Elk Konnected Hand out at County Commissioners meeting on 4/25

[Diane Amberg]

Bye bye, pork chop. You're done.  Your number is 350 for 45 minutes. Yup, Kansas's finest. 

[Ross]

Nope, I will not engage you one way or the other about EK. What's in it for me? Say what you will your opinion doesn't matter. As far as your numbers...is that so important to you? I have numbers too. So what, it doesn't matter.I won't be seeing any of your posts soon anyway. poof!

You do realize, that real eyes, realize, real lies. I just wanted to say that, I love it.

By refusing to discuss Elk Konnected you are in essence denying them.

You got numbers, WOW, that's great.
I got no numbers!
But this thread does!
I'm sorry you got cornfused!
You mean the figment of my imagination is fading into oblivion.
Shucks I'll miss you.

I'll remove my tin foil hat occasionally to check for you.

Good luck with that Elk Konnected thing that you deny.

Bye-bye. Parting is such sweet sorrow!

It's been so much fun.

[Ross]

666?   

LOL !

[Ross]

Tonights school board meeting was quite interesting.

There is much to tell you but I am busier than a cat on a hot tin roof this week.

I will tell you to watch you to watch your mail box for a letter from West Elk USD 282.

The school board is planning a meeting for the public to engage you in their plan to build a 5 or 6 million building that they want to attach to the present building.

This meeting will be followed up with a Bond Issue in April so they have to move quickly in order to make that application so the can have an April ballot. They did mention that people might not go for it because of financial hard times the country is going through. Really?

But don't worry the plan is if the April Bond Issue fails, they will have time to modify the plan and come back at you in November. So timing is everything.

I bet you won't read this in the School Board  Meeting Minutes.
You also won't read that the School Superintendent said, "Howard passed the last Bond Issue".

Only thing is the Bond Issue did not pass,  did it?
Or they would not be coming back at us again, would they?

The school board appears to be beginning to realise that they are throwing money away? For what reason?
To build a Taj Mahal for Howard, didn't I just tell you  the School Superintendent sitting there on the School Board at the head of the table say, "Howard passed the last Bond Issue".

Yes, that is a quote. Doesn't this statment say a lot about who wants a Taj Mahal? Something to think about isn't it?

Is Howard full of Liberals? Or is it like Diane kindly told me, is it just How-weird?

How many of you want higher property taxes, just so Howard can have a Taj Mahal just outside their city limits? 

There is so much more to tell you, but I am calling it a night. I'll be getting back to you as soon as possible.

[Ross]

These are pictures of the display at the West Elk School Board Meeting on 11/10/13.

I will be posting the larger pictures at https://app.box.com/s/7nbnimqqr6b2tkzudw6f (They are Down Loadable to your computer)

I was treated realy rude when I took the pictures of the pictures with my cellphone. I don't believe they want you to see them. The pictures are public property, nothing secret documents. The only thing at a public school that is secret is Disciplinary actions. As proved by the fact that i have posted all the salary's and names of employees of the school district at https://app.box.com/s/7nbnimqqr6b2tkzudw6f

Huge, huge project that will cost in excess of 5.1 MILLION DOLLARS.

A major waste of money in my opinion.

Also it is an excessive interest in sports over education provided by building a practice gymnasium, in my personal opinion.

It looks like nearly double the building size, so it should be capable of holding instead of 600 students, nearly 1200 students, while only 319 are enrolled, right?

I wonder just who is pushing the school board for such extravagance?

I will explain this idea of extravagance further as I go along.

Please do not believe a thing I tell you, please do your own thinking and researching. Please attend school board meetings.

Do not fall for there attempt to con you during a community meeting. That will not be a Public School Board Meeting and therefore off the record. All though all Board Members may be there, only 3 will be on the stage. Therefore it will not be a School Board Meeting. If 4 Board Members enter on to the stage, the Superintend stated then it becomes a School Board Meeting do School District Business.

