School cuts shortchange kids
Bob Grover, Emporia
Friday, December 2, 2011
Our schools prepare children for their future and our state’s future. Recent budget cuts at the state level have made a significant negative impact on local schools — at a time when our society is racked with change.
To determine that impact locally, I talked with Mike Nulton, Superintendent of the North Lyon County district, and Mike Argabright, Superintendent of the Southern Lyon County district.
Argabright said that reduction in per-pupil state aid has affected all areas of his school district.
“It has impacted us from a staffing standpoint and interaction with kids. In the last three to four years we have been cutting staff in areas pretty significantly because of declining enrollment and state cuts. We’ve cut teaching staff, bus routes, classified staff, reduced time in kitchen hours — in all facets.”
Nulton said that the loss of revenue has resulted in reduction of school staff and the closing of Admire Elementary School. District-wide, the staff has been reduced 20 percent from three years ago. He said that about half of the loss was teachers and half was support staff — about 10 in each category, including cooks, bus drivers, and custodians. The district also experienced a decline in enrollment.
“Over the last six or seven years we’ve lost about 70 students,” Nulton said.
Teachers and administrators in both districts are working harder to provide classes and extracurricular activities with fewer staff. Nulton said, “Eventually, the effects are going to show up, whether it’s test scores or whether it’s the social side of things — fewer adults working with kids. That’s the biggest impact I see that the budget cuts have.”
Argabright said, “At the elementary level, teachers are with the kids more and plan time has been drastically affected with our elementary teachers. Secondary teachers have more preps. We’re on a five-block schedule, so kids have 10 courses in two days. It’s created opportunities for kids, but it means some teachers will have six to eight preparations in two days. The staff are very professional, and when you’re preparing that many preps and trying to do a great job — and they do — it’s very stressful.”
The cuts have an impact on morale, Argabright noted: “Morale has been affected across the state. You see it, you hear it, and you feel it. We’ll have burnout, if we don’t get some changes. Some of my staff may tell you it’s already happening.”
Nulton said that his district has maintained a full-time counselor at Northern Heights High School, but the two elementary school counselors also teach classes. The result is reduced hours for student counseling each day.
Southern Lyon County schools also have added teaching to counselors’ duties. The result: “That’s a piece of the adult-student interaction that’s critical. Kids need someone available to them, other than an administrator or teacher, who can be there for them, along with other things that counselors do. The really big piece that I think that we’ve lost is that availability so that kids have someone they can go to.”
Nulton said that North Lyon County has not had to cut programs. “If we lose any more money, that will be the next step.” Southern Lyon County has lost its art program, the family and consumer program, and reduced the industrial technology program. “Our art program was K-12, so that was significant,” Argabright said.
Both superintendents expressed concern that cuts from the state may continue. Nulton noted, “We [Kansas] are among the top seven states in the nation for the quality of education. Every one of the states that’s ahead of us spends more on education. It’s clear that you get out what you put in. How far do you want to fall down the list before it’s not good for Kansas?”
Perhaps legislators and some in the general public are not familiar with the changes in education that reflect our changing society. Nulton suggested that some adults envision school as it was when they attended. “That’s not education any more,” he said. “Kids aren’t the same now. Kids are media-connected. They’re like little computers. They suck in data like a sponge. It challenges teachers. We’ve got to present knowledge to them and make it available to them so they can assimilate that knowledge.”
Argabright urged public engagement during the next legislative session: “I would ask that they visit with their legislators and support our public education. All kids deserve a good education regardless of their zip code. Support the effort.”
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
The destruction of American education.
http://www.hermes-press.com/education...
December 2, 2011 at 10:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jamesbordonaro (James Bordonaro) says...
Thanks for providing this information. You're getting to be quite the reporter!
December 2, 2011 at 11:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
The title of this story is correct. The kids will continue to be shortchanged, as long as the administrative costs of all of these districts stays static. Does Kansas need all of these districts?
