OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The Blue Valley School District officially kicked off the school year on Wednesday.
The first day of school also marked a new beginning for the district's superintendent, Dr. Gillian Chapman.
Dr. Chapman comes to Overland Park from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she was superintendent for a decade.
Before that, she spent 22 years as an educator in the Shawnee Mission School District.
The new superintendent started the new school year by visiting schools throughout the district and meeting students from all grade levels.
"One of them jumped in class and said, "Hi, Dr. Chapman," she said.
While she's had an extensive career in education, Dr. Chapman's interest piqued as a child.
"My grandmother never finished eighth grade…born in 1916, she had to leave eighth grade to support her family," Dr. Chapman said. "Yet, she was the most incredible teacher I've known in my whole life."
Thinking of her grandmother as she acclimates to her new job, Dr. Chapman is examining areas she can strengthen in the Blue Valley School District.
"More personalized instruction," she said. "I want each student to have a learning plan and more opportunities outside the space they're in to see what they're learning in reality."
The superintendent also wants to push for better state funding of special education services and education in general.
Dr. Chapman said: "The way the funding formula works, the state is in the process of redoing the school finance formula, and that's concerning because of the impact to communities and public schools."
This week, her focus is on meeting students, marking a fresh start for Blue Valley and a meaningful return for Dr. Chapman.
"I said I'd never come back to Kansas, and here I am nevering like I've never'd before," Dr. Chapman said. "I know people make jokes about Wizard of Oz and Dorothy.
"There's no place like home' and really…there's no place like home."
