KSHB 41 reporter Fe Silva covers education stories involving K-12. Share your story idea with Fe.
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In Pleasanton, Kansas, the school district is getting creative to recruit new students.
With fewer than 400 students, the district has some concerns about their enrollment numbers.
“We don't want to be victims of circumstance. I guess we want to be proactive,” Superintendent Don Epps said.
A rural school facing country challenges.
“Our class sizes are getting, you know, low—15, 12—and that's at a dangerous level,” Epps said. To increase their numbers, they are trying to make creative moves.
Last year, they had a billboard in Fort Scott, a nearby city, inviting students to enroll there. Radio and newspaper ads help spotlight their efforts.
“It’s not common or normal, but great changes have to start somewhere. You know, somebody has to be the one to try it.”
In the last school year, they were able to recruit more than 50 new students.
There are exchange students, like Sergio Mantecon from Spain.
“Everyone knows everyone here,” he said.
The district also has many new transfer students.
“Everybody here is like family, so it’s a lot better,” Senior Jaxon Herrera said.
Herrera comes from a school with about 6,000 students—a pretty big difference.
Eighth-grader Savannah Gulley also transferred recently from a school in the KC area.
“It’s a lot more fun here than it would be there, because nobody’s judgmental and people are really nice—they can, like, help you out,” said Savannah.
Her feeling is shared by Natalie Bautista, who transferred to the district in October, on Homecoming day.
“I’d say it’s a lot easier to get work done here. Up there, the teacher might not know your name, but you might be in their class,” said Natalie.
With bold moves, they are hoping to have 30 students per grade level in the upcoming years—a number that would keep the district alive while still retaining the small-town feel.
“Unless you’re trying, you’re never going to get where you want to go,” said Epps.
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