Message from the Superintendent

July 21, 2026

Hello, USD 231 Patrons and Employees.

Although summer is still in full swing, the excitement for a new school year is already building! Our district and building administrators are hard at work preparing for the first day of school. Enrollment is open, classrooms are being readied and plans are taking shape, counting down the days until we welcome students back.

As the new school year approaches, please take a few moments to review the important reminders and updates below to ready your family for the 2026-27 school year.

Sincerely,

Brian

#WeAreUSD231 #Forwardas23ONE #VisionForward

To access Back to School Central, click HERE!

We will continue to update this page, as needed, so check back for additional information.

Online registration for the 2026-27 school year is now open in PowerSchool! Parents can access the link to Online Registration in the PowerSchool Portal or by going to https://usd231.powerschool.com/public/home.html. (Online Registration is not available through the PowerSchool Mobile App.) At the aforementioned site, you will be able to complete all the necessary registration documents for each of your children, including making sure contact and demographic information is up-to-date.

It's important to note that families new to the district and those who have not been to kindergarten roundup will need to contact their child’s school on (or anytime after) July 15 to set up an appointment to come into the building to register. Families in need of assistance with registration can set up an appointment to visit their child’s school after July 15. Families with a second language needing assistance can receive help at the Board of Education office on July 23 from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EL staff will be on-site to provide assistance.

Student fees will be assigned on September 1, 2026, and can be paid online with a debit/credit card using MySchoolBucks (MSB). MSB can be accessed through the PowerSchool Parent Portal, or fees can be paid directly to your child’s school with cash/check.

Please find shared documents designed to assist parents with using PowerSchool and MySchoolBucks. For PowerSchool questions, please contact your student’s school office. Questions related to MySchoolBucks should be directed to Nutrition Services at (913) 856-2055 or nutrition@usd231.com.

Families interested in the new Gardner Edgerton Virtual School (GEVS) are encouraged to first participate in a free virtual open house. This weekly Zoom session provides families and community members with more information about this exciting new addition to USD 231. Click here to sign up for more information.

We are looking forward to a fantastic school year! Thank you for taking the time to register.

To access other back-to-school resources, visit - https://www.usd231.com/page/back-to-school-central.

Transportation enrollment for the 2026/2027 school year closes this Friday, July 24th . In order to ensure transportation on the first day of school, your enrollment and payment (if required) are due by the close of business on July 24th .

If you owe fees (see Transportation Enrollment Information page for details about fees), payment can be made through credit card, check, or money order. Currently, payment can be made in person at the First Student office or online at https://firstgroupgardner.revtrak.net/.

Use this link to access the information page and enrollment form:

https://www.usd231.com/documents/transportation-services/43787. Please read through the

Transportation Enrollment Information page before completing the Enrollment Form. The enrollment form is a PDF you can complete, save, and email to First Student. You can submit your form by saving a copy of the completed PDF and emailing to usd231transportation@firstgroup.com or you can drop it off at the office (19450 S. Gardner Road).

You can also enroll for bussing at the same time you enroll for school. Included in the online school

enrollment is a Transportation Enrollment Form.

If you have already enrolled for bussing and made payment (if required), you do not need to do anything further.

If you have any questions, please call the First Student office at 913-856-5650.

Gardner Edgerton Virtual School offers a flexible, high-quality learning experience that students can complete from the comfort of home. To help families learn more about the program, we are continuing to host virtual open house sessions where parents and students can learn more about the program and expectations for virtual learners. Our next Virtual Open House will be this Wednesday, July 22 at 1:00 pm. Please register to attend.

Register for our Virtual Open House HERE.

Learn more about enrollment HERE.

USD 231 is continuing to offer free meals to keep children fueled for summer fun! Through July 30, all children ages 1-18 can enjoy a free lunch at Grand Star Elementary School and Wheatridge Middle School every Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Families are encouraged to stop by and take advantage of this convenient summer resource. All meals must be enjoyed on-site.

Adults are welcome to join their children for lunch for $4.65 per meal (cash or check only). Whether you're stopping in for breakfast, lunch, or both, the Summer Meals Program is a great way to enjoy nutritious food and make the most of summer break.

For menus, additional details, and to find other meal sites in the area, visit www.fns.usda.gov/meals4kids. Questions can be directed to nutrition@usd231.com.

The Gardner Edgerton School District offers developmental screenings for children up to five (5) years old (who are not kindergarten-eligible). We also coordinate services with Infant Toddler Services of Johnson County (ITS) and USD 231 Parents as Teachers (PAT) for children birth to three (3) years of age. If you live in the Gardner Edgerton district boundaries, have a child from birth to age five (5), and have concerns about his or her development, please call the Special Services Office at (913) 856-2080 to schedule a screening appointment.

There are other rights that, according to federal and state laws, are afforded to you and your exceptional child. A copy of these rights may be obtained free of charge by contacting the address or phone number below.

If you have a child you feel may need special education service(s), please contact your child’s building principal or Gardner Edgerton Special Services, 231 E Main, Gardner, KS 66030 — phone (913) 856-2080.

The board has completed an initial work session to establish guiding principles and priorities for future attendance boundaries. Key priorities identified included balancing enrollment, maintaining effective feeder patterns, maximizing resources, and accommodating future growth. A boundary committee composed of parents, staff members, students, administrators, board members, and community representatives will begin formal work in fall 2026. A final boundary adoption is expected in early 2027 before implementation for the 2027–28 school year. Transparency and ongoing community engagement throughout the process will be a priority.

Learn more about the boundary process HERE.

As we approach an election season, I would like to emphasize the importance of participating in the voting process. Voting is not only a civic duty but a powerful way to shape the future of our community and our children's education. Each vote reflects our commitment to ensuring a better future for our students, schools, and society.

If you would like to check your registration status or access additional election resources, please click HERE.

Our students look to us as examples of engaged, responsible citizens. Let's take the opportunity to show them how important it is to make their voices heard.

Johnson County Health and Environment will be hosting several vaccination clinics this summer. All recommended childhood and school-required vaccines will be available.

Learn more by clicking HERE.

As a reminder, our "Week-at-a-Glance" document attempts to capture all district events on one page. We encourage you to bookmark this PAGE, which will always host the most recent version.

Please let us know if you feel we've missed an event or found inaccuracies.

Board Briefs are provided as a service to our community in order to quickly learn what transpired during the most recent Board of Education Meeting.

These summary documents can be found HERE.

To view events occurring at the district-level, please click HERE. To view school-specific calendars, please visit each building's respective website.

As a district parent, guardian, alumni or community member, you will receive A Message from Gardner Edgerton USD 231, our email newsletter with updates, celebrations and upcoming events, in your inbox.

Please be sure to follow USD 231 Schools on social media to keep up with all the great accomplishments happening across our district!

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