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

[Ross]

I really did not expect a response from anyone until next week considering this is Friday.
I recieved a response from Dale M. Dennis, Deputy Commissioner of Education which I found to be very non-committal, you know like a politician. He answered no questions?

Not one of these questions were answered answered:
Do students coming from a different district bring state aid with them to the accepting school district?

Are students coming from a different district allowed to play sports for the receiving districts?
Why would 26 students this year and 32 students last year leave their district to go to school in another district? What district are they coming from?

I can understand one or two and even seven or eight, but not 26 and 32!

Why is the school Superintendent recruiting students for some reason at the expense of property owners?
Per his letter it is 26 students without State aid at $8,000 per student or $208,000.

Perhaps one of the other reciepients of my letter may provide a better response.

I just recieved an e-mail from Dale M. Dennis, Deputy Commissioner of Education, Kansas State Department of Education. I find his response rather non-commital on his part. And my bet is Superintendent Moore won't get any better response than I did. But if you notice he said nothing about the extra money the Govornors Analyst said was paid to West Elk. Non-committal just like a politician.

The e-mail:

Mr. Ross:

I have reviewed the materials you sent with your e-mail including documents from the superintendent and the Governor's office.

You seem to have a good background on this subject so I would take the superintendent up on his offer to sit down with any patron/taxpayer and go through the budget of USD #282 in detail.

A table which provides a history of state, federal, and local revenue as well as enrollment and expenditures can be accessed via the link below.  Additional statistics can be accessed on the School Finance Website.

http://ksde.org/Portals/0/School%20Finance/data_warehouse/total_expenditures/d0282exp.pdf

Dale M. Dennis
Deputy Commissioner of Education
Kansas State Department of Education
(785) 296-3871
______________________________________________________
MAIN:  (785) 296-3871 – 900 SW Jackson Str. – Suite 354 -- Topeka, KS   66612

Be sure to check out the link he provides but keep in mind the information does not cover the information we are interested in. The link: http://ksde.org/Portals/0/School%20Finance/data_warehouse/total_expenditures/d0282exp.pdf

When I hear from the others I will post as soon as possible.

[Ross]

Amount Per Pupil

School Year    State Aid
2013-2014      $10,765

per http://ksde.org/Portals/0/School%20Finance/data_warehouse/total_expenditures/d0282exp.pdf

And this year the Superintendent says it is only $8000.

But lets suppose it is the same as the 2013 - 2014 year level of $10,765 per student.
26 students would then cost taxpayers $279,890 while their school districts profits by that amount.

Don't you want to know

WHY?

[redcliffsw]

You're paying 'em to indoctrinate your kids in a local school that doesn't even belong to you with school board members who are committed to rubber stamp more government control - over you.

Patriots or Bolsheviks running the schools?

[Ross]

Why use the word bogus. what's wrong with calling a lie ---- a lie?
Oh, it's not politically correct language is it?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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KC Star repeats BOGUS
claim on school funding

Posted by Dave Trabert on Monday, September 21, 2015

A good portion of a recent KC Star editorial appears to be a regurgitation of Duane Goossen's bogus commentary for the Kansas Center for Economic Growth, an organization that favors high spending, high taxes and is afraid to come out in public and defend their claims against those who can expose their false claims.  A link to his piece is included in my blog post that shows how he tortures the truth.   

The Star and Goossen (who may be the only state budget director ever involved in a Securities and Exchange Commission indictment for misrepresenting facts) both refer to "General Classroom Aid" as though it is an official form or aid, but they both know that that is not true.  The Star didn't capitalize the term as did Goossen but they get no pass for that; they repeated his claim (without attribution) that GCA is down $6 million.  The claim is false because there is no such thing as general classroom aid!  The state provided multiple funding sources in the old formula -  including some that were authorized by the state but not run through the state general fund budget - but only local school districts and superintendents decide how much money goes to Instruction....legislators and governors have no control over the amount of money allocated to Instruction.

Total funding increased nearly $2 billion over the last ten years.  Instruction spending, only available through FY 2014, increased by $845 million since 2005 without counting a dollar of KPERS.  That $845 million represents a 32% increase in per-pupil spending while inflation was 21%; the increase could have been even more if local school boards had chosen to direct some of their increased spending on other operating areas to Instruction, had chosen to operate other areas more efficiently and spent the savings on Instruction or used some of their unused aid from prior years instead of holding it in cash reserves.

