The McCoy Elementary School community’s cries of support for their school have made a difference.
The audience cheered during the Kansas City, Mo., Board of Education meeting Wednesday when district officials announced McCoy Elementary School, along with Longan and Moore elementaries, are no longer a part of the school consolidation plan for the 2009-10 school year. Eleven other schools — including Thatcher Eighth-Grade Center in Northeast — did, however, remain on the chopping block.
This decision on the three saved schools, which pupils, parents, teachers and community members argued should stay open at a June 16 public hearing, may not mean more than a yearlong reprieve.
Board members noted Wednesday night that there would have to be another round of consolidations next year — possibly with more buildings closing than this year.
“This district, even after we close 11 facilities, is still looking at having enrollment around 17,000,” board member Airick Leonard West said. “This current rate of [enrollment] decline is not sustainable with the number of buildings.”
Some of the board members lamented the geographical spread of the closings. Joel Pelofsky noted there are only three schools — Southwest Early College Campus, Border Star Montessori and Hartman Elementary — left in the 2nd Subdistrict. Board President Marilyn Simmons commented that with these consolidations, the total number of closings in the 3rd City Council District over the years comes to 20.
She said the city and school district need to work together to provide amenities, including schools, to all people.
“If we’re going to rejuvenate this city, we’ve got to start in the urban core,” Simmons said.
Board member Arthur Benson added that attendance collection areas around some buildings have become huge.
“It’s safe to say neighborhood schools no longer exist,” he said, although his examples did not included Historic Northeast.
This year’s school consolidation planning process came under attack from some board members at the meeting.
“I am very concerned,” Benson said. “I apologize to the public for the very belated nature of this proposal.”
Benson added he didn’t like how late in the planning the public had an opportunity to speak. He said with the new administration starting today, he expects things to be better. Benson said John Covington, the new superintendent, has said he will begin working on consolidation plans starting in the fall, with public input in the winter and an announcement in early 2010, giving people eight to nine months to get used to the idea before the fall 2010 semester.
Interim Superintendent Clive Coleman seemed to take offense to the criticism, saying his staff did a good job putting this consolidation plan together despite everything else on their plates, and they did it without spending money by hiring consultants.
This was Coleman’s last board meeting as superintendent. Board President Marilyn Simmons thanked him for his commitment and time.
In other news, the School Board members adopted the $298 million fiscal year 2009-10 budget at Wednesday’s meeting. This budget is down about $46 million from this past year, when the district operated under $344 million budget. A $12 million decrease in property and sales tax revenue and an $11 million reduction in state aid contributed to the decrease.
To make up for the decrease, all department budgets were reduced 15 percent or more, and the district eliminated 600 positions, including some vacant positions and some positions vacated by early retirements or resignation. |
