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

[redcliffsw]

Ross, thanks for the report(s). 

You raise a good question about the superintendent is sitting at the table with the board and conducting
the board election.

Looks like the School Board members are kinda hanging around there waiting for someone to take charge. 

[Patriot]

Looks like the School Board members are kinda hanging around there waiting for someone to take charge. 

Looks like someone has taken charge... and it wasn't the voters.

[Ross]

Ross, thanks for the report(s). 

You raise a good question about the superintendent is sitting at the table with the board and conducting
the board election.

Looks like the School Board members are kinda hanging around there waiting for someone to take charge. 

Looks like someone has taken charge... and it wasn't the voters.

That's what I'm talking about!
I wonder what the Konnections are?
LOL
I don't hear anybody denying anything or yelling at me like they have in the past!
Them Followers must have got tired of being Followers!
Or perhaps no one is openly leading any longer!
Perhaps they are trying to lead from a hiding place!
What do you think?

I'm still not done with that last meeting and I am only covering a small part of it.

Please bare with me. Thank You.

[Ross]

School Board Meeting 0n 9/10/2013
Part 3

I failed to mention yesterday that someone at the Board of Education table said they need a separate Grade School Building. They need a separation of High School and Grade School Kids. My question is why?
Remember all that talk about socialization that kids lose out on if they home study. With the two levels working together they gains much more in the way of socializing skill don't they? Kids adapt real well, far better than adults do, don't you think?

Oh you guys are hell bent on building that grade school building that the voters told you no in the bond election even if you have to build it one wing at a time. You totally lack any respect for the taxpayers and voters by making this happen. You also lack any integrity, honesty, couth and many other attributes if you continue, That is my opinion and I stand by it.

But WHAT is the real problem?

Could it be some of that bad attitude that was mentioned during the meeting?

Could it be that High School Teachers feel they are better than Grade School Teachers or vice-versa?

Another thing crossed my mind with all the kids using the same cafeteria you could have the teachers have lunch there as well And supervise the kids and hope to avoid any assaults like the knife stabbing that just took place in Texas, where the kids had no supervision. How's that for an idea? Security!

And the teachers don't really need no big expensive teachers lounge do they, there are plenty of empty lockers in the hallways the teachers and staff could use, Then you could make a class room out of it for the kids. Dose the office staff have a lounge, make it a class room as well. Do these teachers and staff love the children they have in their care all day? Prove it; don't isolate themselves from the students. That could also solve some security problems, don't ya think?

Well I think we all know that one of our elected School Board of Education members resigned and left an opening, right? Well at this board meeting there were two applicants asking for the position. Those that attend the meetings know one of them as David Evans. David Evans attends the meetings often and is familiar about its going on's. He was asked by a board member if he had any board experience and David said he was elected to the Caney Valley Electric Board and has served on it for many years. That board's concerns are most likely mostly financial budgeting and long term planning and forecasting future needs of the company. They asked David if he had any children attending West Elk.

Wait a minute, just how is that a qualification?

Being a concerned taxpayer and voter should be the concern, not do you have children attending school there.

I mean when they want your tax dollar is it a requirement to have children attending school there? If it were a lot of folks would not have to pay school property tax would they?

The second applicant had a nicely written speech and stated that several people had asked her to apply for the position. My first question is who were those people? She to is on a board, whoopee!
She to was asked if she had children attending school at West Elk and she said yes. Again how is that a qualification?

I am not certain of her name so I won't use what I think it is. But, I am told she is a long time resident of Moline and I wonder why she had no interest when the Moline Representative resigned. You know the one that was appointed before the last election!
Why not then and why now?
Who were those people that asked her to apply?
Was it School Board Members?
Was it Elk Konnected School Board Members?
Was it other Elk Konnected Members?

The reason I ask, is because there as not one word of discussion amongst the present Board Members of either applicant, why?

I would think there would be at least the smallest of discussion, but nothing!

The Board President immediately said shall we vote. And I believe it was he who moved to accept the lady. And after a few long moments of silence, he said, I have a motion can I get a second. Someone said I second the motion. And the President said, I have a first and a second all those in favor of her say aye, "all hands went up". Opposed, none.

Remember, I said, I heard no discussion about either candidate amongst the board members! That leads me to think something may be terribly wrong.

Do we really have a School Board or just people sitting at the table as yes men and women?  

Are these Board members afraid to discuss, cuss and challenge anything amongst themselves?

Or was the decision already made prior to the meeting?

I mean, I really don't know!
Does anyone have any ideas because I would really like to know?
Please help me out here with some answers!