(I skipped a bunch you can go to the link at the bottom of this page to read the whole story)

The claim is false because there is no such thing as general classroom aid!  The state provided multiple funding sources in the old formula -  including some that were authorized by the state but not run through the state general fund budget - but only local school districts and superintendents decide how much money goes to Instruction....legislators and governors have no control over the amount of money allocated to Instruction.

27% of students who graduated from Kansas high schools in 2013 and attended university in Kansas signed up for remedial training (Kansas Board of Regents); no data is available on students who went out of state or attended a private college.

The whole story at:
http://www.kansaspolicy.org/KPIBlog/128813.aspx

[Ross]

I just finished reading the Prairie Star.I see there will be a legislative luncheon at the Senior Center in Howard on the 29th.

Ain't that just dandy! Are you gonna be there?

I'll bet a certain person is too chicken to show up and tell it like he thinks it is. Face to face... get "the truth" out in a room with people who have the reins.

Why do you have to be such a low life back stabbing fool?
Why can't you be decent and call me by name when you are backstabbing me?
I tell it like it is, if you had any decency you'd do the same.
Any body with any leadership ability or knowledge would know better.

I have no need to show up.
Remember the petition you said was just a piece of paper that carried no weight, well it carried plenty of weight. It kept the School District from raising our property taxes another 8 mill over and above the 4 mill they already took. I proved my point, what is your point and can you back it up?

And it did not take an organization to do the petition, did it?
In fact our famous organization Elk Kon nected failed to even give any thought to the "Quality of Life" episode for the elderly of Elk County. And that is my opinion, and I stand by it.

And my letter in the newspaper proved the school had a lot of extra money. And that we were being bullshitted. And Mr. Moore's letter right below mine proved a Kon nection! And they had a special gray box for show. It also proved the letter, I posted was truthful about a ton of extra money.  Mr. Moore claimed it was money that the school already had coming. Be that as it may they have all that extra money even though Mr. Moore calls it something else.

Anyone with a couple of brain cells can see he did not deny the amount of money, no matter what he calls it. And he failed to support what he said with any facts. I do believe the analysis is more than satisfactory proof.

I hope they get a good turn out again this year.Since it requires reservations, he'll use that as an excuse not to go... or several other excuses in his personal handbook for cynics and complainers.

I don't need an excuse, I have no intention of going. Apparently you failed to understand Mr. Moore's letter when he quoted the Governor as saying the school budgets are too difficult for legislators to understand. I don't even think Mr. Moore understands it, fully. Or he would not have made the remarks he did about the extra money being owed to the school with out facts to back it up.

Have you ever seen the audit of West Elk done by a professional company?
No I bet you haven't.  And you didn't read the letter attached, that said only for the administrator and school board, did you? I posted it and put a link where it could be downloaded. Those two pages included!  You see Diane, the company can't legally do that, because the audit and everything is public information.
I bet you didn't know that either, did ya?
Just like the petition on paper with no weight?

You should learn before you bad mouth and back stab someone, don't ya think?

The town hall meetings that are held here can be very interesting.I'm expecting Joe Biden to decide one way or the other in a week or so.
I wonder how long Trump will keep playing around.

Oh yea, I'm moving this over to the Elk Konnected thread so everyone can see what you do?

As always it's a pleasure to set you straight.

Good night Diane Keep your knives nice and sharp. LOL

[Ross]

Here is a decent question for you Diane as the highly educated retired teacher that you claim you are. And I hope you can have a decent answer.

What business does the West Elk Superintendent have for taking 26 students from a different School Diatrict and asking the West Elk School District property owners to pay in excess of $200,000.00 to educate them?

That is what he said 26 students at $8000.00 each!

I believe the actual cost to be much, much more, but lets pretend his $8000.00 for each student is right for the moment, okay?

Why ?

That is a very important question and deserves a very decent answer !

[srkruzich]

The quesiton i would be asking is why are we AND YEs i include myself as well since i am also in the district and taxes come from me as well, paying for someone elses spawn of satan to be indoctrinated.  Thats theft of tax money by the fools in charge
Personally i think we need to get  a pot of tar and raid a chicken house soon
. 

