National Association of Federally Impacted Schools release
Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools announced April 7 that Keith Mispagel, superintendent of Fort Leavenworth Unified School District 207, has been elected vice president of the NAFIS Board of Directors. The election took place at the 2021 NAFIS Spring Virtual Conference.
As the vice president of the NAFIS Board, Mispagel will serve as a national leader advocating for school districts that receive Impact Aid. He assumes this role after nearly seven years on the board, including the past two years as secretary.
Impact Aid reimburses school districts for the loss of revenue caused by the presence of nontaxable federal property, including military installations; Indian Trust, Treaty and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act lands; federal low-income housing facilities; and national laboratories and other federal buildings and property. It ensures that students who attend schools on or near federal property have access to a quality education.
Mispagel is in his 11th year as superintendent of USD 207. Prior to this role, he served as a deputy superintendent, elementary school principal and teacher at Fort Leavenworth, dedicating more than 20 years to the school district.
“As a school district serving a high concentration of frequently mobile military families, Fort Leavenworth School District works hard each year to provide a high-quality education and environment for our students,” Mispagel said. “Given we experience an average student turnover rate of over 50 percent each year, we are dedicated to supporting students and families with academic, social-emotional and community involvement to have a positive impact, whether they are here for one year or many.
“Federal Impact Aid funding is critical to our operations, capital projects, student services and activities every year,” he said. “Because USD 207 is completely on federal property, we do not have a tax base, and we rely on this funding for annual support.”
In addition to his work with NAFIS, Mispagel has sat for many years on the Military Impacted Schools Association Executive Board and is currently serving as its president.
“Keith’s long history of advocating for the Impact Aid program positions him well for this leadership role,” said NAFIS Executive Director Hilary Goldmann. “The NAFIS Board is crucial in ensuring that students in federally impacted school districts receive the resources that they deserve, and Keith brings important insight into the needs of these school districts, their students and their communities, as well as a wealth of experience and expertise from which NAFIS will continue to benefit.”
Mispagel’s term will last for two years.