[Ross]

School Board Meeting 0n 9/10/2013
Part 4

The School Superintendent sitting right up there at the head of the Board of Education table with all those cookies and ham and cheese and crackers, spoke to the possibility of increased enrollment due to the possibility of Elk Valley being consolidated into other districts. He said the kids might go 4 different directions.

Okay, I've been hearing that for several years, yes several years.
Has it happened, no!
Is that something Elk County wants to have happen? (Lets talk about that in a few minutes.)

So let's pretend it does happen!
What if half of the kids go to Sedan and the other half go to Fredonia?
How many would go to West Elk?    NONE!

So let's go with the 4 way split scenario, okay?
That would mean an increase of maybe 50 students, right?
Let's just pretend since we are pretending that half of the students end up at West Elk that would be about 100 students, right.

What is the big deal?

West Elk has 319 students enrolled add 200 more that is 519 no big deal! The West Elk School Building according to the Superintendent was designed to hold 600 students. That still leaves room for another 81 students, doesn't it?

But moving beyond all the make believe lets return to the question," Is that something Elk County wants to have happen?", the consolidation of Elk valley and for Elk County to loose yet another school?
Is that what the citizens of Elk County want?
Is that what the West Elk School District wants for Elk County?
Aren't the West Elk School District Board Members citizens of Elk County?
Is that what those citizens want?

Remember in the school documents where it says that losing a school can damage a community and cause people to move away?

What about that quality of life Elk Konnected Board Members? What about that?
I wonder what the population of Moline has eroded to since the closing of the Moline Grade School?

As far as the consolidation I think I first heard of it 3 years ago and I was told that Elk Valley would most likely be absorbed into the Fredonia School District and I believe that might limit the number of potential enrollees even more.
When I was searching the internet from my home in Bremerton, Washington and found this acreage that I have built my home on, I looked to see if there was a school close by and if there were medical facilities close by. All was satisfactory to me. But I must say if Moline had not had its grade school I don't know if I would have moved here. It does make that much difference to people with small children.

So shouldn't the Elk County Community be behind the City of Longton in keeping its school?

Shouldn't all the mighty community leaders of Elk County be working on solving the problem of the possibility of losing the Elk Valley School District?

Shouldn't the mighty community leaders be lobbying for Longton and Elk Valley?

Or do the Community Leaders just sit back and pretend it ain't happening and wait until it is too late to do anything.

Just let those that might make such a decision think you don't care, is that the plan?

Or is this another one of those things, what did Elk Konnected say in one of their open letters? Something like, how can something good be going on in one part of the county and not in the other part of the county?

Do the so called leaders sit back and do nothing and/or hope for the demise of a school district and the possible demise of a community? Is that the plan?

I just don't understand the thinking and the actions.
Perhaps someone out their reading this can explain it to me.

Please do!
Thank you!

[Ross]

Leadership?
or
Puppets?

[Ross]

This next paragraph in blue is quoted by copying and pasting from Public Squares Communities, Inc. and Elk Konnected, LLC web site and webpage at http://www.publicsquarecommunities.com/communities/elk-konnected/elk-about/

In early 2007, Elk County was experiencing some events that made a resident wonder "What is the future of Elk County"? With a county population of only 3000, one tiny town spends time and energy wanting to pull out of the county wide trash service. Yet on the other side, members across the county come together for a "tablesetting" event that raises over $3000 for the local foundation. How can these two polarizing events happen at the same time? We needed help!

Elk Konnected makes a squabble out of Garbage, real garbage, the kind you set out on your curb. As a reason to start a Non Governmental Organization (NGO).

Let's compare that to what is going on today, at least as I see it. You decide for your self, okay!

We have been informed by the West Elk School District Board of Education at a Board meeting that the Elk Valley School District in Longton faces the possibility of consolidation. I have heard that consolidation may be with Fredonia. The School district has or is doing what they can to remain open in Elk County. If consolidation were to happen that would mean that Elk County would lose yet another School. Do those that claim leadership care? If so, what are they doing to help this small community? Remember, the Moline Grade School and its demise? There was nothing gained by shutting down the Moline Grade School but there was plenty lost. The school district lost a separate gymnasium and auditorium and other amenities for the grade school students.

While on the other side:

The West Elk School District appears to want to take advantage of this possible loss instead of trying to prevent the loss to Elk County. Taking advantage of a small community's possible loss I suppose it is better than leadership helping preserve what is there. You tell me.

How are they trying to take advantage?

By building a larger and ever larger school building at great expense to the taxpayers.
Hoping to gain more students when and IF Elk Valley ends up in consolidation.
There is no guarantee that this will happen.

