Heights B.O.E. discusses election, homeschool bills

Two bills in the Kansas Senate have raised concerns for school districts across Kansas, and on Monday, the Jackson Heights USD 335 Board of Education learned more about them.

During the board’s regular meeting – helmed by Middle and High School Principal Darren Shupe while Superintendent and Elementary Principal Adrianne Walsh is on maternity leave – board members voted to voice their opposition to Senate Bill 171, which would move school board and municipal elections from spring to fall.

Shupe also presented board members with information on Senate Bill 60, which, if passed, would allow “homeschooled” children of high school age to participate in Kansas State High School Activities Association-sanctioned extracurricular activities. KSHSAA officials have voiced their opposition to the bill, although board members took no action in favor of or opposition to it.

The “Successful Student Resolution,” which Board President David Allen said is supported by school boards across the state united in opposition to SB 171, urges legislators to discard the bill. If passed, the bill would also allow school board elections to become “partisan” affairs, meaning those seeking election to school boards are pitted against each other on the basis of political party.

School boards in favor of the resolution prefer to maintain elections at the same time and remain nonpartisan, according to literature distributed by the Kansas Association of School Boards. At press time, the bill had been referred to the Kansas Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections.

Shupe said that if the bill were to become law, legislators would be “looking at when elections occur” and possibly using schools as polling places for primary and general elections. If that were to happen, he said, it is possible that it would start happening as soon as the next school year.

KASB, Shupe said, is “looking for people to testify” about the bill before a Senate committee. However, board members agreed that there should be no need for the bill to exist, with board member Neal Keeler asking, “Why do we even have to vote on this?”

Shupe also presented board members with a copy of testimony from KSHSAA Executive Director Gary Musselman outlining his opposition to SB 60, which would allow homeschooled students to participate in extracurricular activites, to the Senate Education Committee. Musselman said allowing homeschooled students to participate in such activities would be doing “a disservice” to students who attend schools and participate in those activities.

“Parents of these (school) students will be justifiably concerned for the inherent unfairness, since their students earn eligibility for school activities by being accountable to specific and measurable academic standards in schools which are accredited,” Musselman said in his testimony. “SB 60 imposes eligibility for students choosing home school without regard to those students being accountable to the same standards.”

Musselman also argued that “the philosophical basis of all KSHSAA activities is that the student responsibilities come before being an athlete.” Allowing SB 60 to become law, he said, would make school teams into “community teams more like recreation or club teams,” and he also asked whether the same standard would be applied at the collegiate level.

Shupe also pointed out that if the bill became law, homeschooled students would have eligibility to participate in KSHSAA activities with a ceiling age of 20, although he added that the reason for this has yet to be made clear.

In other business on Monday, board members voted to seek bids on a new 65-passenger International school bus at “state pricing,” pending information received on inquiries into “dealer pricing,” based on information received from the Kansas Bus Purchasing Program. It was reported that school district can utilize the Kansas Bus Purchasing Program in place of the traditional bidding process.

Shupe said he, head district custodian Loren Edwards and board clerk Sheri Dibbern had looked into the purchase of a new bus after reviewing concerns of the district’s bus fleet, such as “high mileage and mechanical issues.” After reviewing those concerns, Shupe said the district would look at purchasing either an International, Bluebird or Freightliner school bus.

Edwards said that of the three, the Bluebird is “a much nicer bus to drive,” but warranty work on the bus must be done in Wichita, and transporting the bus to Wichita for that work could cost the district “megabucks.” Freightliners, he added, have given the district and its custodial staff “a lot of problems.”

While the International bus does not “ride quite as nice” as the Bluebird, Edwards said warranty work on the bus can be done in the Topeka area, and International buses in the district’s fleet have been relatively easy to maintain.

Midwest Transit of Kankakee, Ill., had submitted a bid of $81,859 for the 65-passenger International bus. Bids of $79,838 for the 65-passenger Bluebird from Kansas Truck Equipment of Wichita and $81,999 for the 65-passenger Freightliner from Midwest Bus Sales of Bonner Springs also were reviewed.

Edwards also asked the board to look into purchasing a used 77-passenger school bus as a means of saving transportation costs on taking large groups of students to extracurricular events. Dibbern added that she had been contacted by a Bluebird bus salesman about purchasing a used bus, speculating that the district could get two used buses for the price of one new bus.

Board members also:

* Approved the meeting’s agenda and consent agenda, the latter of which included minutes from the board’s January meeting, monthly bills and activity account reports, a bond payment of $54,748.75 and a Custom Energy payment of $35,804.31.

* Appointed Allen and Keeler to act as the board’s representatives in upcoming teacher salary contract negotiations.

* Learned from Shupe that Bishop Seabury High School in Lawrence had applied unsuccessfully for membership in the Northeastern Kansas League.

* Heard an update from Shupe about middle and high school activities, including recent and upcoming middle and high school basketball tournaments; planned activities for FFA Week at the high school, scheduled for Feb. 16-20; information on possible replacement of scoreboards in the gym and soundproofing in the band room; and information on the purchase of a “football sled,” for which the Cobra Backers group has expressed an interest in paying half the cost.

* Heard an update from Shupe about construction of an “alumni center” with electronic versions of school yearbooks and senior composite pictures on display at the middle and high school entrance. Shupe said district technology director Vern Andrews has “taken the bull by the horns” on the project, which may be complete in time for the board’s March meeting.

* Noted that state tournament-qualifying teams from 1975 and 1985 would be honored at upcoming high school basketball games. Shupe said men’s teams from 1975 and 1985 would be honored during the Feb. 17 games, while the women’s team from 1975 would be honored during the Feb. 24 games..

* Met in executive session with Shupe for 70 minutes to discuss personnel matters.

* Upon returning to open session, accepted resignations from Amy Maiers, middle and high school art teacher, STUCO sponsor and prom sponsor; Kathren Shupe, food service director; and Janice Mulroy and Ashley Wick, supplemental cheer sponsors.

* Approved administrative contract extensions for Darren Shupe and Adrianne Walsh through the 2016-17 school year.

* Adjourned the meeting at approximately 9:20 p.m. All board members were present.