Welcome to our online chat with school board candidate Mary Loveland.

The chat took place on Thursday, February 20, and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Moderator: Welcome, everybody, to tonight’s chat with Mary Loveland.

Moderator: Let’s take our first question.

Question: Hi, Mary. What do you have to offer the board? In other words, why should I vote for you?

Mary Loveland: I feel that I have been an objective board member. I think of myself as a big picture person, thinking of what is best for the whole district, all 10,000 students. I also have 16 years of experience on the board, so I bring a unique historical perspective to discussions.

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

Mary Loveland: The superintendent reorganized the central administrative staff 2 years ago, saving about $500,000 dolars in annual salaries as I remember. Every time a senior administrator retires or leaves the district, we look at the structure again to see if there can be further reorganization. I do not believe that there is another district of our size in Kansas that does not have an assistant superintendent. When you eliminate an administrator, those tasks must be completed by somebody. If we become too lean, the reports, etc., would become the responsibility of the teaching staff and possibly distract from their instructional responsibilities. So I don’t think that we are bloated, but I am always willing to look at the situation again. there are at least 2 positions that will be eliminated in the next round of budget cuts.

Critical thinker: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to calculate the 1.4 million in savings generated by consolidation: Three principals alone at $70K a year (210K), a librarian $50 K, a secretary $20 K, A nurse $40 K, a couple of teachers equals $80K, art, music etc, etc, etc. All gone — plus utilities, insurance, yada, yada, yada….adds up fast. I guess $1.4 million is probably a conservative estimate. What would you do with the savings? And why don’t the other candidates do the math? They seem rather ignorant. Are they just bad at addition or just wanting to ignore the facts to support their cause?

¢ 6News video: Loveland and Powell speak with voters in online chat

Mary Loveland: We anticipate significant increases in operating costs next year–utilities, insurance, salaries, etc. So the savings will be use to offset those cost increases. And of course, the savings aren’t for just one year, but every year after. I don’t know why the other candidates don’t “do the math.” they would probably respond that it is a difference in values–the intimacy of a small school is more important than the class sizes we would have to raise across the district in order to afford to keep every site open. I do not know about their math skills, but I do know that we have 2 board members currently serving who were elected to keep schools open 6 years ago and are now strong advocates for closing schools. I think many people confuse small schools with small class size. I think that the classroom is the essential unit of instruction and what matters is how many students are in each classroom, not how many are under the building roof. I often ask people if they think it is or would be prudent to have two houses for a family that would be comfortable in just one. Two houses clearly doubles many of the expenses.

A.M: You come across as very judgemental to the people running. Have your ever considered that you should be stepping aside for new blood. It seems to come across that you think you are the only one who can do it. Comments?

Mary Loveland: It is inevitable that candidates form opinions about each other. I find judgemental to be a very interesting adjective since I have always tried not to judge other people. It is very difficult to hear misinformation touted at a forum and not react. My school board service does represent 16 years of my life and my commitment to the young people of this community. Of course I have considered whether or not the board needs new blood. But it is a board of 7 individuals, and a balance of experienced members and some new blood is probably healthy. The election will be the ultimate determination of the patrons desires for board membership. I have certainly never presumed that there is a spot reserved for me without the expressed will of the electorate. And I am disappointed that I have conveyed any sense that I think that I am the only one who can do it. I have always told people that the beauty of the school board is in the “sevenness”, in the 7 different backgrounds, life experience and professional interests that look at every decision made. There are many unanimous or big majority votes, but we often get to that yay or nay by very different paths of research, analysis and reflection.

Question: LHS building has been neglected as long as you’ve been in office yet the purchase of a new admin building was made instead of fully rehabilitating

LHS… Why?

Moderator: (This is our last question.)

Mary Loveland: Actually, LHS received significant attention and renovation as part of the 92 bond issue. The building has continued to age and more needs to be done, and will need to be done every few years as long as that building is in service. Part of the purchase price of 110 McDonald was from funds specified in a bond issue for a warehouse facility. Those funds could not have been used for anything else. The balance of the purchase price, for the most part, came from the proceeds of the sale of the Clinton Parkway building that it replaced. The streamlining of administration implemented by the current superintendent would not have been successful if administrators had been spread all over town. The ESDC is a very busy place. Last week I observed a minivan backing up to the door nearest the science storage area in the building. three 4th grade teachers from one of our elementary schools were arriving for math training–supplies, meeting space and trainers were awaiting them–and they unloaded from their van the portable science labs that had been in use at their school and were being returned to be replenished with consumable supplies and sent on to the next school that would be studying the units requiring those lab kits. We warehouse resources of many kinds at 110 McDonald.

Moderator: All right, that’s it for tonight’s chat with Mary Loveland.

Moderator: Thanks to everybody for joining us.