The West Elk School Board continues down the path towards building a new grade school, by calling their plan to construct --- extensions, add-ons, wings or whatever other term they wish to use. Completely ignoring the fact the people they are suppose to answer to said NO. Remember the School Levy vote two years where they received a resounding "NO".  Don't these people understand no?

What happened to the Elk Konnected positive attitude?

You Elk Konnected School Board Members --- didn't the community voters give you a very positive "NO" for an answer?
Didn't the people in effect vote not to shut down the grade schools by voting not to build a multi-million dollar new one?
Or is that what the plan has been all along, to follow the examples of control on page one of this thread, by centralizing the grade schools at HOWARD West Elk.
Well, it is not Howard w\West Elk, please check the Kansas State Registry.

So, why are you Elk Konnected School Board Members accepting such a negative attitude towards the voters and going along with this unnecessary construction plan?

Isn't it defiance of the voters, which is the equivalent of a defiant teenager that does not get his way? Is that it?

Otherwise, why are you Elk Konnected School Board Members not showing a positive attitude towards the voter's wishes?
There just doesn't appear to be any respect exuding from you folks, for taxpayers or voters or anything else in my opinion.
Where is that Elk Konnected Leaderships positive attitude to do the right thing and honor the vote, to honor the democratic act of the voters? Is positive, only what you want it to be?

Where is the proper leadership attitude in Elk County?

I suppose real curb side garbage, in garbage cans is far more important than millions of taxpayer dollars and taxpayer votes ?

What a shame!

Does anybody else have a better idea why our elected officials are wasting our tax dollars and ignoring the voting system in Elk County?

I am looking for answers, so any given will be appreciated.

[redcliffsw]

You reckon the school board is being managed by the Steering Committee by and thru the superintendent?

[Ross]

You reckon the school board is being managed by the Steering Committee by and thru the superintendent?

I don't know what's going on but it is about as fishy as the county government use to be.
Nobody admits to being associated with Elk Konnected these days, so it makes a person wonder just what is going on.
I would guess they are either ashamed to belong or they don't want the community of Elk County to know what they are up to!

As far as the School Board and the administration, I requested the earnings of all employees to include overtime pay and summertime pay with the proper legal papers and I can't find any overtime or summertime pay. I wonder why. Are they keeping it secret? And why? I asked the School Board President to ask every one to speak up, and he said he would do that and then chose not to I guess. So it leaves me to believe the whole attitude is the public and the taxpayers and voters don't need to know what they are doing. Just fishy as hell in my personal opinion.

Elk Konnected I believe got started out as just Elk Konnected and then became Elk Konnected, LLC. I believe they did that LLC thing because of all the questions being asked of them. Because they became an LLC that sheltered almost all their information from public scrutiny. Which I suppose was a good move for them. That made them a privately owned company and not subject to opening their books for the public. No transparency. And our School District appears to have the very same attitude only they can't become and LLC.
That dropped calling their hand outs to the school board attachments, I suppose because, I was asking why the attachments were not attached to the agenda's and minutes. And now I think they have stopped calling them hand outs and just hand them out to the board during the meeting and or before the meeting so as to avoid giving them to the public.

I really can't figure out what they are doing and I think that is the idea! Keep the public confused and do what ever they want, whether tit makes sense or not.

Heck they don't even run a proper board meeting, stop by and check out the melee sometime.

As always Just my thoughts and opinions.

[Ross]

Apparently the visionary Elk Konnected School Board Members think our School District has more money than they need to keep or that we as a School District are not far enough in debt.

What do you folks, the taxpayers think?

Does our School District have too much money and it needs to spend it?
                                           OR
Does our School District need more debt, you know, to keep up with the Joneses? (so to speak)

Let's keep up with the Joneses and make headlines like this one:

Education Still in Crisis

The School District of Philadelphia has forecast more than $300 million in deficits.

It may be in need of serious educational reform.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20130915_Education_Still_in_Crisis.html#1Di8LmJ6OgvSERaj.99

Really Big Idea: Build Bigger and Bigger School that is not needed and we can't afford and make Newspaper Headlines.

Really Big Idea: Build Bigger and Bigger School District Debt, for the property owner, because they don't pay enough property tax.

Didn't we already have a CRISIS that forced the closing of the Severy Grade School and the Moline Grade School?
We did, didn't we!

Is the School Board building for a larger CRISIS, a super large CRISIS with this new plan to build Millions on BUILDING more school, while the student population is still declining? So they can make larger headlines?

I think the deficit fad is over and now other school districts that were involved in that fad are paying for having been involved in that fad are now in CRISIS mode !

Why are we getting into a fad that has ended?