Board talks budget cuts

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Handling potential future state budget cuts was discussed at Monday's USD 234 Board of Education meeting.

During the meeting, the board approved the employment of all current district administrators for next year, although the salaries of those administrators have not yet been set. Some board members expressed concern about being able to retain all of those positions next year, although no administrative job was singled out.

Depending on the Kansas legislature's decision regarding balancing the state budget, the district faces a possible loss of $137,762 in funding for the remainder of this year due to a reduction in base state aid per pupil, and a possible loss of $463,072 next year due to additional declines in BSAPP as proposed by Gov. Sam Brownback. The district also won't get federal economic stimulus funds that had been budgeted the last two years.

Board member Justin Meeks said he is concerned about "looming budget cuts" and the district's ability to retain all assistant administrative positions when the district faces a potential loss of more than $600,000 over the next two years. He said the most important thing is making sure classrooms are not affected.

Board member Jeff Sims, head football coach at Fort Scott Community College, said in his experience working in education, athletic programs are "often the first thing looked at" when school boards are discussing cutting programs, but "we have to look at all avenues."

He also said it would be difficult to keep funding some programs and retain all administrative positions in the district, adding that the district's priority should be academics.

"We need to do what's best for the classroom, period," he said.

Also on Monday, the board:

* Heard an update from USD 234 Superintendent Rick Werling on the district's participation in the Kansas Learning Network, which is required by the Kansas State Department of Education because the district is currently "on improvement" in the area of reading for one year after missing Adequate Yearly Progress standards in that area during the 2009-10 school year. Werling said district officials had to identify a district leadership team, which meets three times in Wichita during the first year. The team's next meeting is in June.

Werling said the district receives help from consultants hired by KSDE because it is in the network. Consultants help the team address such things as leadership, staff development and areas that impact classrooms. The network's purpose is to help the district improve student achievement and to no longer be "on improvement." The district cannot get off improvement until it has made AYP for two consecutive years in the identified area of improvement.

"The idea is to bring the district together so we're operating in the same culture," Werling said.

* Approved an Integrated Improvement Plan for the district, which is submitted to KSDE regarding the district's plans for improvement as a result of the district's work with the Kansas Learning Network.

* Employed all current district administrators, accepted the resignations of Annette Miles as English teacher at Fort Scott High School and Darvin Willard as spring conditioning coach, and hired Josh Lattimer as spring conditioning coach.

* Conducted a short discussion on possible summer work projects.

* Approved a request for the FSHS boys tennis team to conduct a fundraiser for The Sharing Bucket, a cancer support organization.

* Approved a recommendation to allow USD 234 Business Manager Tiffany Forester access to Citizens Bank e-corp and that she be allowed to be the contact for e-corp.

* Approved a proposal for Nex-Tech, a rural telephone company, to install a Wide Area Network in the district.