News Reports

oh those in favor say yes it is a post now says florida to cry and that was the result of after weeks of controversy over whether a mental magnet school will be in place in time for the nineteen ninety one ninety two school year during a school board election there were rumblings from the challengers that the district's rapid implementation of magnet schools with slow down or even come to a halt if they were elected two of the three were elected displacing members mell davis and my grandparents were both middle school proponents have you in the ensuing weeks have indicated a willingness to drop all of the district's most pressing problems directly into the laps of the challengers when they are seated july first proponents of the little magnet school filled the room at last night's board meeting many of them sang the praises of the propose schools when the two incumbents leave the board the power shifts toward a majority of for who include two remaining incumbents gen henry frie and

carol thorpe and the two newly elected challengers they have all indicated they may vote to overturn a decision to implement the schools one of the most vocally opposed to the plan was jammed henry frie says the budget is too tight to implement a little magnet schools now and that because the timeline between now and the fall opening of the school's is too short for comprehensive planning and implementing the schools now fry says maynard says the take on other programs in an interview after the meeting fry was asked whether the decision to cut programs will be any easier next year it'll be this year i don't want it but it would get was the planning time to evaluate some of the problems that we have in place and say which ones are more i wouldn't have turned into another is that time registered question because it's another one of the problems with this time i'm doing well we could release

we can't be again take six weeks for our has expressed apprehension at the possibility of sacrificing other programs for this one which uses the district can't afford this year that we have to have is that with that is committed to say this program is more valuable than some other pro planning and that's the tough question now it's easy to say tonight we support this program is going to be difficult to i can say now what do we get to keep it and unfortunately and the board members the person who posted a thirty second are going to be here to make that difficult decision in that meeting before the vote was taken for i also blasted the board for not doing more planning not only for this decision but for others made in the past at the convention began with that medal magnet school rather than to high school and then we could have worked had not had that gap what would it began to build that's great

their story is or so that we know we're going to get there a forced entry and superintendent stuart berber disagree that the board has not been enough planning and directly refuted from his contention that the war does not have a strategic plan and then attacked her statement that the northeast magnet school in the end the cost not the two hundred twenty thousand dollars that was budgeted but instead a total of one point six million dollars this is not fair they're playing the hit five year plan that plan was on john it was clearly and we now have another plan a plan that way in restaurants are there was not one point six million dollars spent on levees man least i will bet look but i don't believe it was the budget gap is best as you know as well as i had done with it was more these men

the ccc or whatever in the world that we could use the building so i think you know a lot of these major figures fear carter made it clear that he fears the new board majority as of july first although to reverse the decision and that the new board members will not support this or any future magnet school it was very surprising to me that appear to be implemented this time next year despite the fact that i think you are this is so silly every day to go forward just makes no sense it's a moral decision that let the markets think they're going their teachers to moralize the parents outgoing board member mike rubber worn the audience that even after the vote their support of the metal magnet schools must remain strong people out here

is to make sure that parents get their children signed up easily not places are in on july first we scared everybody off he was going to kill i think people need to be held accountable there's a sixteen member jane showed or challenge fried put yourself on the line and declared whether she would in july vote to overturn a decision to implement the schools and his argument that we have on the board of education members and he said i could not say when you told me now i would like you to tell everyone what you told me we overturn this is it likely that if there are five votes to overturn in july one of them clear enough worries china's very diligently to try to talk to people members of the audience responded with the accusation that it is for i who does not want to listen

i'm going to remember bill davis admonished middle magnus supporters showed orphan carroll wrote to vote their consciences and the audience to continue to voice its desires and not be intimidated by the possibility that the vote may be overturned when the new board members are seated and not be bullied threatened by any of this crap about what we're going to do a july first because i say again you postpone the school system you have a school system to the mayans gragert moment in davis' seconded to implement little magnet schools for next fall and brooks i'm a very middle schools and they have the school's convenient seven fifteen am a plan which school administrator say will help keep down transportation costs after the meeting board member gerald ford was asked if he plans to change his mind about earlier statements he made

indicating he will vote to overturn the decision to have said that i would vote to overturn this time of serious about that assertion now only thinking about entering that divided as of this month in advance of that in this piece i don't like that of all that i am very happy concerned about the sheer than that i certainly stand by what i said i would vote to overturn this before we're going to have some problems already in effect in that i think that they were in the district superintendent barbour was asked how he will feel about implementing a mental magnet school plan which may be overturned by new board majority in a few weeks eighty four came uw news i'm jenny golson the wichita board of education has extended an invitation to twenty two other school districts in kansas to join in investigating the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the state of kansas

