BonnerSprings.com

Though the schedule called for a gathering of USD 204 Board of Education members, it was district parents and students who had the most to say during Monday night’s meeting.

Area residents poured into the District Office, some sitting on the floor and some standing in the back of the room, as the limited available seating filled up. Their motivation for attending? To plead for the continued employment of beloved staff members facing budgetary-induced layoffs come school year’s end.

At the top of the list of possible positions to be cut are several district nurses, whose jobs Jeff and Becky Barger, district parents, came to the meeting to defend. Jeff Barger said he couldn’t understand why nursing positions would be eliminated when cuts to other programs, such as sports, weren’t even being considered.

“Where I’m having trouble understanding is why some of the cuts we’re making are happening and why we’re not looking at other ancillary activities that aren’t even being touched,” Jeff Barger said. “And if our budget’s decreasing, doesn’t it make sense that our sports programs should also be dropping in line with that? … I don’t understand why we haven’t started looking at some of these sports programs that don’t bring us in any money from just a total expenditure. We’re just talking about raising fees, and it doesn’t make any sense.”

Another major topic on the table was the music department at Bonner Springs High School, which may see a hit due to the potential loss of part time choir accompanist Marsha Canady.

“Without an accompanist, you cut off the legs of the choir,” said district parent Shayne Warren, who not only noted the choir’s accomplishments but also said choir director Brian White and Canady had a “winning formula” that was largely responsible for its continued success. “You’ve got to have that support for the music programs … so I’m urging you to save those positions because (White) should be rewarded, not punished for his accomplishments. And I’ll tell you, we lose the accompanist we’re eventually going to lose Mr. White and some of these great folks that we have. You can’t handicap him and expect him to stay in Bonner.”

Shayne Warren’s daughter, BSHS senior Emily, also spoke to the board, crediting White and the choir department with giving her what she needed most after moving from California: an enriching arts experience she initially thought would be lacking in the small, Midwestern city of Bonner Springs. Losing Canady, she said, would be tantamount to losing the choir altogether.

“I understand that there’s a lot of things you have to take into consideration, but please, please, please understand that … you’re affecting the rest of the lives of … the freshmen who have come to the high school excited because they know the program is as good as it is,” Emily said. “Mr. White has devoted his time to teaching us the music, and he can’t play two roles, two very important roles, in a choir is the music (along) with teaching us how to be who we are, how to be the choir, the magnificent choir, we are. And, please, do not take that away from us.”

Following the public comments, Superintendent Robert Van Maren said similar shows of support for teachers and staff throughout districts in Kansas were starting to have a much-hoped for effect.

“Because the state legislators are starting to hear some of what the communities are saying, they’re starting to itch a little bit. They itched a little bit today, saying ‘Well maybe we won’t cut quite so much,’” he said, noting that cuts have been made to the athletics department to the tune of eight assistant coaches. “There are cuts that have to be made. If it’s not an accompanist, it’s another teacher. If it’s not another teacher, it’s a media center person. If it’s not a media center person, it’s another administrator. If not that, it’s another coach.”

Van Maren asked those in the audience to continue writing letters and pushing legislators for more funding for public education. If more funding doesn’t become available, he said, the downward spiral already faced by schools across the state would only get worse.

“We don’t want to make these cuts, we want your passion to keep the accompanist, to keep the media center person, to keep the teachers, to have the programs that do help all the kids,” Van Maren said. “If they hear you and they hear you again … it’s going to have an impact.”

Approving staff reductions and cuts was an item on the evening’s agenda, but the board decided following the public comments to hold off on making any decisions regarding layoffs until the next board meeting, May 17, with the hope the Kansas Legislature would pass its 2010-2011 budget by then. The legislature went back into session Wednesday morning, following a recess.

Board President Gregg Gibson said he anticipated Monday night’s show of support to be a factor in whatever decisions are made at the May meeting — though it is still too early to tell how much of one.

“I guess I would hope that we take everything into consideration, because obviously this is what we want to hear,” Gibson said. “I have no issues with people coming to the meeting like this and expressing their views, expressing their passion … and if we can make changes accordingly, that’s a good thing.”

More action taken by the Board of Education can be found at bonnersprings.com.

Also on Monday, the board:

• Unanimously approved the adoption of the agenda.

• Unanimously approved the minutes from the April 5 meeting.

• Unanimously approved the treasurer and clerk's report.

• Unanimously approved warrants totaling $462,923.63.

• Unanimously approved an increase in athletic fees of $50 per sport per student with a $200 cap per family. Prior to the meeting, the fees had been $25 per student, with a $50 cap per sport and a $100 cap per family.

• Approved, with member Lewis Wood abstaining, all new and renewed contracts, resignations and non-renewals. Wood abstained due to the resignation of Chris Wood, his wife.

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