BY TONY FURSE | June 21, 2023

In addition to setting open enrollment capacities and acting on textbooks and food prices, two reports located elsewhere in this issue, the Prairie View Unified School District 362 board of education approved an amended fiscal year 2022-23 budget at their monthly meeting June 12.

Approved on a 6-0 vote with Russell Pope not present, the amended budget as proposed by Rex Bollinger, Ed.D., district superintendent, includes specific budget authority for $854,475 of federal funds and an increase of $200,000 to nearly $3.12 million for special education spending authority.

Bollinger said the federal fund line item had inadvertently been left blank on the budget’s publication and subsequent approval last summer. He said the Kansas Department of Education had said he “didn’t necessarily need to republish because of federal funding,” but he told the board he was fulfilling his own promise to them.

No district patrons attended the 10-minute amended budget hearing that preceded the regular meeting.

On a recommendation to consider a secondary-level assistant principal position as brought to the board by Bollinger from Chris Johnson, Ph.D., who assumes the district’s superintendency July 1, the board opted to wait.

Saying money was available, Bollinger alluded to Gov. Laura Kelly’s school-funding line-item veto of a plan to alter how student head count for funding is computed at rural districts losing student population. He spoke for Johnson, who was in attendance at last week’s meeting, to say that having one assistant principal to serve both the middle and high schools to handle more of the discipline would allow the head principals “to be more in the classrooms for instructional leadership and a presence to help with discipline.”

Brad Heide, board member, said the “premise is a good idea. There’s a lot that position could help with, but I’m not for it at this minute.” He asked Johnson for detailed preparation, including the position’s responsibilities, but said he would “definitely entertain it” next year--”I don’t want to hire just to hire.”

Wade Teagarden, board president, said he could “go for” that; however, he expressed reservations about any “future funding guarantee.”

In other business before the board:

--After Teagarden had excused himself, the board voted 5-0 to approve a $272,822 annual property insurance renewal premium through EMC to Truly Insurance, La Cygne. Bollinger noted the 12 percent increase--”it’s going up like everything else.”

--During consent agenda financial statements, the board noted donations received by Ginny Scott, district nurse, of $250 and $40 respectively from Jaccard Chiropractic, La Cygne, and Chris Barnett for health office supplies, and a $58 donation for discretionary use to Parker Elementary from the Beagle Methodist Church.

--Following four executive sessions totaling 33 minutes for student confidentiality, the board approved the out-of-district transfer of an elementary-level student from both Osawatomie USD 367 and Pleasanton USD 344 and the in-district transfer of another from Parker to La Cygne.

--During her report, Beth Sandness, student services director, expressed being “super excited” that no Parker Elementary fourth grader had scored at the lowest Level I in math in year-end testing. As well, Brian Lueker, board member, noted the positive results from the Buffalo Attendance Matters incentive program in which chronic absenteeism this year decreased in the district from 19.3 to 17.04 percent--”that’s really amazing.”

--The board approved as presented the district employee handbook for 2023-24, is expected to appoint a committee during reorganization at next month’s 7 p.m. July 10 meeting to review current Kansas Association of School Boards policy recommendations, and took no action after a 10-minute executive session for negotiations.