to building‑level concerns.

A major item in the report was a state finding of significant disproportionality in long out‑of‑school suspensions for students with disabilities, driven by elevated suspension rates for Black students. Dr. Lowery said the federal rules require a portion of federal special education funds to be set aside to address the issue; she told the board the cooperative’s estimate of the set‑aside is roughly $964,637 and said the amount would be shared proportionally by the cooperative’s member districts. She said Piper School District is transitioning to a stand‑alone special education department and will be assessed its share separately.

“Any required set‑aside must be used at a system level, not just at the cooperative level, and must include professional development that includes general education,” Dr. Lowery said.

The cooperative also reported an over‑identification finding in Indicator 10, noting an increased representation of white students assigned to categories of emotional disability and other health impairment; staff said they are working with building teams and psychological services to ensure more careful eligibility determinations. Another finding tied to a single audit was not a Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) error but involved Piper School District; Piper has submitted corrective action to the state, the cooperative reported.

Dana Nelson, director of special education programs for the cooperative, reviewed instructional and staffing work the department is using to raise student outcomes, including partnerships to expand transition‑to‑work opportunities. Nelson highlighted a new “Transition Plus” relationship with the University of Kansas Health System that led to work experience placements and three job offers for participating students.

Nelson also described coaching, professional development and technology resources — including use of a district licensing tool teachers use to build IEPs — and said the cooperative has boosted paraprofessional wages to about $20 per hour to improve recruitment and retention.

Board members asked for a public FAQ and more frequent updates. Dr. Lowery told the board she will provide a public‑facing version of the cooperative’s three‑year action plan by Aug. 1, 2025, and that staff will issue quarterly progress updates thereafter.

No formal board action was taken on the report at the meeting. Dr. Lowery and Nelson requested continued direct contact from parents who want help or who believe their child’s rights are not being honored; staff said they are maintaining a parent hotline that routes to Dr. Lowery’s office.

The cooperative announced a Special Education Resource & Transition Fair for families on July 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the district’s Central Office; staff and community partners will provide information and vendor resources at the event.

The board asked staff to assemble a written response to community questions about reimbursement issues and past audits; district leaders acknowledged earlier confusion about state transportation reimbursements and said they have been working with the state to resolve reporting and submission issues.

The cooperative closed by reiterating that improvements have been made but that work remains. “This work is far from over, but I remain very deeply invested in seeing it through,” Dr. Lowery said.