School Changes

[MarkHall]

This is on the school website today...

USD 282 will hold a special school board meeting on Monday, March 23, at 7:30 pm in the WEHS cafeteria.

On the agenda: Facilities Discussion and Facilities Action.

[wasadeay]

strictly third hand.... but heard late tonight that no change (from the original change) had been made.  Not sure what all went on....maybe someone with more reliable details can fill us in.

[D Whetstone]

The West Elk School Board in fact made no changes to their previous decision regarding the Elementary program.

Roxanne Walker made a motion to switch the attendance centers, which would have had the 4th through 6th grades at Severy and the 1st – 3rd grades at Moline.  That motion died for lack of a second. 

The board did have a lengthy discussion (prior to the motion) and allowed patrons to voice opinion and suggestions.  I think all that wanted to be heard were allowed to do so.  My tongue wanted to wag but I bit it instead.

The board also approved, at the request of Casey Smith, the formation of a sub committee consisting of three board members (Wolfe, Smith, Roebuck), three administrators (Leiker, Hugill, Reese) and two persons knowledgeable about construction (Patrick Perkins, Matt Hilton). This sub committee will look at the West Elk site in Howard and help determine where to place an elementary school and what other changes might be made to the site. This would be given to an architect to start their process.


Disclaimer: much of what I might say from this point on in this post is editorial.

I think the board did a good job tonight in discussing and allowing for input and discussion from the community members who attended.  Although the meeting, in retrospect, may have appeared unnecessary (no changes made), I think it was wise to allow the discussion to proceed.  They gave everyone their due.

I suspect, based on the tone of the discussion, that the meeting was called due to pressure/complaints from school patrons/parents. It appears that "threats" have been made that if the plan that was passed at the regular March board meeting is left in place, students will be moved to other districts (Central Burden, Sedan, Elk Valley).  I think it is clear that if the plan were switched, students would be moved to other districts (Eureka, Fredonia).  There was much discussion about losing more students from the South than from the North.  Given our low enrollment already, this difference cannot be great. 

I congratulate the board on sticking to their decision.  No matter which way they went here, someone, some parent(s) were not going to be happy. I believe it impossible to predict what decisions parents will make for their family or understand why some make the decisions they do.  I know many of my clients in Andover have no clue why I would move my kids out of the Andover district to a school district of lesser means. And commute an hour to work to boot.  My point - do what is absolutely best for the kids and their education.  Continue to look at the long term.  People will make their decisions for their own reasons and those reasons will all be different.

Lastly, I think the board would do well to attend School Board workshops conducted by the KASB and/or other organizations.  Much is to be learned about parliamentary procedure and parliamentary techniques that can be used.  There was much consternation tonight about decisions that were made, decisions that could have been made, decisions that might be made in the future, whether or not enough time for discussion was allowed, etc.  Understanding how decisions can be delayed (time outs) to allow for more discussion, reflection, etc would serve many of the board members well.  When the last KASB meeting was held in Wichita, the board members were advised of the meeting, told to contact the district office if interested, and that the meetings were good/excellent.  I don't believe one board member attended a single session.  This type of development is important, dare I say critical, to our boards and school districts success.  I hope they will take advantage of these opportunities in the future.

D Whetstone

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I didn't attend either meeting.  I am sorry that I didn't.  I do care about my kids education alot!!  Sometimes, my husband says to much.  My only concern about the situation is that, like I stated yesterday, changing and changing the decision.  But I am very glad that the board stuck to their original vote, just because we can't please everyone.  I know some people will have to bus their children alot further and are mad about this.  But this year, if my children ride the bus from our house, they already have to get up and be on the bus at 6:20, when in previous years it was 7:10.  They did this for awhile, and then I started taking them in to work with me.  Sometimes we as parents have to give a little for our children.  Is it really best to pull your children out of this district into another one?  Have they checked on the time that the other school will, if at all pick them up?  Would it be just as long of bus ride or not?  And this is just a short term thing.  Maybe at the most 5 years, right?  So, we as parents need to think about the education that they will receive from the other schools that they will send them to.  I feel that West Elk does have a great Education system in place, and a great set of teachers.  Do we have as much to offer as other districts, maybe not right now, but we could in the future.  Every school around is being hit with low enrollment, and less money per child.  So most of the schools around us are not in the best boats either.  They might not say that, but they are covering it up.  Just last week iin the paper, I read that Sedan was lossing students and money like we are and I am sure that Elk Valley is to.

Is it going to be easy on me to have 2 kids in Severy and one at Moline?  No, the one that is at Moline has dentist appointments every 4 to 6 weeks for her braces.  Her appointments are in Wichita, too.  But I, as her parent must be willing to do what is best for her, not always myself.  I am sure that before we get a new school built I will have her here in Howard, possibly one at Moline and one at Severy, too.  But it has to be done.  They have to get the best Education possible, and I feel that they will receive that in this district.  I attended school here and feel that I have done alright with my life.

I guess what I am trying to say is think about your child first before you decide to pull them out of this district.  Are they going to be getting the same great education that they are getting now?  Is the school better?  Do they have the experienced teachers that we have?  Don't just pull them because you are mad at the decision, make sure you think about them while you are making this decision. 

