Incumbent Roland “Rollie” Martin is running for another term as Position 7 representative on the Southern Lyon County Board of Education. Martin, a farmer-stockman, said he has enjoyed working with the board and the patrons and wants to continue being part of the educational process in the district.
“We’re trying to strive to improve the quality of education for the students,” Martin said.
“Our change to a modified five-block schedule will help the junior and senior high schools in the district (and) will give them a broader education experience.”
Martin said he would continue to support hiring administrators, teachers, and support staff “that reflect our values and expectations as a school district.
Budget concerns are Martin’s second of three top priorities.
“We’re graduating 60-some (students) in the high schools but we’re only bringing in 30 students,” he said.
That disparity will create a budgeting problem, as the district tries to compensate for the loss of state funds the lower enrollment will create.
The state of Kansas pays $4,000 per student per year, and that amount has been set for three consecutive years, including the current school year.
“We know what we’re dealing with,” Martin said. “However, our district will experience a strong enrollment decline, which means adjustments in the budget.”
He said he wants to look for additional efficiencies that can pare monies from the budget without any cuts in major programs.
“We still have some cap room on our LOB (Local Option Budget) but we prefer that to be the last resort,” he said.
Martin said that he had voted in support of a resolution to rearrange distribution of seats on the Southern board. The resolution would divide the district in half, with three board members from each geographical side and one at-large representative.
“(That) represents the most fair, balanced representation of all schools and geographical areas of the district,” he said.
The division will need to be approved by voters, and that election can be held 90 days after the general election.