So folks all it will amount to is a Bull Shit Session.
And I do  not apologize for calling it what it is if they operate in such a fashion.

No person there will be there to operate in an Official Meeting, meaning no one there will be in an Official position for the School District, as I see it.

[Ross]

More On the School Board Meeting of 10/11/ 13

But before I go into their discussion I'd like to remind you of the Long Term Educational Plan of which West Elk paid a considerable some of money to acquire it, they paid the money to a Company out of Missouri. The Company sent over a retired College Professor a Dr. Christman.

Dr. Christman's apparent job was to teach the School Board Members what appeared to be Critical Thinking. Yes, I was at that Board Meeting and that is what it looked like to me. It looked to me to be very simple training, but my personal opinion is it didn't take; it appears to have been a waste of money. Just my opinion.

And I say all this because this is how their Long Term Educational Plan came about; Dr. Christman walked them through a process to get the plan.

The ONE most important item on their Long Term Educational Plan is, "Kids First Attitude and Philosophy". But how does a person a Teacher, Superintendent or a School Board prove they mean that?

Do they prove it by sitting in an office, a teacher's lounge or by the School Board affecting a written policy and ensuring that the School Superintendent implements the policy? Or do nothing? Just where is the leadership in our School Board? As I see it the meetings are still a picnic with lots of food and an employee of the School Superintendent controlling the meetings instead of working for the School Board.

Let's get to the meat of this "Kids First Attitude and Philosophy" and "Long Term Educational Plan", okay!

Dr. Christman surveyed, interviewed the school students and made a written report to the School Board. That report included a remark from a student, I am not going to quote the student word for word, but it had to do with reporting bullying and teachers doing nothing about it. Well the School Board did nothing about this statement either. Just where was that "Kids First Attitude and Philosophy"?

Well at the School Board this meeting this week (finally) they had a Sheriff Deputy present to discuss legal aspects of bullying and how the School Administration should deal legally with bullying.

If a child is less than seventeen years old --- call the Sheriff and the parents and deal with the problem in the Administration Office. If 17 years old and over, I'm not sure if they decided to call the parent or not.

My concern would be how to help the kids that are being bullied and how to control the atmosphere that contributes to bullying, not just protecting the School District from possible law suite. I would want a policy on counseling the bullying student in an attempt at preventing further bullying. All though protecting the School District from possible law suite is important, preventive measures of bullying are equally important.

There are no easy answers, but you can not deal with the problem with out a concerted effort and lots of discussion and constructive arguments. That is one of the most important jobs of a School Board member.

The reason for the discussion with the deputy was concerning bullying by tweeting and was sexual in nature. The school administration said they advised the parent to take the complaint to the Sheriff.

But I'd like to know when the School Board plans to come up with a written policy for the School Superintendent implement and for the School Teachers to follow to try preventing bullying? Will someone be instructed to listen to the kids?  Or will they continue to hide in offices and teachers lounges?

This is a task for real leadership to tackle, will it happen?

Or will building a Taj Mahal continue to be the Number one priority, even though they have strong inclinations that that the voters will tell them "NO" again on a new Bond Issue.

Oh they want to put an electronic computer lock down system in their new Taj Mahal, if they get it. I can think of so many reasons why that is a bad idea. Can you think of any bad reasons for a computer controlled lock down system?

TTYL

[Patriot]

The school board is planning a meeting for the public to engage you in their plan to build a 5 or 6 million building that they want to attach to the present building.

That would provide one helluva lot of incentive pay for teachers who exceed the norms... but then again, this is really about a group of elitists getting their way, in spite of what the taxpayers & voters told them not too many moons ago.  Especially when it's somebody elses money they are spending.  I wonder if this time around the parties will be allowed to vet this nonsense in the Coffee Shop as they were allowed to the last time.

Ya gotta give progressive statists one thing... just like spoiled kids at the toy store, they don't take no for an answer.  And they damned sure aren't aware of real current economics.  I hope the voters are watching.

