Public forum set for Wednesday

Several community members turned out Monday during the USD 234 Board of Education's regular meeting to hear more information on a proposal to reconfigure two local elementary schools into attendance centers.

USD 234 Superintendent Rick Werling said the biggest issue concerning the proposal -- which is currently being researched by an advisory review committee -- is to schedule a public forum to allow the public to get information they need regarding the proposal and to ask any related questions. Committee members would also be present at the public forum to present and discuss their findings.

Werling's suggestion during the meeting was to schedule the meeting for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Fort Scott Middle School commons area, 1105 E. 12th St. The board approved the suggestion and agreed with Werling that several community members will want to attend the forum and will want to know all the facts and figures on the proposal before the board votes on the matter at their May meeting.

"The sooner the better," Werling said. "They (the public) need the information as soon as possible."

The public forum will also be an official board meeting but the board is not expected to vote on the issue until their May 3 meeting.

Board member Jim Womeldorf said that he had recently heard some speculation in the community that the board intended to vote on the proposal during the Monday meeting without public input, a notion that he said was not true.

"We want to hear what parents and teachers have to say," he said.

A few of those people in attendance at the Monday meeting chose to address the board with concerns on the issue, including some who said conducting the public forum on Wednesday may be too soon for people who have busy schedules to get informed on the issue, and many people may not be able to attend due to other planned activities.

Other questions from audience members included why and how the proposal came about, and busing costs associated with the proposal.

The idea to change Winfield Scott and Eugene Ware elementary schools into attendance centers arose earlier this year when the principals at both schools began discussing ways to improve schools, save the district money, and avoid larger class sizes.

Womeldorf and other board members once again reiterated that the board has not made a decision on the issue, and will not do so until they hear more input from parents and teachers, and weigh all the pros and cons of the proposal.

"Everybody's got reasons why they don't want to do it," Womeldorf said. "Our choice has to be what's best for kids."

Janet Braun, a member of the board and the committee, said committee members are currently trying to compile a list of the proposal's pros and cons, and cost estimates that committee members have been able to determine thus far. All of this information is not confidential and will be available at the public forum and at the public board meeting next month.

District officials have said they won't know costs associated with the proposals until all of the necessary information has been gathered and all of the facts have been reviewed.

"We don't know exactly because the final numbers haven't been put together yet," Womeldorf said.

Board member Justin Meeks said his primary concerns with the proposal are how it will affect students and the district budget, which has already been cut more than $1 million within the past year and could be cut even more in the near future.

Meeks added the board and the committee will look at all aspects of the proposal and then make a decision based on what is best for kids and the budget.

"I know convenience is a huge concern for many people," he said. "We don't want AYP (adequate yearly progress) to get affected either."

Board member Ken Rienbolt added the board is "trying to look at all options to make an informed decision."

Local resident Jeff Sims, a parent of elementary students in the district, also spoke to the board, and said many people in attendance at the meeting, including himself, are "concerned" because of the public's "lack of information" regarding the proposal and the committee's findings.

"I think they feel things are being rushed upon them ... we're finding things out on the street," he said. "When people don't know, they imagine."

Sims also suggested to the board that another public forum be scheduled before the board votes on the matter to allow time for concerned community members who are not able to attend the Wednesday meeting a chance to hear information and voice any concerns on the matter.

The proposal would involve changing one school into a kindergarten through second grade school and the other into a third through fifth grade school.

The final report by the committee that will be presented to the board at their May meeting is expected to contain the proposal's pros and cons, impact on the district budget, effect on transportation costs, academic impact, effects on the "east versus west" stigma, the transition to the middle school, and any other information deemed appropriate as information that is useful to the board.