December 3, 2011 at 6:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
What exactly will re-districting do besides shave salaries? Will it give administrators more jobs to perform? It would seem so. Do we just cut all administration except for one head guy? Then what?
What, for example, would happen if you formed one huge district encompassing North Lyon County, Southern Lyon County, and Emporia?
Wow, Sports Fans alone would lose their minds when the athletic situation would explode. But, what the hell, who needs athletic programs? They're too expensive anyway. Get rid of them to save money on bus trips, coaches' salaries, gym and field upkeep. People need to find other ways to keep their kids occupied.
The Southern Lyon County administrator has already taken a voluntary pay cut. Shall we expect him to take even less? How much less? Exactly how much is one administrator worth in salary?
How about teachers? Shall we expect them to take less salary too? If anyone has read the article carefully, it's easy to see that the cuts made to teachers have been severe, and they are doing far more than ever with far less. When I was still teaching only a few years ago, the preps were already increasing and teachers of non core courses were already being let go. Others had to pick up the slack. For no more pay!
How many ordinary individuals not involved in Education would take pay cuts in their jobs while still being expected to handle a heavier job load?
Yes, I realize that some districts seem top heavy, so I propose that the state perform a study of each district to determine which admin positions need to be cut. I'm sure there are a few, but only this study will prove it.
December 3, 2011 at 7:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sail (anonymous) says...
South and north usd, be very careful of letting usd253 into your tent,,,,the only thing usd 253 is good at is paying admin well.....
December 3, 2011 at 9:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JustWondering (anonymous) says...
I listen to all the whining about cutting teachers and classes and the quality of education being lower because of budget cuts. At the same time I look around and see schools spending MILLIONS of dollars on new gymnasiums, football and soccer fields, and some even building totally new schools to replace ones in existence that are still functional.
Seems to me that the problem is one of misplaced priorities rather than a lack of funds.
December 3, 2011 at 7:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JustWondering (anonymous) says...
Nulton said "Every one of the states that’s ahead of us spends more on education. It’s clear that you get out what you put in."
It is probably true that those states spend more on education. But tell us the rest of the story. How many of the states that are ranked LOWER than Kansas spend MORE money? How many schools and students are being supported in those other states compared to Kansas? ????? There are just way too many factors not being considered to be able to make the statement that "It’s clear that you get out what you put in." when the only variable being considered is financial.
December 3, 2011 at 7:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
James, your one of my favorite people.
December 4, 2011 at 12:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
americus1987 (anonymous) says...
JustWondering,
It does have an impact. Look at Germany's system. When they start falling behind the world in economics and education, they increase funding in their education instead of cutting. Looks like it works pretty well for them. We instead bail out mega corporations and slash spending in the education system. The education performance of the US is already plummeting like a bat out of hell. How long are we going to let it fall before its too late?
December 4, 2011 at 1:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
reddog, I believe James was addressing his comment to Bob Grover, the writer of the article.
American Education is far more complex a system than most people understand. It's not a matter of throwing money at problems. We can build new schools, buy new textbooks and computers, buy, buy, buy, yet if we can't do anything about student attitudes or drop out rates, or parent involvement, what does all the funding accomplish?
Even when Germany increases funding to Education instead of cutting, for example, it's not just a simple matter. That doesn't show the entire picture. How is that extra funding being spent?
Why are Asian countries constantly ahead of the U.S.? They have after-school programs, study programs, all kinds of "push children to succeed" programs. What do we have in comparison?
I have yet to eat my words uttered long ago. Give me a classroom full of kids, a textbook, some paper and pencils, and I will teach those kids everything they need to know about the English language, how to read it, and how to use it to communicate effectively. No bells and whistles, just an old fashioned teacher with old fashioned resources. If those kids don't want to learn, and if they give me behavior problems, they leave. Simple as that. Only those who want to learn all I have to offer are welcome to stay. I guarantee they will learn a great deal.