[Ross]

Here is some more information, my take of the School Board meeting, I just can't get it all out at one time, the way the school board does.

The school superintendent said State Aid would be available for the New School Construction; yep that's what I heard. But, you probably won't read it in the School Board Meeting Minutes. Why you may ask! It is my opinion that they don't want you to know anything. Even though that is the main purpose of School Board Meeting Minutes, to inform the principals. The principals are you and me the taxpayer. Remember all these people at West Elk USD 282 work for you, you pay their wages. The School Board Members are elected to work for you the taxpayer.

I'm sure the State has just all kinds of money to hand out, just everywhere, aren't you?
There are no financial hard times across the country or across the State of Kansas is there?

I don't believe money grows on trees. So I'd like a whole lot more than State Aid will be available from the School Superintendent. Why, because times have changed dramatically. I say show me the money! Show me a guaranteed contract (signed, sealed and delivered) guaranteeing the money. Oh, I expect plenty of excuses, which just doesn't fly with me. Excuses are not money, are they!

We heard promises from the President of our great country and are now hearing excuses, while people are suffering from not having health Insurance, aren't we?

Show me the money! Or definitely don't go there!

Their Architect, Contractor or what ever they want to refer to him as was asked about FEMA Money for the extra storm construction in the New Building. I believe he said the FEMA approved doors for the needed protection would cost about $6,000.00 a piece. When asked if FEMA money was available he said Independence or what ever School District he was referring to during his talk did not use FEMA money.  I translate that to mean there is no FEMA money available. Why else wouldn't a School District use Federal Funds from FEMA? Anyone know why a School District would do that?

Show me the money! Not the B.S.

It ain't gonna happen people, they ain't gonna show you the money, they will show you excuses. I.E. that is not the way the system works.  Will, I say it's time to make some positive changes and have the system work for us. The Government ear marks money all the time and they can do it for West Elk USD 282 just as well. Is our School Board up to the task of getting an ear mark with documentation? If not we must assume there will be no state aid for their Taj Mahal.

I say don't give us empty words; give us documents in the way of contracts.

The contractor or architect won't start work on construction based on empty words from the School Board, they will want a signed contract, and don't we deserve the same respect?

Contracts showing State Aid and FEMA money have been secured, Instead of just verbal promises!
   
After all this School Board does not appear to respect the majority vote of the School District, why should you respect them? They were told no by the voters, the taxpayers that is you.

But at the School Board Meeting the School Superintendent said Howard passed the last Bond Issue. So apparently to the School Board the rest of us don't count. How disrespectful and how-weird is that? Is it all about Howard? What about the rest of the taxpayer / voters of the West Elk School District, don't we count. Do you need a special message in the form of "NO" again on the April Ballot if you run another Bond Issue? You already have plans for just that purpose of trying again in November, right?

The School Superintendent sits right there at the head of the School Board Table and was invited to do so by our elected school board effectively making him an un-elected member, a part of the school board, instead an employee of the school board.  That is my opinion and I stand by it.

Just my opinion, may you please form your own opinion.

[Patriot]

More 'other peoples money' games.  Given that this greedy school district already tops the state list of per student spending, when will the money grabbing stop?

[Ross]

More 'other peoples money' games.  Given that this greedy school district already tops the state list of per student spending, when will the money grabbing stop?

Perhaps when they get the message from the taxpayer.

Perhaps if people looked at their Real Estate Tax Statement and notice the changes in revenue for the School District!

Here is what I read that I think is significant:

                                        Prior Year               Current Year           % change
School District                   $43,191.35             $63,069.28               46.02 % increase in tax revenue
School District - General     $27,916.58             $42,188.76               51.12 % increase in tax revenue

Will the school board be content with a 100% increase over this years increase or will they want a 200 per cent increase or even more. When will it stop? When you the taxpayer step up and say, "enough is enough", that is when.



                              Please Double Check me, look at your own Real Estate Tax Statement