School Changes

[Mom70x7]

An article in this morning's Wichita Eagle is interesting: "Can reducing the number of school districts solve state budget woes?"

http://www.kansas.com/topstories/story/1037079.html

It references a 2001 study:
http://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=DhdRzGy%2B8PY%3D&tabid=1916

[pepelect]

Wow.  Article uses eight year old data to say that small schools with crappie test scores are the first to be consolidated.  DUH.....

If you have high test scores then what happens, do you get more money? 

Why are we using decade old data?  This reporter is trying to make a headline.

It also goes on to state that larger overbuilt schools like Wichita and Shawnee should be picked apart.  They are overburden with top heavy salaries and waste.  How can one district in western Kansas with 38 students in 2001 compete with salaries offered by a school like Wichita with 49,000 students. 

The only thing I get out of this I already knew.  If you want to survive you must become more efficient.

[ladyD]

Wow, not a great turn out at the polls yesterday.  Out of 1728 Registered District 282 voters only 949 voted?  It was commented that it was a good number.  I don't agree. 
I believe that the "NO" voters think they have saved their buildings from being shut down.  A "NO" vote was NOT going to stop the closing of the schools. I think they believe they saved their taxes from increasing.  Taxes will increase regardless if there is a new school or not. I think they believe they saved the elementary school from being placed in Howard.  It was going to determine if we built a nice looking updated facility or sat pods on the existing campus. It is impossible to continue to maintain the 3 separate campuses.  The issue was at one time what to do with the buildings.  How to fix them, which one to fix and maintain.  We have far gone beyond that topic.  The issue at hand was to build a new school at Howard which is centrally located or not.  If we were not building a new facility we go on with option B, place pods or trailers at the high school location. 
The "NO" votes have now made it possible to place trailers at the West Elk Campus, instead of the new building. We will now move on with Plan B.  It should be an adventure moving from one trailer to another for computer classes, library, to eat in a cafeteria, and to use the high school gym occupied by Jr. High & high School kids.
Well, "NO" voters, you have been heard.  Thank you.
Now let's address those that didn't vote.  I am sure there were people who were sick or gone for various reasons that could not help not being at the polls.  I am not addressing them. I am addressing the ones who have no excuse or those that say, "It doesn't matter one way or another, so I'm not voting."  Well, by not voting you are making a decision to allow others to make a decision for you.  And I doubt truly if the issue was brought up if you would keep quiet.  You have an opinion; you just chose not to put it in the form as a vote.  I won't even get on a tangent about the right we have to vote and it being our obligation as well as a gift. 

[sixdogsmom]

LadyD, my ballot said that the vote was whether or not to accept a bond to construct a new school at Howard, it did not say any of that other stuff. I too have heard all these threats from several people, but those issues were not on the ballot were they?

[Lookatmeknow!!]

They weren't but what do you think they will do next?  Keep both schools open?  I was just wondering.  I really doubt that will happen.  Maybe one, but that is still pushing it.  Sixdogs, you have never told me or anyone else what do you think should happen.  Not trying to be mean, but everyone is welcome to voice there opinion.  I know that you didn't want the bond to pass, but what would you think the district could do to help this problem?  Just wondering.

[jerry wagner]

The other items do not need to be on the ballot as they would be financed out of general revenue.  The purpose of the ballot is to agree to a bond issue.

[Diane Amberg]

I take it the bond vote failed?

[DanCookson]

The other options could not be on the ballot, as the vote was for the bond issue as a pass or fail option.  The vote wasn't for or against alternatives.  I agree Angie, I don't see a solution that keeps either school open. 

[jerry wagner]

The other items can be agreed upon solely by the school board in a regular vote or a special session, there is no requirement for them to be put to a vote such as with a bond financing option.  The only probably remaining option that will allow the school board to finance their operations in the future would require closing of both of the elementary campuses and then relocating the students to Howard campus in portables which will be a logistical nightmare not to mention segregating the elementary schools and dealing with the kindergartners and the preschool kids and creating their play area.

[pepelect]

I am really shocked. It has been two days.  The ink is barely dry on the dry erase board at the court house.  I have been on the edge of my seat chomping at the bit.  That means that for the last 48 hours I have been waiting for the big plan.  There has to be a big plan.  There has to be better ideas.  Those new ideas about lower taxes and improved programs must have been eclipsed by the brilliance of old school world order.  There should be at least six hundred and twenty two opinions of what the next step is.  Surely every one of you didn't blindly vote your conscience just to be negative.  Surely you were not just voting no because you were told to.  You had to have a thought on what should happen today.  Not tomorrow.  Not in three to five years but today.  We have kids in school right now that need teachers.  We have an entire staff now in limbo thinking more about updating resumes than lesson plans.  Where they used to be looking at the sports page they are looking at the classifieds.  You are thinking about your new and improved tax burden.  So what are your plans to lessen that burden.  Should be a great day.  You just turned the largest employer in Elk county into another statistic.  You chose to remain fragmented and disorganized.  You choose the status quo over progress.  We are no better now then we were twenty years ago.  Change is a bad.  You severely limited the school board and the administration in finding a workable financial solution. The bond funding was the easiest part of the complexity of the schools problems.  Now will come the hard part.  What programs are so worthless that they will be discontinued immediately?  Which activities will not be available at we in the foreseeable future?  What are your values when it comes to nonessential personal.  You don't want to lose a school building but you are willing to risk every thing that makes it a great place to educate.

What is a doable solution?