To the editor:
In response to Ms. Meier’s public forum letter that appeared on June 22 (Uncharted waters: USD 112 disorganization), the need to have greater building efficiency for USD 112 is at the heart of closing a building for the district. Much has been stated about transporting students, older buildings, utility costs and other factors but at the end of the day there are simply not enough students at Wilson Junior Senior High School to continue to support fully staffing a building with certified and classified personnel.
Last year, Wilson Junior Senior High School had only 63 students for six grade levels. This averages to 10 students per grade level. Those students brought in roughly $305,298 in base state aid funding.
However, to educate these students with certified teachers and an administrator, and provide coaches and sponsors for activities, the district spent $528,491 in payroll. These payroll figures were obtained from an open record request for district payroll figures for all USD 112 employees.
Rural 1A districts cannot afford to financially operate two high schools when payroll expenses are a district’s largest expenditure. For every $100 a public school district brings in for revenue, $90 of that goes back out to pay personnel. This is common to all Kansas school districts, large or small, rural or urban. That is why payroll efficiency is important for district financial health and long-term sustainability.
Moreover, there comes a time when small is too small for students’ achievement and growth. The state of Kansas commissioned a study on school size and consolidation from the independent firm of Augenblick and Myers which concluded that the minimum enrollment for a high school to achieve the ideal range of academic programs for students as well as extracurricular offerings was 260. USD 112 by merging into one high school would come close to achieving this number and being able to offer the highest quality academic and extracurricular offerings for students.
Ms. Meier asked why COVID federal ESSR monies were not used to keep Wilson Junior Senior High School open. These monies can only be used by districts for certain categories such as loss of learning due to the pandemic, improved air quality, or school safety. They cannot be used to pay salaries of general employees for day to day expenses. Moreover, this would only be a band aid solution as it would do nothing to fix the real problem at Wilson Junior Senior High School of low enrollment that continues to decline. All COVID monies have to be used in 2024 or they must be returned. Using these funds does not fix the problem after 2024, and would only temporarily keep a building open.
Also, Ms. Meier stated that the district website and social media sites favor Central Plains over Wilson. Actually, those sites take both Oiler and Dragon mascots and merge them together to show unity as a district. This has been used as the graphic on these pages for several years.
Most egregiously, Ms. Meier stated there are pay inequities for teaching staff in buildings which unfairly target Wilson teachers. Certified teachers are placed on a district salary schedule, which is negotiated by one Wilson teacher and one Central Plains teacher and the Board of Education each year. This negotiated agreement and salary schedule is a legally binding contract. To imply the Board of Education is not following this legally binding contract without offering any proof is grossly unfair to all parties involved, and borders on libelous content.
Accurate data and factual information are important; please visit unitedusd112.com or Facebook United USD 112.
Denise Schmidt
Claflin
