School board prepares for recreation tax hike
Discussion surrounds update report
By Bobbi Mlynar
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The Emporia Board of Education discussed the recreation commission's budget Wednesday night and decided that public consensus, contracts, and a plan would need to be in place before the board could approve a possible 2-mill increase in the commission's budget.
The issue came to light when school board member Mike Helbert presented a monthly report from the recreation commission's board meeting. Helbert represents the Emporia school district on the recreation board.
The recreation commission has estimated that a two-mill property tax levy hike would be needed to support the work and programs offered by the commission. The recreation commission, which cannot levy taxes on its own, runs its tax levies through the school district budget. The monies collected pass directly through the school district to the recreation commission.
Helbert said that he believes it is essential that the recreation commission hold public hearings to explain what the money would be used for, to gain approval from taxpayers.
"The public needs to know what the situation is -- essentially a tax increase," Helbert said. "That has to be approved by this board because this essentially is the ... entity that supplies the money. I think the key thing is if they come here, they have to have their ducks in a row."
Helbert mentioned that the commission had learned in some instances they do not have contracts with other entities that they had believed existed.
He also cited Soden's Grove baseball diamond as a financial responsibility borne primarily by the recreation commission. The diamond is used "almost exclusively" by the American Legion baseball club.
"Even though we can't use it for any recreation commission games," Helbert said.
Board members said that creating a plan for recreation needs to be a joint effort among the recreation commission, the city, and the board of education, and that the result needs to provide options for adults and children alike.
"It has to be a cooperative effort from all three players here, and it has to be something the public can support," Helbert said.
Board member Mary Helmer said that she was optimistic that if the needs and information are presented to the public, the plan for a mill-levy hike could be approved.
Board president Angie Schreiber said she wanted formal agreements in place.
"I'm not going to vote for a mill increase unless I know what it's going to be spent for, and who's going to be responsible for it," Schreiber said.
Helbert estimated the plan may be created in one month to six weeks.
The board heard a report on the successes and progress being recorded in its language programs that are funded by a three-year grant totaling about $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Education. The district is in its second year of the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP).
FLAP has two components -- the Foreign Language in Elementary Schools project and the Dual Language program.
Patricia Smiley, director of instruction for the district, said that a dual language program was begun this year at the kindergarten level at Village School and will be extended next year to include first grade. Dual Language also is available at fifth and sixth grade levels at the Lowther Intermediate schools, as well as at Riverside School. Because Riverside has more Spanish-speaking students, the 50-50 mix of English-speaking and Spanish-speaking students needed for dual language is difficult to achieve.
Beginning early, however, is key to not only learning languages, but to achievements as the students progress through high school, into higher education and on to jobs in a global economy.
"We know how important that is these days," Smiley said.
Youngsters who learn language before the age of 10 learn to speak foreign languages without accent because their brains have not "lateralized," she said.
"Of course, learning a language benefits all children," Smiley said.
Village Principal Wendy Moore, assisted by bilingual teachers Betty Sanchez and Amy Furman, presented slides showing goals and results, and said that the Dual Language students are expected to achieve the same outcomes as students in traditional classes.
The Dual Language students study English part of the day and Spanish part of the day.
"We're seeing some really nice gains in both languages in both groups of children," Moore said.
The program is producing bilingual, bicultural and biliterate children, and has produced close involvement among parents and families.
Each family receives a kit of games and activities to play and learn with at home. Parents are frequent visitors to the classrooms and have become interested in learning language as their children learn. Some, Moore said, have enrolled in classes at the Flint Hills Technical College.
Sanchez said that one parent had told her, "My kid is speaking Spanish when I go to Walmart, and I don't know what they're saying."
Moore said that Furman and Sanchez were too modest in their assessments of family involvement.
"They had 100 percent participation at (parent-teacher) conferences both times," Moore said. "Parents come for lunch and drop in," often on a daily basis.
Juan Ramirez, Dual Language instructor at Lowther, said that he had started teaching the course at Riverside, and had moved on to Lowther as the students aged.
The Dual Language students averaged 78 percent on the recent reading assessments test at the fifth-grade level, and 74 percent for sixth grade. Several of the students' scores have ranked as "exemplary" and "exceeds standard."
Ramirez brought students with him to demonstrate their accomplishments in Dual Language. Each of the six youngsters had written about what they had done and what they hoped to do as adults. They read their papers both in Spanish and in unaccented English.
Sixth-grade is the last level at which the district offers Dual Language classes.
Smiley summarized the research on the program, done over a 25-year period with 40,000 student records.
"By the time they reach high school, they outperform their non-bilingual peers," Smiley said.
"Probably there's no place worse than the U.S. about valuing being bilingual or polylingual," she said.
Speaking more than one language opens employment doors and also has proven to be helpful for people who suffer strokes and lose speech.
"It's the bilingual who gain speech back more quickly," she said.
In other action, the board:
-- congratulated Ryan Karjala, assistant wrestling coach, for being named assistant coach of the year.
-- recognized the Emporia High School wrestling team for its win at the state wrestling tournament.
-- congratulated the Emporia High School girls' basketball team, coaches, cheerleaders and fans for being awarded the Kansas State High School Activities Association State Sportsmanship Award in 5A division. The award is being based on points that include all facets of the team's play and its fans' behavior.