Miscommunications delay updating of special ed facilities
Meeting with superintendents is Nov. 7
Staff reporter
Feeling frustrated would be an understatement regarding the emotions of Marion County Special Education Cooperative board of directors, the cooperative director, and the two superintendents in attendance at the special education board meeting Monday evening.
The age-old question of what should come first — a plan to address the needs of the district or the means to pay for the needs was not answered.
Director Chris Cezar started the flurry of discussion when he reported that he and consultant Kent Stewart had met with City of Hillsboro officials and determined some questions could not be answered regarding space requirements. An architect was contacted and a general floor plan was made. The 11,800 square foot floor plan included 3,820 square feet for administration offices and 7,980 square feet for education.
A library, lunch room, art room, gymnasium, and computer lab were not included in the floor plan which indicated students would either be transported to or be within walking distance of another school that could provide those services.
Discussion followed regarding what was needed where and whether one kind of room was needed over another before USD 408 representative Lyle Leppke spoke up.
"We're deciding where rooms should go but the real question is
Cezar responded that the special education district needed to determine what its real needs were which includes size of a facility, and secondly, what it's going to cost.
Then the costs to the districts could be determined, Cezar said.
Cezar used a formula based on a 25-year bond of approximately what each district would be required to pay. Leppke responded that 25 years is a long commitment for all five school districts.
"I do not feel we are providing an adequate education in Florence," special education board president and USD 398 representative Doe Ann Hague said. "The most important thing is to have students located near an existing school."
Leppke responded that he wasn't sure if special education staff agreed with that goal.
Hague continued that the project could be scaled back to where it needs to be and it was important to keep the administration office with the school facility.
"I'm not worried about room design and placement but more about commitments from each district," Leppke said.
USD 410 Superintendent Doug Huxman asked for a clarification.
"Tonight's the first time I heard that this structure had to be next to an educational facility," he said. Huxman said he did not recall it being stated in any proposal or a part of any discussion with Cezar.
"Hillsboro would be out (of the running) if that would be the case," Huxman said. He added that the City of Hillsboro also wasn't aware of the stipulation.
USD 398 Superintendent Rex Watson said he also was frustrated that there has been no letters or other communication regarding the discussions that were sent to the cities in an effort to relocate the special education department.
Huxman had attended the meeting between Cezar, Stewart, and the City of Hillsboro.
"In that meeting, we said that wherever we put the facility, students would have to be bused," he said. "I don't think there's a superintendent in the county who is willing to up the payment to the county special education district."
All agreed that the cost of special education will have to increase and assuming it won't is unrealistic.
Hague agreed that there had been miscommunication. Later in the meeting, she asked why the cooperative was moving from one location to another if there was no education benefit for the students.
Cezar responded that it would still be a benefit to students if they were located in the same town with other schools and programs.
"I thought the cities and districts would make proposals and the issues would be worked out," USD 410 representative Deb Geis said.
Huxman said a facility as proposed could cost $1.5 million and USD 410 could not commit to another bond issue. Leppke also commented that USD 408 was in a similar situation.
Mark Heiser, representative of USD 397, commented that his school district was looking at moving the elementary school to the middle school/high school building which will cost the district.
Watson said he would hate to see the cooperative "scale back" and build something inadequate or in an area that would make them land-locked and unable to expand but he also didn't think it was feasible to build it all at one time.
"We need to do something for special education students," he said. "Whatever the answer ends up being, I know it will cost more than what we're currently paying."
Watson added that five or 10 times more was "out."
"We have a bargain right now," Watson said, "but a bargain isn't the best for the students."
It was noted that the cooperative board used to pay $3,000 per year in lease payments to USD 408 for the facilities until two years ago when the lease was increased to $50,000 per year.
USD 411 representative Darla Meysing commented that existing structures would be less expensive. Huxman responded that those existing structures are not located near schools.
Some state financial assistance could be available for transporting students.
"It all comes down to what we can afford," Geis said. "If we can do it, we do it. If we can't, we put it aside and look at it later."
Leppke suggested the cooperative board look at the proposals but didn't have to act on any of them.
"Let's see what shows up and go from there," he said.
After a short recess to give Cezar time to locate a copy of a letter sent to the cities of Hillsboro, Marion, and Peabody, the meeting reconvened with copies of the letter distributed to board members.
The letter requested input from communities within the cooperative that possibly could house the facility.
Space studies previously completed by architects indicated a need for about 6,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet for instruction. The letter stated the office and instruction areas could be located in separate buildings.
The letter also broke out the levels of support from each district — 30 percent from Hillsboro USD 410, 28 percent from Marion-Florence USD 408, 17 percent from Peabody-Burns USD 398, 13 percent from Centre USD 397, and 12 percent from Goessel USD 411.
Some discussion followed regarding the contents of the letter and the specific requirements. It was determined that part of the board's frustration has been a change of some of the board members and new superintendents.
Further discussion ensued regarding whether the special education board could make a decision before the Dec. 15 deadline regarding staying at the current facilities for another year. Leppke said no matter what the board decided, the cooperative would be at the Florence facility for at least another year. Others disagreed and wanted more time to decide.
The board decided it would request a two-month extension from USD 408 regarding making a commitment for another year on its lease. The deadline set by USD 408 was Dec. 15.
Cezar was instructed to call the cities of Hillsboro and Marion regarding the board's decision to postpone the date for proposals (which was Nov. 1), follow up with letters to the two cities, a letter to USD 408 asking for an extension of time to commit for another year on the lease, and a meeting with the five superintendents.
Information will continue to be gathered from special education staff regarding square footage requirements.
A special meeting with the five superintendents was set for 11 a.m. Nov. 7.
In other business:
— A survey still has not taken place in regards to the City of Florence taking ownership of two of the buildings on the special education campus. Leppke instructed Cezar to pay the lease payment to USD 408 because it was not determined how long it would take for the ownership to change.
Hague asked who was responsible for repair of the parking lot between the buildings. Leppke said the school district. A letter will be sent to the school district regarding repairs to the parking lot.
— A letter also will be sent to the City of Florence regarding concerns about two dilapidated buildings on the special education campus. Broken windows and holes in the building have become safety hazards.
— The board approved the appointments of Betty Ehlers, Sara Jane Miller, Jeanne Strotkamp, Erik Billings, and Rebecca Kimbrel. Contracts were approved with New Beginnings of McPherson, Reno County Education Cooperative, McPherson College, and Harvey County for allergy services.
— The cooperative received the highest level as determined by the U.S. Department of Education for assessments.
— The board accepted the state audit and reviewed board policies.
— A 10-minute executive session was held to discuss personnel. The meeting reconvened with no decisions.
The next regular special education cooperative board meeting is at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at Florence.