Do you think I'd get by with that? Hell no! Somebody would have me in court so fast my head would spin.
Show me a country with well-disciplined children, and I'll show you a country whose test scores are higher than ours, whose kids are determined to succeed, and whose parents are willing to work with their kids and are taking responsibility for raising them.
December 4, 2011 at 6:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
By the way, I have taught many German and Asian exchange students over the years. They always came to class prepared to learn with notebooks and pens and a proper demeanor. Their homework was always complete. Never once did I have to send them back to their lockers to get paper, pencils, homework, textbooks. Never once did I have to extinguish behavior problems. How did these youngsters learn to behave this way?
December 4, 2011 at 6:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sail (anonymous) says...
Well,,do ya think that just mayby the Germans accept responsibility for the quality of life they achieve......seems our education process has morphed into a monster that is turning out duds.
December 4, 2011 at 12:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
JustWondering (anonymous) says...
Americus:
I did not say that funding does not have an impact. What I am saying is that there are many other factors that have at least as much, if not more, impact.
While the schools are bemoaning the loss of funding and the impact on classrooms (fewer teachers, etc.) they are spending millions of dollars on new gymnasiums, football fields, new buildings to replace currently operating buildings, etc. There is a disconnect between what they are saying and what they are doing. The schools in this article bemoan the loss of teachers yet their enrollment is dropping. Should it take the same number of teachers to educate fewer students?
When our system starts to focus on the quality of education instead of who has the fanciest building/facility and the newest technology, etc., then we will see an improvement in our system. Create is correct that this is going to require some involvement on the part of the parents in developing the students desire to learn.
December 4, 2011 at 1:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Most of the teacher loss has been in non-core classes such as Art, Music, Family and Consumer Sciences, woodshop, and other such classes that are really not required for graduation. They are all electives.
Schools have pulled themselves tightly together and are keeping teachers who teach the core classes of English, Math, and Hard Science. So far, computer science teachers are also being kept.
Those teachers of core courses are being asked to do more than they ever were before. I have one friend who teaches Math who must teach many Math courses such as Algebra, Calculus, Physics, Geometry and still only have one planning period of 50 minutes. Before long, he'll probably be asked to teach business math too. The general public has no idea what it takes to prepare for all those classes. One thing for sure, that teacher has to be certified in all those sub areas of Math to be able to teach all those classes. You can't just go to college, get a teaching degree and teach Math. It just doesn't work that way. You have to have the hours in each of those areas.
Still, these teachers are doing it, and they're doing it well. The schools have recognized that they have to pare down and pare down and pare down in order to survive. But teacher burnout is great.
I'm glad I retired when I did.
BTW, all those millions used to fund buildings and gymnasiums and new equipment comes from the mil levy. They don't come from the fund used to pay teachers. Funds for educating the student comes from the state and are paid to each school according to the enrollment. Right now, I believe that amount is right around $4 K per student. According to state law, those funds cannot be mixed with building funds.
December 4, 2011 at 1:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
romano1784 (anonymous) says...
The problem with the school systems is not financial. Yes it plays a part but its not the problem. The problem is attitude and accountability. I had to go to the middle school the other day and the students were doing their gym class. Instead of participating I saw several just playing with cell phones. This article said kids today are media connected. To me that means stupid in terms of common sense. Take their phones away as soon as they are seen in school. Give them paper, a pencil and make them take notes. Actually discipline kids today and you'll see test scores jump to the moon. Get back some of the elective classes that are NECESSARY for after school. Such as automechanics, shop class, etc. Just my opinion but higher test scores equals more money.
December 4, 2011 at 2:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
C.J. on line has a great article on state salaries and the impacts they have.
Please go to this link and type in Lyon under county.
http://cjonline.com/salaries
Note how many are ESU.
Take what you want from the wages listed. Could Emporia survive without these wage earners?
December 5, 2011 at 12:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Compare the budget of the ESU campus against the COE and LYCO operating budgets.
December 5, 2011 at 2:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )