Welcome to our online chat with school board candidate Scott Morgan.The chat took place on Tuesday, February 11, at 6:30 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Moderator: Welcome, everybody, to tonight’s chat with school board candidate Scott Morgan.

Moderator: Mr. Morgan is here with us and is ready to answer questions.

Moderator: Mr. Morgan, introduce yourself.

Scott Morgan: Good evening everyone.

Lawrence resident: Tell me, really, is the district’s administrative staff bloated?

Scott Morgan: That’s a pretty popular opinion. Administration is usually everyone’s #1 place to cut. Because of that, the board has cut there first. That being said, I’m sure it will take another hit this year along with every other part of the district.

Cammie: Are there areas other than facilities that you feel the district should look at to help schools be more equitable (ex. after-school activities, playground equipment, classroom supplies, computer labs, PTO, parent involvement, site councils, etc.)?

Scott Morgan: The main reason the district started looking at facilities was a strong desire to bring equity to all of our schools. More important than buildings, are equity in programs, class size, support staff and the many “extras” that make a school a school.

Adrian What is your position on the teaching of creationism or “Intelligent Design” in school science classes?

Scott Morgan: I have very little interest in having USD 497 be my children’s spiritual advisor. Evolution should be taught in our schools. We should not weaken our science program by mixing it with religion. I will take care of that for my children.

Lisa: You said it might be possible to speed construction at New York and Corley if students at the schools were temporarily transferred to other buildings. How can this even be considered?

Scott Morgan: In the interests of safety, time and money, I have asked the administration to find out if it is even possible to relocate the New York/East Heights into East Heights and Cordley/Centennial into Centennial. It may not be possible but we should at least find out. Mixing kids and major construction is not my first choice.

¢ 6News video: Morgan shares thoughts in online chat

Lawrence resident: How can you justify your support for a $59 million bond issue when the Kansas economy is suffering?

Scott Morgan: There is no time in a 20-year bond that we will have all great economic years. Now is a great time for this bond. Interest rates are at an all-time low, construction bids will be lower and the jobs are needed. Money we would be spending on interest will instead go to schools.

Concerned West Side Parent: I keep hearing that you are going to bus my kids from the west side to the east side of Lawrence if the bond fails. Is this true?

Scott Morgan: There has been some interest expressed in moving kids from west to east to fill buildings. I have no interest in this. No more than I have in moving kids anywhere in this community far away from their neighborhood. We are moving kids, but we are moving them to the next school over. Most of these will still be closer to their new school than many kids.

Rob and Jamie: Everyone recognizes that the Bond Issue is a large financial commitment at a time when funding and resources are tight. However, what are some of the consequences for the District if the Bond is not approved at this time?

Scott Morgan: People need to focus on this very question. One of the most important aspects of this bond are the savings we can gain in our operational funds. The $1.4 million in annual savings will be desparately needed as we once again go through the budget nightmare forced on us by the state. From zero hour at the high schools to six-grade band to all sorts of activities, people need to make the same tough choices the board has been making.

Jill: How will the district balance its operating budget if the bond issue does not pass in April? In other words, what is plan B?

Scott Morgan: Plan B is not definite but it is not pretty. But what I do know is that programs that will be cut will shock people. We are faced with adult problems and we need to make adult decisions. All activities are at risk. Maybe schools would stay open but they won’t be the same. Class size will be difficult to protect.

Sarah: Are the minutes to the school board meetings available on-line or otherwise?

Scott Morgan: I don’t know if minutes are online yet. They certainly could be and anyone could request them. They are not verbatim but they are rather extensive. I think it would be a good idea to post them. Good suggestion.

Lawrence resident: Is the district getting ripped off by the DLR Group consulting firm?

Scott Morgan: DLR will not rip off this district. They will be paid nothing if the bond fails but they will serve as our Construction Manager and Program Manager if it passes. They will be paid a percentage in line with past construction management firms. Program management has been handled in house in the past and we have paid a price for having education majors do what is really a facility function.

Lawrence resident: Given that the school district bought a new administrative headquarters with the last bond issue money — that wasn’t part of the deal — how can the public trust what the board says about this bond plan?

Scott Morgan: A great question. One of the reasons I ran last time was that I was not happy with the purchase of a new administration building. One of the reasons I ran again this time is to ensure this community that this bond will absolutely be spent as we say it will. The bond is rather tightly written for this reason. Our priorities must be the kids.

parent: Will anti-bond, anti-consolidation candidates, if elected to the board, change their tune in a couple years when they realize what they’ve got themselves into?

Scott Morgan: Reality is a cruel teacher. I don’t mean to be cute but I have yet to hear what anyone’s plan B is. There are no easy answers left. Last year I had to lay-off people from my church, my child’s teacher, I would not have done that if there was an easy way out.

People will have to decide given the facts but I think it speaks volumes that six very different board members reached consensus on how to work our way out of this situation.

Jill: Should the school board more reflect the ethnic, economic and educational diversity of Lawrence?

Scott Morgan: It is always good to have a diverse set of opinions on a board representing a diverse community. However, I do not believe physical make-up is as important as people’s philosophy.

Lawrence Resident 2: What are some of the possible negative ramifications of not passing the bond issue?

Scott Morgan: The biggest is that we lose our chance to get $140 more per student (the $1.4 million we would save in operational costs each year). Beyond that of course is that the many long-overdue facility issues will go left undone. Kids will still be portables, South will still be a disaster, LHS will still be left behind and the many other issues will just float on undone.

Tess: Why close Riverside School and make Deerfield School more crowded?

Scott Morgan: Riverside has roughly 110 students. Splitting those in two and sending roughly half to Deerfield and half to Pinckney makes sense. Deerfield will be close to capacity but our projections show it working. If it doesn’t, the board will likely move kids out of Deerfield and into Quail the next year.

Haley: Should the school board require all secondary principals and top-level administrators to teach a class?

Moderator: (We’ll take one more question after this one.)

Scott Morgan: Being a secondary principal is a full-time job. We have to decide if we are going to run real schools and provide the kind of education Lawrence rightfully expect.

Dave: Be honest — only crazy people volunteer to run for school board, right?

Scott Morgan: You are so right. I’m still not sure how my wife is going to vote. Still, with three kids in our schools, I realize how important it is for people to step forward.

A lot of people could do this better than me but I guess they have too much sense.

Moderator: That’s it for tonight’s chat. Thanks, everybody, for joining us. Our next chat is Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. with Gordon Longabach.