[Ross]

Since I was asked the question, I think the parents of those kids, who are apparently moved for sports, how they feel about someone elses tax money being spent on their kids.

That would be illegal.

Recruiting for sports in Public Schools K-12 is illegal Diane.

Does it go the other direction for other sports?

I am not 100% sure but I don't believe so.

Apparently they have to borrow each others kids to have enough to make up various teams?

NO, it is not apparent!

See if you lived here you might know and understand.

It is illegal to recruit for sports in Kansas Public Schools K-12.

They could do as Elk Valley USD 283 has done and merge their students for sports with Fredonia USD 484 . And it is an after school activity for practice and most games.  And it is legal. The students stay at their own schools for education.

How do the parents feel? Apparently this has been common practice for sometime.

There is that Liberal train of thought again,  Common Practice !

It is illegal Diane so where does  Common Practice come into practice with something illegal?

The question was about property owners paying $200,000.00 for students that are not part of the West Elk School District. It wasn't asking about the parents of the other School District or about the
$200.000.00 the other School gets and does not have to spend on educationg those stuednts that our Districts want to tax us for. Here is the question, with no changes not even the typographical error,  for you to review:

What business does the West Elk Superintendent have for taking 26 students from a different School Diatrict and asking the West Elk School District property owners to pay in excess of $200,000.00 to educate them?

That is a very important question and deserves a very decent answer !

[Ross]

I guess the petition date has come and gone. I wonder what will happen next ?

Well Diane I thought you had contacts and inside information in Elk County, Kansas.

But if you paid attention to details and read with comprehension you owuld know at the last School Board meeting the School Board Whimpered and accepted that Petition on a piece of paper with no weight behind it and there will be no taxes connected with their 8 mill resolution.

And that happened 2 weeks ago.

Get it in gear and try t stay caught up.

And remember Diane it did not take an Organization. Just 1 person with the support of many taxpayers and we did it together.

I was recently sent information that your sports teams out there really do hop schools and districts to make up teams.

Just where do you get all your lousy information?
Shouldn't you start questioning your sources?

Like the Petition being just a piece of paper with no weight --- that one was really feeble for even you to believe!

Perhaps i should be happy I don't have one of them diploma things from some liberal college.
Yep. I reckon I am happy not to have one.

[Ross]

I just got around to reading my newspaper, because I have had a very busy week.

I noticed in the Public Notice section that USD 283 has posted a Resolution Capital Outlay Tax Levy for an annual tax levy for a continuous and permanent period of years not too exceed 8 mills.

I found the wording quite interesting, because it was a bit different from West Elks Resolution.

That would be Elk Valley USD 283 in Longton.

I can understand why they are doing this, and it is because of totally different reasons than what West Elk USD 282 was doing.

No. I am not going into the details because, I don't live in that School District, nor do I vote in the School District.

I bet the people that live in that School District understand their situation.

I'm just saying, I don't oppose tax increases that are done for the right purposes.

It is my opinion that West Elk USD 282 School Board raises taxes just because they can.

Remember the School Superintendent said, they can raise our taxes 4 mill with out our say and gave no legitimate reason to do so.

After attending many school board meetings at West Elk USD 282, I feel very safe in saying they have no concern for the taxpayers because, they spent so much time talking about raising taxes at almost every meeting. And this year they showed no reguard for their budget, because they over spent it by $1100.00.

Show me a respectful board meeting.

Show me  a board of education that cares about the taxpayer and voters.

Show me a proper school board meeting.

Show me a technically advanced, educated school board.

Show me a 21st Century board meeting with some class.

Show me a board that wants the public to know what they are doing.

Show me a video of the board meetings posted on the West Elk USD 282 web site, just like the one the board did, but was not a board meeting because it was only 3 board members on camera. (Oh, that was not a secret board meeting that Mr. Moore said he heard rumors about!)

If you happen to see three board members speaking, that is not a secret school board meeting. To have a school board meeting you must have a quorum of 4 board members to make the proceedings of that meeting valid. Isn't that correct Mr. Moore?

I hope this might help put the rumor the School Superintendent spoke of, to rest.