Greenbush Service Center tells budget committee it supports small districts with special education, early childhood and professional development

Greenbush Service Center representatives told the Committee on K-12 Education Budget that the interlocal provides a mix of operational support, direct student services and professional development to small and rural school districts across southeast Kansas.

The presentation focused on why Greenbush exists and how it operates: to reduce costs for small districts by pooling services such as payroll and procurement, to provide specialized student services that districts cannot always staff themselves, and to deliver statewide professional development, including mentoring for new teachers and literacy coaching. "We support from the littlest kiddos to 21 year olds and beyond," said Stacy Clarkson, associate executive director of Greenbush Service Center.

The service center, founded in 1976, employs roughly 500 people, the majority of whom work in special education and early-learning programs, Clarkson said. She told committee members that Greenbush is lead or fiscal agent for several infant–toddler networks funded through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and that it also employs staff for other networks across the state. Those infant–toddler and early-intervention services generally operate under federal Part C funding administered by KDHE.

Greenbush described three main service areas:…