HUTCHINSON, Kan. – During the USD 308 School Board meeting, members heard a report on how the district is documenting certain soft skills employers have told the district are important. These soft skills are under the category of “employability skills matrix” in the district’s Results Policies 3 through 6.
Those soft skills include creativity; problem-solving; critical thinking; writing, speaking and listening; financial, productivity, responsibility, work ethic, goal setting; and flexibility and adaptability. No formal test or assessment is available for these skills.
Instead, the district cataloged classes and programs that teach or develop these skills in students. Those programs ranged from music and art classes to cross-grade reading buddies to Black History Month poster contests to United Way Work Day to student council to Rachel’s Challenge to Mad City Money.
In all, the inventory of these programs and classes included 85 at the elementary level, 20 at Hutchinson Middle School and 26 at Hutchinson High School.
The board also approved an out-of-state student activity trip for Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy welding students to attend a competition at Tulsa.
They also approved an Early Head Start inter-agency agreement with the Reno County Health Department for prenatal services.