School closings on the line in Lawrence
With a $4 million budget deficit growing to $5 million, the likelihood of school closings seems to be increasing.
Lawrence school board members on Monday night rejected a plan for the fall to move ninth-graders into the city’s two public high schools from junior high.
“It would be rushing something with too many chances of failure, and failure in this case means kids,” said Scott Morgan, the school board president.
Board members Bob Byers and Mark Bradford were the only ones to support the move, saying it was feasible and would save the district money.
“I think it’s been demonstrated to us, by staff, significant reasons why we should do it,” Bradford said. “And I think there are significant reasons why now is the time to do it in relationship to the budget.”
The board is looking to cut $4 million to $5 million because of a decrease in state aid and higher insurance costs.
But the five other board members didn’t want to expedite the original plan to take this year to map out the transition as part of a school reconfiguration.
“I’m pretty averse to the idea of doing that kind of crisis planning on something this important,” board member Rich Minder said.
Board members in coming weeks will hear more from administrators on their plans to initiate the process — just not for next school year. It could come in pieces, including a plan to move ninth-graders into high school sports programs.
Budget cuts
Board members ranked a list of about $3 million in program and administrative cuts they updated after introducing last week. They also ranked the cuts in tiers.
The first tier totaled $640,081, and it included:
• $223,970 to stop absorbing administrative costs while assisting the Lawrence Virtual School.
• $250,000 for a 5.6 percent cut to district administration and support services.
• $145,077 in cuts to special education services, including delaying purchasing a replacement vehicle plus reducing most paraprofessional positions to 7.5 hours per day from 8 hours.
• $21,034 by reducing library media assistants’ work days from 194 days to 175 days, when students are in school.
“We’re trying to keep this level as far away from direct contact with kids as possible,” said Kim Bodensteiner, chief academic officer.
Second-tier cuts totaled $913,845 in savings, and included $40,000 for restructuring assistant principals at secondary schools and $150,000 by moving ninth-grade athletics to the high schools.
The third- and fourth-tier cuts would save more than $700,000 each. They include reducing five full-time positions for school nurses and reducing the number of elementary guidance counselors.
Doll said that at each tier the cuts would get more painful.
At the beginning of the meeting, more than 30 people, including parents representing nearly every elementary school, spoke to board members for more than two hours urging them not to close any schools.
The board took no action on that issue Monday.
Comments
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srj (anonymous) says…
Wow, those paras make nothing now. They are basically full time teachers that they don't want to pay full price for.
grammaddy (anonymous) says…
Let's cut back on the administration instead of the schools.
commuter (anonymous) says…
I am disgusted. Former Board member Austin turney spoke about closing schools. He stated that they district will not save what they project from closing schools. I am confused though, isn't this the same Austin Turney who VOTED to closed two schools. He was one of the board members who CHOOSE to CLOSE Riverside, East Heights, and Centennial.
I would have been a little more impressed with him if he would have said "I screwed up voting to close schools during the last school closures, for this I would hope the citizens of Lawrence would forgive me. I thought I was acting for the whole district." Since he came no where near that statement, I am extremely disappointed in him.
I guess he only thinks saving money from school closures only comes when he can influence that Cordley will not be closed, since he can not vote or have influence on the board to save Cordley, no closing a school doesn't save money.
Kookamooka (MJ Browne) says…
A piddly 5.6 percent administrative cut is just offensive. He could cut 1 million from lazy administrators who don't have tenure, and eliminate the "learning coaches" who are a luxury in place to keep the under paid and ill prepared teachers coming from KU happy. If KU would just do it's job and prepare the teachers for the classroom they wouldn't need teachers to teach teachers. That whole notion of a "Learning coach" is something that came about when the country was flush with money. NOw that we are in recession, the idea has to pass. Kids don't benefit from learning coaches. Even the teachers don't benefit that much from learning coaches. Get rid of the highest paid aministrators NOT the lowest paid Paras. This is just ridiculous.
dragonwagon2 (anonymous) says…
Maybe we could sell the two new football fields along with the new soccer fields etc. But who would buy?
