Notifying parents of a teacher’s arrest
I just finished reading a story about how our neighbors to the west want to inform parents if their child’s teacher is arrested for a serious crime.
The story is a good read for parents, teachers and members of the media.
What do you think?
From the Denver Post:
Board chairman Bob Schaffer is drafting the proposal in response to recent disclosures that officials at the Poudre School District in Fort Collins did not tell parents about the felony arrests of two former employees.
“The goal here is to let parents know that someone who has been in proximity to their children has been arrested,” said Schaffer. “At least they should be informed of the public record.”
However, both the Colorado Education Association and the Colorado Association of School Boards are attacking the idea. They say the state board lacks the legal authority to pass such a rule, which they say is unfair to employees and school districts.
Subscribe to the comments for this postWichita County domes
Folks in Wichita County are seeing new construction around the schools.
The first of three domes is standing behind the high school.
I went to Wichita County last month for another assignment, and stopped and took a look at the dome with Wichita County USD 467 Superintendent Jim Hardy.
Hardy said the dome that is standing is the multi-purpose dome, which will house a weight room. Also, the section that connects the dome to the school with have bathrooms and a locker room.
Work is continuing on two other domes and on the agriculture shop, which will be north of the multipurpose dome.
The two other domes, located north of the middle school, will house first and second grade, along with offices, and the second will be used as a cafeteria and physical education dome.
More cuts for USD 457
Garden City USD 457 is recommending more cuts for next school year.
Among the cuts:
- Move New Outlook Academy and the Bison Adult Education Program to Garden City High School, saving $220,000 by eliminating a secretary, janitor, and two teaching positions, plus utilities on the current building. New Outlook and the Bison program will move into rooms in J.D. Adams Hall if the measure is approved by board members.
- Closing the GCHS day care would save $50,000. Two people would lose their jobs.
- One Teacher Resource Center position would be reduced, a savings of $37,000.
- 14 library para positions would be eliminated, a savings of $300,000.
- Eliminating one elementary school principal position, which the board has already voted and accepted, wills ave $85,000.
- Each USD 457 program has already been cut an average of 2 percent, saving $1.1 million.
The cuts are subject to board approval. Other recommended cuts the USD 457 budget committee will recommend to the board of education include:
- The beginning of the year speaker, $5,000
- Eliminating overtime, $96,000
- Eliminating Quality Performance Accreditation supplementals in the high school and middle schools, $25,000.
- Reducing the Student Assistance Team supplementals, $92,500.
I talked with Superintendent Rick Atha yesterday, who said the positions being cut are people the school district needs to deliver appropriate instruction to kids.
He also said the cuts are a result of the state legislature cutting public aid to school districts. And it could get worse of the legislature passes on its budget shortfall to public education.
And every other school district in Kansas is faced with the same situation.
“It forces districts like ours to have to make cuts that we do not want to make,” Atha said.
Kansas City to close nearly half its schools
Earlier today I caught the news that the Kansas City board of education was planning to vote whether or not to close nearly half its schools tonight.
The vote passed.
Here’s a story on the Kansas City Star’s website about the decision.
From the story:
A split Kansas City school board tonight approved a historic plan to close 26 schools after turning back an effort to take several buildings off the list..
By a vote of 5-4, the board ushered in Superintendent John Covington’s Right Sizing Plan.
The school closings will cut the number of district buildings by more than 40 percent and underpin Covington’s drive to cut $50 million from the shrunken district’s budget.
The plan will leave the district operating 33 schools.
Covington’s administration spent nearly six months creating and selling its audacious plan, saying the district has to be more fiscally efficient if education reform in the struggling district is to have a chance to succeed.
Horace Good honored at board meeting
Horace Good attended Monday night’s USD 457 Board of Education meeting and also attended a short reception afterward in the Educational Support Center.
After the facilities upgrade projects are complete the middle school, located where the current high school is at 1412 N. Main St., will become Horace Good Middle School.
I thought I’d post some additional photos that I took last night. And be sure to check today’s edition of The Telegram for the story.
The first photo is of Good and his grandchildren and great grandchildren. About 20 of his family members attended the meeting and the reception.
The second photo is of Good talking with members of the board of education and his family on Monday night at the Educational Support Center.
