The governing body of USD 407 will meet on the 8th day of September 2025 at 400 N Elm St, Russell, KS 67665 for the purpose of hearing and answering objections of taxpayers relating to the proposed use of all funds and the amount of tax to be levied. The Exceeding Revenue Neutral Hearing begins at 5:15 p.m. followed by the 2025-2026 Budget Hearing scheduled to begin at 5:25 p.m. The proposed budget can be found at: https://5il.co/3nowp
Please ensure that your student(s) with special allergies, diets, or requests have a meal modification form completed promptly, as these are essential for lunch, breakfast, and after-school snack programs. These forms need to be completed annually. Substitutions cannot be made without a completed form, which can be accessed online at https://5il.co/3nl29 or via paper forms at the district office. For any questions or concerns, contact Food Service Director Angie McKenna at 785-483-2173 or amckenna@usd407.org.
USD 407 Food Service is pleased to announce the staff working at each school this year: Simpson Elementary is served by Sarah Grelle and Kim Shumaker, Bickerdyke Elementary by Alicia Boss, Carol Steinle, and Shaunacee Solze, and Russell Jr-Sr High School by Tane Height, Tammy Dorzwiler, Lainey Healy, and Debbie Torres, all ready to serve our students starting August 14 with breakfast and lunch, with salad bars beginning August 25, and second chance breakfast and Smart Snacks available at RJSHS beginning August 18. The menu is posted online under the dining tab on our website.
If you have students with special allergies/diets/requests, please complete a meal modification as soon as possible if you have not done so. This needs to be updated yearly for each student. Here is a link to the form: https://5il.co/3nl29. Paper forms are also available at the district office. Contact Angie McKenna, Food Service Director, with any questions or concerns at 785-483-2173 or by email at amckenna@usd407.org.
USD 407 staff were honored for their years of service at the kick-off convocation held on August 7th! THANK YOU honorees for your service to the students and staff of Russell schools!
USD 407 is hosting an enrollment support event TODAY (7/30/205) from 3:00 - 7:00 PM at the District Administration Office. If you need assistance getting your students enrolled, come visit us at 400 N Elm St in Russell. Staff will be on hand to lend assistance.
All Free and Reduced applications submitted between July 14 and July 22 have been processed. The determination letters will be arriving in the mail. All determinations have been applied to PowerSchool. If you have not applied, you can complete the application using the following link: https://schoolmealsapp.ksde.org/Home/welcome/D0407. Contact Angie McKenna at 785-483-2173 or by email at amckenna@usd407.org with any questions.
See this link for the press release on Free and Reduced Lunches in Kansas from KSDE. https://5il.co/3mkzy.
See this link for the press release on Free and Reduced Lunches in Kansas from KSDE. https://5il.co/3mkzy.
USD 407 provided 14,357 meals to 7,178 students in June and July. Thank you for your support in making the Summer Food Program a success. I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the staff to make this program happen for the kids and our community!
The Board of Education will be holding a special meeting on Monday - July 28th at 7:30 AM in the District Administration building located at 400 N Elm St in Russell. See the agenda for details. Agenda: https://5il.co/3miep | Livestream: https://tinyurl.com/d2z7zpcb
Interested in being a substitute? We would love for you to join our team!
The Board of Education will be holding a special meeting/planning session on Saturday - June 28th beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the District Administration Office located at 400 N Elm St in Russell. This meeting is open to the public. This meeting will NOT be livestreamed. See the agenda for details. Agenda: https://5il.co/3k4zy
PowerSchool access has been taken offline for summer maintenance. Parents/students are asked to notify the District Administration Office at 785-483-2173 if information is needed. Requests can also be emailed to jcline@usd407.org. Information requests will be routed to the appropriate school for any action needed. Access to PowerSchool will return in mid July.
The Board of Education will be holding a special meeting on Tuesday - June 17th at 5:30 p.m. in the District Administration Office located at 400 N Elm St. See the agenda for details. Agenda: https://5il.co/3j5jm
The USD 407 Food Service Department successfully assisted 79 students with negative meal balances this school year, utilizing $1,688 from the Angel Fund thanks to generous donations. Your support has made a meaningful difference in alleviating financial burdens for families and students, ensuring they can access nutritious meals without the stress of negative balances. We sincerely appreciate everyone who contributed to the fund and allowed us to provide this vital support. See this link for the press release: https://5il.co/3ixxe.
USD 407 will be holding their monthly meeting on June 9, 2025 at the District Administration office located at 400 N Elm St in Russell, KS. See the agenda for details. BOE Agenda: https://5il.co/3i9v5 | Livestream: https://tinyurl.com/5kjxf2xa
USD 407 is recruiting school bus drivers! The district will pay for the required training course for individuals interested in obtaining the necessary endorsements. A commitment to work after course completion is required. For more information, please contact Barb Evans at 620-767-3621. https://5il.co/3i2pa
Thank you to everyone who participated in our summer food program today, where we served 308 meals to 154 children. We invite more families to join us; the menu is available on our website under the dining tab. Please remember that only parents and guardians are permitted to pick up meals, and children must be present unless a completed authorization form is submitted through this link: https://forms.gle/nB9b9bG5zGRqUsKX7 or completed on site. Siblings, babysitters, and neighbors are not authorized to pick up meals. Please contact Angie McKenna, Food Service Director, at 785-483-2173 or amckenna@usd407.org with any questions or concerns.
SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT, is a program to help families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer. Families will get a one-time benefit of $120 per year for each eligible child to help purchase groceries during the summer months. Children who get SUN Bucks can still participate in other summer meal programs. Receiving SUN Bucks will not affect children's or families' immigration status. If a child's household did not receive a letter from DCF in January 2025 regarding SUN Bucks eligibility, they can apply through the DCF self-service portal at dcfapp.kees.ks.gov. Applications for 2025 SUN Bucks must be submitted by 5 pm on August 29, 2025. The SUN Bucks benefit distributions, expected to begin in mid to late April 2025, have been delayed. An updated distribution timeline has not been determined, but updates will be provided on the DCF website and Facebook page - @KansasDCF. More information on SUN Bucks can be found at https://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/Pages/Food/SUNBucks.aspx
USD 407 device sale will proceed until all remaining iPads are sold, with payment options limited to checks and cash only. Devices can be paid for and picked up at the district office, which can be reached at 785-483-2173 for further inquiries. Please enter using the main entrance on the east side of the building.
The USD 407 Summer Food Program begins on June 2nd and continues through July 24th at Simpson Elementary School in Russell, offering free grab-and-go meals daily from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for students aged 1-18, with adults able to buy breakfast and lunch for $9.00. A hot lunch will be provided along with the next day's breakfast. Please enter the school through the south door by the gym and proceed to the serving area to pick up the meals. Parents can pick up meals without children present if documentation is on file with the program. Here is the link for the parent meal pick-up form: https://forms.gle/j4oT43Q9Q5PsKQ769. If you are unable to access the online form, paper forms will be available at the site. Any questions or concerns, please contact Angie McKenna, Food Service Director, at 785-483-2173 or by email at amckenna@usd407.org.
State Send Off Times 2: Help us line 281 twice tomorrow, Thursday May 29th, to send off our baseball and track teams to state. Baseball leaves the high school at 8:30am, and track leaves at 12:00pm. Go Broncos!!