Basehor-Linwood Unified School District

Where Opportunity, Innovation, and Community Grow Together

Focusing on Student Achievement and the Opportunities of the New Economy

In a growing community in southern Leavenworth County, Kansas, Basehor-Linwood Unified School District is building a dynamic and forward-thinking education system with excellence and student success at its core. Today, the district serves nearly 3,000 learners, with enrollment climbing as the region continues to expand.

“Our location right outside the Kansas City Metro Area is a huge advantage for us,” shares Dr. Ben Pretz, Director of Teaching and Learning. “We are a high socio-economic community with a lot of growth, and a lot of subdivisions coming in, but probably the primary reason people move here is the school district in and of itself.”

A Dedicated Community

Much of Basehor-Linwood’s success can be attributed to the people who are engaged in the district’s initiatives, from parents to business partners. “The community is very involved here with the school district,” says Superintendent Chris Vignery. “We don’t have a lot of businesses in town, but the majority of them are involved one way or another.” Through partnerships such as the Basehor-Linwood Education Foundation, locals help generate more than $30,000 annually for high school scholarships and teacher classroom grants.

Another community support system is BLAS, the Basehor-Linwood Assistance Services organization. “They serve families specifically in our school district,” explains Ashley Razak, Director of Communications. “They help out with food and clothing, and utilities. If a student were to become homeless overnight, they would help out with a hotel room for the family. It’s a huge community support for us.”

Razak also emphasizes the importance of family engagement at Basehor-Linwood. “The parents are involved more so than in surrounding districts,” she remarks. “Our parents are great. They want to be in our schools and experience these things with their kids.”

Growth Brings Opportunity

Like many districts, Basehor-Linwood faces its share of challenges. “Our first and foremost is budget,” Vignery acknowledges. “It’s been a challenging time, and we have had to cut some spending. The one main thing that we have not cut is opportunities for kids.”

Even in the face of these financial pressures, the focus remains on strengthening the offerings available to students and staff. “We’ve passed three bond issues in the last 10 years,” adds Pretz. “So we have to find a way to sustain the growth equitably while being fiscally responsible to the community and meet the needs of our students.”

With this in mind, Basehor-Linwood is currently enhancing its Early Learning Center, adding eight new classrooms to accommodate families on the current waiting list. Vignery explains, “That’s part preschool and part childcare. One thing that the district is really proud of is that the childcare side is for our employees only.”

“In the Kansas metro area, it is hard to find quality child care, and we offer an affordable rate on the teacher contract days, which makes it a huge piece,” Pretz continues. “I can think of one specific staff member who had offers from De Soto and Blue Valley, and she came here primarily because of that childcare and that small-town feel that we offer.”

Additionally, a major high school expansion will create space for 450 more students, adding 20 new classrooms, along with a standalone cafeteria, which will double as a FEMA shelter. “We used to have 500 students in our high school just 10 years ago,” Vignery notes. “We have 900 now. We just continue to grow, and it’s probably not going to slow down for a while.”

Excellence for All Students

Basehor-Linwood has experienced a remarkable shift in academic performance, as Pretz outlines, “Our state assessment scores are some of the highest in the state, specifically among 5A districts.” The district earned all seven Kansas Star awards this year, recognizing excellence in civic engagement, social-emotional learning, graduation rate, postsecondary success, kindergarten readiness, academic preparation, and individual plans of study.

The introduction of the Innovation Academy has been at the heart of this achievement, offering students relatable, real-world learning opportunities. “That’s really a program that takes those standards from a traditional classroom, which is kind of the ‘sit and get’ philosophy, and it’s an opportunity for them to have real-world experiences at the high school level. Now we are transitioning that down to the middle school, and we’re really starting to get that into the elementary,” Pretz says. “So, you’re going to see a lot more STEM pathways using project-based learning as the approach for math, English, science, and even social studies.”

Another component of this success is a strong focus on identifying student needs early and providing targeted support. “We’ve really changed our MTSS process,” Pretz expands. “We brought in specific interventions across our buildings at the K-8 level.” At the high school, the district has introduced the Bobcat Success Academy, a school within a school model paired with after-school programming and multiple learning pathways designed to support students at every stage. Basehor-Linwood also operates its own virtual school, launched in 1999 as the first in the state of Kansas. “We’ve got a lot of different models to meet learners where they’re at. We don’t try to fit our students into our system. We fit our system around our students,” Pretz underscores.

Engagement Beyond the Classroom

Student involvement is a priority at Basehor-Linwood, where every learner is encouraged to get involved in extracurricular opportunities. Nearly 85 percent of students currently participate in at least one activity, to reach 100 percent. “We have one of the lowest absentee rates in the state,” reports Vignery. “We try to create things for our students to be involved in because we know if there’s something for them to do, they’ll want to be engaged and be in school.”

A dedicated Health and Wellness Building, which also serves as a FEMA-approved tornado shelter, is a point of pride for the community. “It’s a place where our kids come out for strength and conditioning. They come in the mornings, they stay after school, they do it during PE and health, and then the summer program is huge,” Razak relays. “We have up to 700 kids participating in summer weights. We just have really dedicated students. They take pride in their sports.” That foundation supports a wide range of successful teams, including football, wrestling, and softball.

At the same time, the district is intentional about making sure every student finds a place to belong. “One part of our strategic plan was to make sure kids are involved,” Vignery recounts. “It doesn’t have to be sports. It may be the play, it may be a debate, it may be the orchestra. We create clubs that kids would be interested in. For instance, the middle school had a Taylor Swift club.”  Unified Bowling is another option where students with varying abilities can compete alongside their peers. And the list of extracurriculars continues, from hands-on construction programs to the Technology Student Association, and a robotics team that has competed on the world stage. “There are a lot of things we have that go beyond sports,” Pretz affirms. “We’ve got a great theater program, band, choir, and orchestra. It really is meeting all the unique needs of kids.”

The Future is Bright

Moving forward, Vignery says the focus will remain on providing opportunities that prepare students for what comes next. “We have high expectations here, and we have to continue to put the resources in front of our staff, so our students can continue to compete in an ever-changing world,” he asserts. “In the end, we want our kids to leave us knowing that they had an opportunity to go to a four-year college, two-year college, a technical college, or straight to the workforce, military, or whatever is best for them.”

Pretz summarizes, “It is about each kid. It’s not about all kids. It’s about what each student needs and about finding a way to engage them in learning so they are successful throughout life.”

AT A GLANCE

Who: Basehor-Linwood Unified School District

What: An innovative and high-achieving K-12 school district in a growing region

Where: Leavenworth County, Kansas

Website: www.usd458.org