What a joke our current school board is.............
xbusguy (chris Ogle) says…
$145,077 in cuts to special education services,
-------------------------------------------
So typical......... cut funding to those who need it the most.
merrill (anonymous) says…
After a rather revealing view of the budget offered up by a CPA last night It is my thinking that there will be other changes in the budget that will present new sources for savings. It was obvious that this person and others took a long hard view at the accounting mechanisms put forth by the previous administration.
Face it folks the virtual school program is a gravy train in dollars.
Property owners in the areas of closed public schools will lose 10% of property value by this decision according to Kirk McClure. Property owners cannot afford, the city cannot afford to lose the property tax dollars and USD 497 cannot afford the loss.
A new highway interchange, for example, generally increases the value of nearby property because it increases its accessibility. Local developers love taxpayers to pay for this little jewel aka how tax payers subsidize new wealth for the real estate industry.... at the expense of reducing our available expendable cash.
Conversely, a decision to close a school or a neighborhood police
station may decrease the value of property in the neighbor-
hood.
In public policy debates, moreover, decisionmakers
often lack information about how their choices will affect
property values.
gr3sam (anonymous) says…
Kookamooka is correct! Admin. has made itself the "sacred cow" in all of this. If there is to be anything sacred, it should be Lawrence school children!! It's time to quit bitching about Topeka, play the hand you're dealt, access available monies in unencumbered cash (rainy day monies) cut waste, and move on.
Did_I_say_that (DIST) says…
@ merrill - You were paying attention last night. The board, not to be told how to manage their funds, was quick to cut off the CPA; her three minutes were up. That is the problem here; this board is so caught up in protocol that they ignore the obvious. If someone puts in the effort to solve your problem - Listen!
Good post merrill. You make a lot of sense when you provide your own insight. Avoid the cut and paste and post your own thoughts. A short well thought out post gets read. Thanks.
Bob_Keeshan (anonymous) says…
“I think it’s been demonstrated to us, by staff, significant reasons why we should do it,” Bradford said. “And I think there are significant reasons why now is the time to do it in relationship to the budget.”
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It's a shame the local paper didn't give fair coverage to the significant reasons presented by the USD staff.
alm77 (anonymous) says…
Am I the only one who read this article and thought "Well, it's a start."
xbus, The special education cut included delaying the purchase of a new vehicle. That's a good move.
I agree that they need to cut admin jobs or pay. I'm not sure I understand the rest of your complaints.
beaujackson (anonymous) says…
Austin Turncoat was personally responsible for closing Centennial, rather than Cordley.
He's still stupid.
xbusguy (chris Ogle) says…
"xbus, The special education cut included delaying the purchase of a new vehicle. That's a good move."
_____________________________________
I agree..... cut 25,000 for new vehicle
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xbusguy (Anonymous) says…
$145,077 in cuts to special education services,
So typical……… cut funding to those who need it the most.
justanothertroll (Anonymous) says…
and who it helps the least Λ
---------------------------------
Wow.....
Alfred_W (anonymous) says…
Don't forget that gifted programs technically fall under special education, so I expect that would bear the brunt of the Special Ed cuts, since those cuts would not adversely affect 'No Child Left Behind" statistics.
xbusguy (chris Ogle) says…
Gifted programs are important too.
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
Turney was the one responsible for keeping Cordley open, and at the time Centennial should have been left open, with a plan to turn LHS into a Jr High.
Lawrence is now reaping bad fruit from two ill conceived bond issues..
Can't the J/W find another picture of Dr. Doll. Gosh, with all of the meetings going on, there is surely another photo shot available. If not, then just stick in the one of the two from Topeka with the Chee wa was. At least it would be entertaining.
Isn't it something, this board with all of their collective intelligence still cannot make a decision,not to forget the experts in education and business finance for the schools working at the district headquarters.