this it would seek an injunction against the state in the wake of the legislature's failure to override governor john pennies veto of the hundred thirty eight million our tax bill that funds together with a school finance bill that was passed has severely reduced the amount of money coming to twenty three kansas school districts next year resulting in cuts in state aid anywhere from one hundred twenty eight thousand dollars it became a district to ten point one million dollars in the wichita district the problem arose with the legislature passed a school finance bill which deeply cut state aid that had a hold harmless provision which mandated that cuts began to know more than eighty seven point five of last year's allocation to each district until a cap of seven hundred thousand dollars that meant that twenty three kansas school districts would lose significant amounts of money the legislature believed however that the tax bill would survive which would have mitigated a lot of that damage governor said he vetoed the bill in the house failed to

override the veto which has let local school boards holding the bag and a relatively empty bag at that board member mike gregory says he believes the situation arose as the result of the legislative compromise your river or politics or work on this thing from this cabin rows were the matter went to a conference committee and then he was given thirty years around having basically was double wichita urban areas and rural legend says the myth has destroyed early efforts by the legislature to equalize funding that week rural and urban districts of a long legal protection and not getting all the people in utah are literally put a cap of seven thousand on the summer when there's more desperation there under that captivated almost purely political and point one million dollars

a letter sent monday by the district the superintendent of the twenty two other districts was accompanied by a chart which outlines just how the cuts affect each of the twenty three districts the letter sent to some districts by fax says the school finance law the governor signed was designed to work in tandem with the tax bill but when that veto was upheld the resulting formula becomes destabilizing at the voter indicates the district believes this decentralization maybe unconstitutional district officials said late monday afternoon that a few superintendents had called to express interest in the lawsuit or would need to consult with their local boards before committing the superintendent's wanted to know specifically official said what action on board took midnight on the matter although rattner would not say exactly what the board decided in executive session last night he indicated a high probability of a suit being filed very soon when he and other activity and that executive session came on board members return from the session and amber mell davis waxed eloquent about the merits of superintendent stuart

barber and that he placed a motion on the floor to extend barbers contract another year passed its mid nineteen ninety two expiration a substitute motion allows the board to discontinue their contract for just cause board member jack henry frightened fellow board members to task for surprising her with the issue in executive session and then getting up and walking out on her and board member gerald ford a disagreement echoes over extending the contract i did i don't know patti hired a plane and now

jane showed or said that even though she had formerly been opposed to the extension she would vote for it to really the incoming board members quarterback and it refers for having to make that decision shortly after being seated on the board on july first why now and i think that that will leave the area of that we have rather than worrying about whether they're going to be schedler of expressed regret over his day she felt she had no other newly elected board members had made two years ago before they were fully apprised of the workings of the board davis was asked in an interview after the meeting why he's so vehemently supported the extension on dr burgers contract he's appointed superintendent suddenly and import

whether the majority of this community i asked majority of this community and law and respect the direction and the things that he's done with this school district and then probably a messiah that that he received the highest violations of the governor say doesn't answer or so put all those things together he's most deserving of the stewardship of artistry was the fact that bissinger is any of the american it's too difficult years i think when you they'd have to extend the contract comes just one month before incumbents davis and my gregor will be leaving the board and beckon ferris will be seated on the board gave this was asked at the move was made to keep the new board members from joining thor ben fry in a vote to oust murder no they don't they want it or you can make that was really probably what we're going to tackle at least most of it didn't have any particular ax to grind as to whether voters data whether you eat one and then have they possibly evaluate his job when they had you know had a

crucial evacuation of the sick and it was our job to do it by march of this year writing taught in the likely to newsletter the board also approved another contract at that meeting the contract between the district and its teachers the contract implements what amounts to a four point three percent increase for teachers the new contract also includes a merit pay provision which wichita teachers have resisted in the past the contract with its increase comes in the face of drastic cuts and the district's budget which could eventually mean the employee layoffs jed henry frie expressed her feelings about voting for the contract in that context very difficult contract and as we're

trying to support the teachers' contract this point because i do not want them to be the only employee grew up with three that would not have a contract that i thought would happen with a number of board members but what member of al davis said he would not support the contract for precisely that reason is an update now saeed member who's consistent with instructions given sufficient and consistent and people with all along vote against it newly elected nea president carter travis said even though the contract included some elements teachers would rather not have included enough items to bring about its passage and then the bigger

one on the planet teachers will also have full coverage of all health insurance premiums the board meets next week in a committee of the whole meeting to begin considering the budget for the nineteen ninety one ninety two school year for k n e w news i'm jimmy olsen ms bee testing