[Diane Amberg]

Does your area ever use mobile classrooms that can be set up and moved as the school population changes?

[patyrn]

I think that is a feasible possibility to consider, also, at least for a temporary fix.  I taught for several years in a portable mobile classroom complete with restrooms, air conditioning, and water, and it worked out very well for elementary students.  With so much fluctuation in student populations, the ability to add or shut down units based on current enrollment might be cost-effective.  If these units are maintained as any other building would be, they can last for quite a long period of time and even be an attractive alternative.  I feel the quicker this district can get everyone on one campus, the stronger the school system will be.   

[D Whetstone]

A follow up on my previous editorial comments:

I made comment about how no matter what decision was made some people/parents would be unhappy.  I had thought, that given the current climate of school funding/economy, that parents would realize there are limited options.  Last year, this same decision was made.  Parents were not happy with the arrangement and felt that the system could be left alone for another year. Both Elementary schools were kept open in full capacity (PreK – 5th).  I was one of those. I feared losing students from both ends of the school district.

I thought enough time had passed.  Parents had been given enough time to analyze this situation; to realize now the limited options; to realize that this is hopefully short term. That ultimately a centralized campus would be more convenient/efficient/cost effective for all.

But I was, evidently, wrong. There has been, as I said, opposition to the plan and threats to move to neighboring districts. I will state, simply, that I don't understand this position.  Please enlighten me.

[sixdogsmom]

I agree Karen, that portables are the answer. The long term projection is for a shrinking school population. Consolidation is the answer with a community of portables in one location. Building a new school is not the answer in my opinion, we already have schools that we cannot afford to operate and do not need another one. I would however like to see some viable suggestions for the buildings that already exist in Moline and Severy. Would the state assist in demolition or conversion to another use? I think that anything being done should be tied into a solution for the old buildings so that these towns are not left with the same problem as Howard and many other towns in the state. Last year Ted and I made a side trip to Cottonwood Falls as we were traveling to K.C. The town is like many others in rural Kansas, time has passed it by and the current populace is small. The old school is about the same vintage as the Howard grade school, with the roof gone and the second floor caved into the first. You see this in town after town, this sign of civilization going back to the wild. I really suspect that is the fate for this area also, in spite of our best efforts. Unless there are ways to make a living, people will not be moving into the area, no matter how pretty it is, how wonderful the people, or how good the educational system is. The bottom line is economic just as it is with everything else.

[D Whetstone]

Patyrn and Diane,

This option, of portable classrooms, has been discussed. I know there is fear that if these were to be used, that it would be more difficult to pass a bond for a more permanent structure (i.e. if these are good enough now, then they are good enough forever).

Sixdogsmom,

I would not say that portables are not the answer.  But a new building would be more efficient to operate. A newere building would actually decrease the financial burden and further free up monies to enhance our educational programs. I think the district (board, administration, and patrons) are looking at the most feasible options as it pertains to costs.

Lastly, I whole heartedly agree that we need to have a plan to utilize the buildings in Moline and Severy. I think this is critical.

[HoganRanch]

I left the school board meeting last night feeling very discouraged and disappointed.  I felt that these meetings should have been held before a final decision was ever made.  The Board should have been collecting information about the bus routes, utility costs and everything else for the last several years. 

Debbie Stange said that she went through the bus routes to see how many kids would be bused from one end to the other and the way it stands now there will be 23 kids bused on both ends.  Had they done it the other way with the 1st-3rd at Moline and the 4th-6th at Severy there would only be 16 kids being bused.  This did not seem to be taken into consideration by the majority of the Board.

Bob Black brought up that he knew USD 282 stands to lose 12-15 students from the split on the south end and he wanted to know if that was expected or if we could stand to lose that many and be ok.  Our expected enrollment for next year is 356 and Burt said that if enrollment falls to 320 or less he would recommend that the board close a school because it would cost too much to run both schools with that low of enrollment.  That means if we lose 36 students before August they could very well close a school this summer.

There are a lot of "what ifs" on the table and I feel that a year from now we will be in the same boat, facing a decision of which school to close.  If a bond issue does not pass they will have to close a school next year.  I personally don't think that we need a new school.  I would like to see the annex renovated into the grade school and build a new building to house the Vo-Ag, art room and woods classes.  Does everyone want to do that?  No.  Will it be easy? No probably not.  But with our declining enrollment why would we build a new grade school?  If our enrollment keeps declining and it will, we will probably be able to do what Longton does and have pre-K thru 12th at the high school anyway.   

I thought that Gina Wilson made an excellent point last night about the facts, that if this is a money issue then why aren't we looking at that.  Bert had put together what it cost last year to run both grade schools and Moline was the cheaper one to run with a difference of a little more than $10,000.00.  That should have a lot to do with the decision and it saddens me that it doesn't.  I feel that the decisions that have been made have been based on emotion and politics when they should be based on facts.  What I feel needs to be done is take Severy & Moline out of the equation and go by numbers. 

We have thought long and hard about what to do for our children in the way of their education and what is best for them.  That is why we are probably going to go to Sedan next year and we will most likely not come back to USD 282.  Was this an easy decision to make? No.  Michael & I both graduated from West Elk and we are glad that we did.  But, this is not about us it is about what is best for our children.