They are scared to make a move.!
headdoctor (anonymous) says…
It is pretty obvious that only two board members have a clue what needs to be done and are willing to do it. With everyone thinking the program they like the best is more important than what others want it is going to be interesting to see who wins out. It also seems that other board members are being coy but I would guess that Minder and Morgan will be spearheading closing of schools. Maybe not in the open but on the sly.
There is no reason to delay the freshman move using boundaries as a guideline problem. The boundaries already exist for what Junior High goes to what High School. I guess the board isn't as short on money as they thought they were.
PFC (anonymous) says…
The only reason to delay the move is to take closing junior highs off the table. They need more time to study this? Give me a break. And Xbusguy, they are all important, they are all painful and they are all temporary. Closing schools is permanent.
rivercitymom (anonymous) says…
The principal at my kids' junior high said moving ninth graders is more complicated than it looks. There is overlap in staff and figuring out which staff would move with them, etc., etc. I don't think there is an alterior motive for the Board members who didn't want to do it that fast.
I am interested in what the CPA told the Board, though! Where was she coming up with "extra" money to cut?
I couldn't go to the meeting . . .
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
How come the newspaper staff isn't inquiring of where the cuts and savings will come from for the next year after this budget year in question?
gl0ck0wn3r (anonymous) says…
Richard babbled: "A new highway interchange, for example, generally increases the value of nearby property because it increases its accessibility. Local developers love taxpayers to pay for this little jewel aka how tax payers subsidize new wealth for the real estate industry…. at the expense of reducing our available expendable cash."
Richard, I know this is just rehashed copypasta, but don't you feel a bit like a fool arguing *for* the SLT in the same post in which you argue against closing schools? Funny how you use "studies" from the much vaunted Captain Kirk when it suits you but you ignore it when it doesn't... and yet unintentionally argue for the very things you ideologically oppose.
Dayna38 (Dayna Lee) says…
Keep 9th graders out of the high schools!!!!
Shardwurm (anonymous) says…
They're just cutting fat is all. This district - like every other one - is bloated. They could easily cut millions before it would truly impact 'education' (so-called).
But as long as we have people weeping and saying 'The Kids!' no one is going to have the courage to say that we pay you too much, we spend too much on facilities, and the education of our children isn't any better.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
your school board is all talk and no action. geesh.
Hop2It (anonymous) says…
"srj (Anonymous) says…
Wow, those paras make nothing now. They are basically full time teachers that they don't want to pay full price for."
Agreed! It amazing what some of those paraprofessionals do all day with the same kid or with different kids in different classrooms. Cutting paras is like increasing the teacher/child ratio because some of the special education children in regular classrooms require 1:1 help from a paraprofessional.
ralphralph (anonymous) says…
It bothers me to see "State aid" used to describe school funding. School funding is constitutionally and statutorily mandated. The State TAKES the funds from the local districts, then doles it back out with strings attached and with politically determined adjustments applied. It is not state "aid", but is local money coming back out to its source and destination in the local districts.
kusp8 (anonymous) says…
Good catch Alfred, I hadn't thought about the gifted program falling under 'special ed', and I don't think many people had either.
____________________________________________
If the board is soo worried about being able to make up the difference in the budget why don't they just the mill levy or whatever the heck it's called? These cuts are incredibly painful to make, and I understand that, however either put up or shutup! The board either needs to take an ax to the budget and move on or raise taxes. Either way they need to be willing to accept the inevitable biotching they will get either way.
____________________________________________
In summary......Grow A Pair Already And Do Sooomething! Inaction Is Awful!!
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
A pair cannot be grown, because the cuts will affect their friends they might see at the next Chamber mixer. This is what a community gets when nepotism is involved and the 2nd largest employer is a public entity paying nothing into the tax base, but consuming.
Please J/W, get another photo.
honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
"In summary……Grow A Pair Already And Do Sooomething! Inaction Is Awful!!"
my point exactly.
volunteer (anonymous) says…
I would like to hear the titles of the central office positions that will be eliminated or have their duties combined.