testing one two three members some of them anyway sent out last night to try to find ways to deal with the budget dilemma left them by the state legislature inflation increased student enrollment and spending cuts at the state level have left the board trying to figure out how to balance the needs of the students and has the needs of the taxpayers the projected revenue shortfall for next year if there are no cuts and state funding is not restored totals about thirty million dollars that could mean as much as a twenty eight no increase for taxpayers we analyse the financial crisis that's how board member gerald ford sent it all up toward the end of the evening and no one argued with his statement although this was not a voting meaning it was the board's first opportunity to consider a budget which must be finalized by august twenty fifth conspicuous by their absence were several board

members president joice coaches hospitalized imogene schoendorf was out of town but never just disagree fries absence remained unexplained an elected board members quebec and they prefer us will not be seated until july first which had been specifically invited by vice president her own group we're also not present there is said to be out of town visiting his son who is recovering from injuries received in the gulf war and there's reportedly has had a death in the family members that enrolled as outgoing members not divas and i got hurt several members of the community came forward to let members know their opinions janie fricke represented the cities and schools project and her comment specifically outlined the need for the expenditure of funds which are not directly related to education schools today often try to solve social problems which can get in the way of learning still facing problems which make it difficult for children to learn how can a child learning how to count learned he attributes

why he couldn't sleep because of bottom feeding his mother already haven't because of the issues that all of his classmates or twenty years just been moved with their foster care placements or what if she has just found out she's pregnant thirty percent of wichita public school system children absorb every elementary school reading into west times a chapter one school due to high poverty rates which range from forty two to sixty seven percent in nineteen seventy one and twenty children in a school system came from a single parent home in nineteen eighty eight won in three d and split it with the board i'm a firm supporter of education i know and understand the reasons we must have an educated society but because of this financial crisis i'm going to ask an suggest that you must think about changing your principal goals is to placing your priorities on a better or even a status quo education for children

you must consider place in the well being of the property taxpayers your number one goal its prison the opposite opinions i guarantee to help the citizens of wichita to understand why an added financial burden may have to go on after him as a critical time and at our financial problems now will be recognized by a well educated calderon who will grow up to be tax paying adults and be successful in economic terms i guarantee to keep the educational needs of children as your first priority it's unfair to jeopardize the future children in wichita to the political corals adults in topeka after public comments or concluded that war began sorting out the alternatives no davis who has been critical of the board's approval of employee contracts would provide an increase in the kind of five nils criticize the board for its lack of discipline that carol ruben superintendent

stuart robert i think the legislature is giving a very clear message and i said you haven't done that much for education which is more at how to spend this much more broadly is no solution in the monastery history as a history as representatives of the community don't think that consideration but i disagree that we have not done anything with that money and i think his district more than any other district in the state has to sell and we have found all kinds of programs out of our regular k through twelve budget because we thought that they were selling point and those are things that i think are at risk now and those are things that i would like to see continue to say there will be future taxpayers might seem to think that you know it was so long i just say is his race going to do without stretching people but it is a stretch to say i went

and superintendent barbara pointed out that the legislative cuts amounted to quote the politics and not to a message to school boards if the legislature is going to be in bed no problem thank you mr dionne right whereas representative work with a financial map of the situation and some

alternatives included in the packet was a list of potential program cuts which dr brieger indicated were only suggestions and which did not recommend cuts in any area which might eventually jeopardize the district's accreditation the largest item offered for pets amounting to any point eight mil decrease was labeled eleven at all general fund an administrative positions and was as board member mell davis found out by questioning their superintendent's answer to the often claimed notion that the district is top heavy with administrators says that was just as interesting to say

the audience knows about it district employees salaries and benefits about eighty six percent of the district's budget and were targeted as possible areas of redemption says contracts for employee pay our scientists are not reduce of the board discussed reducing the number of employees they came to no conclusions by the end of the evening one direction was beginning to surface remember dr thurlow who expressed an opinion that an increasingly than seventy eight males was unintelligible to have indicated that across the board cuts recommended by someone here and speak years ago indeed be the way to go the board is far from having anything decided and will continue to receive citizen

opinions during the next few weeks next monday night the topic will rise again and at that meeting the board members may consider exactly what they want to do with the district's hiring freeze this month is a prime hiring opportunity for the district but the phrase has presented no opportunity for filling vacant positions district administrators are concerned that if the freeze is not lifted at least in part the very best candidates available this year they spent the remainder of their careers teaching in other districts for dw news i'm jenny golson