The percentage, 5.6%, sounds small to me in view that most of us would prefer cuts as far away from the classroom as possible, and the description (district administration and support services) is way too vague
for us to be informed in a meaningful way.
In your next online chat, superintendent Doll, please give us the specific titles of the (well-paid) central office Administrators whose positions will be elimimated or their jobs combined.
thisiknow (anonymous) says…
It seems strange that Lawrence still has Jr. High's. I was raised and schooled in Lawrence and now live in Eudora. We have had 4yr. high school for quite awhile now and our 6th graders now attend middle school. I realize there is much work to do in order to ready the move for 9th graders,but,doing it will be worth it. If you start with the 9th graders just being allowed to do high school sports then how costly will it be to bus them to the high school? Or is that going to be the parents responsibility?
kummerow (anonymous) says…
At the board meeting last night, budgeting specialists in our community proposed a framework to bridge the school district’s budget gap without closing schools. It is posted online at:
http://www.saveourneighborhoodschools...
Hop2It (anonymous) says…
9th graders already can play several high school varsity sports. For example, there are are no junior high soccer teams and no junior high cross country teams. Both boys and girls and can compete with their respective high schools from the beginning of the season. For many, many years it has been the parents responsibility to transport the kids to practice.
The change would be for the sports where the junior highs currently have their own 9th grade teams. I think these sports are: volleyball, football, tennis, basketball and track.
Did_I_say_that (DIST) says…
Eliminate one Superintendent - save three classroom teachers.
Eliminate one ESDC Director - save two classroom teachers.
Eliminate one ESDC Director - save one custodian, one para-professional, and one secretary.
The Administration Building (ESDC) has 26 Administration/Director positions. It would survive on half of that if "the best interest of the children" were the only consideration.
jubilee (anonymous) says…
The school board needs to clearly define the goals of reconfiguration. "Better for students" needs to be defined in a measureable way. Our current school configuration is successful.
People who think moving 9th graders to the high schools is a simple process should check out Frank Harwoods report from the Oct 26th school board meeting. There are significant concerns which will require a financial investment to overcome. Look at the specialty classrooms, including music classrooms and science labs (taken out of the h.s. and put in the jr high in the last bond issue. And new gyms were built at the junior highs to faciliate sports and p.e.), etc. Many of the cocurricular and extracurricular programs, esp. the fine arts program, are exceptional. Ninth graders in the junior high are in leadership positions---this impacts their self-image. It sets the stage to positively impact their transition to the larger high school setting. It is not possible to simply move the students without impacting all of the programming. It is not simple, and should not be rushed IF it is done at all.
commuter (anonymous) says…
Merrill- I am confused. When Riverside closed, the value of my house went up and it has continued to go up until two years ago. maybe Kirk McClure needs to go to any of the appriasers that said my house was worth more. Even the DG Co Assessor valued my house at a higher value, i know the higher value benefits the Co.
Maybe McClure should be a little clearer on how the values will decrease.
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) says…
I want to know when Hillcrest will be closed and turned into a Senior Center. It is just the right size and and has a nice big playground that could have part of it a really nice botanical garden. Gourmet cooking classes inside and quilting. What is wrong with Lawrence anyway? Adaptive reuse of old buildings.
It is already owned by the taxpayers so need to lay out any money for it. NONE at all.
onceajhawkalwaysajhawk (anonymous) says…
justanothertroll (Anonymous) says…
middle school should consist of just 7th !d 8th grade, that is how 99% of the rest of the country does it anyways. but than lawrence is a pretty backwards town compared to most places.
Actually 99% of the country is 6th-8th and it's hard on 6th graders at their age to be "rookies" to 14 yr olds..
commuter (anonymous) says…
Merrill - You forgot something about the CPA who spoke. She is an Assistant Professor of Accountancy at KU.
I am curious though if she is so convinced that the district can charge 10% of administrative costs to the virtual school, would she be willing to repay the district if they follow her advise and the state disagrees and requires them to pay it back??