Valley Center School District Joins Schools for Fair Funding

Valley school district joins Schools for Fair Funding
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: December 10, 2009

The Valley Center school district this week joined a statewide effort to secure more public education funds, but stopped short of supporting a brewing threat to sue the state.

The school board voted 4-2 on Dec. 7 to join Schools for Fair Funding as a non-litigating member.

At the same time, board members sent a strong message to lawmakers that, for the sake of public education, something should be done to increase state revenues next legislative session.

In joining Schools for Fair Funding, the district agreed to pay the group about $5,000 a year while it decides what it will do to force the legislature to follow a 2006 ruling to adequately fund K-12 public education.

Because one board member, Brad Barbour, was not at this week's meeting, the board agreed to wait until its next meeting in January to decide whether it would pay more money to join as a so-called litigating member.

Superintendent Scott Springston recommended the board join as a full, litigating member, which would cost the district about $12,000 per year.

School board members struggled with the decision.

Rhonda Price and Jeanne Daniels voted against joining the group. Dave Spears, Bart Balthazor, Richard Harris and Matt Stamm voted to join.

“I know that the budget is bad and it's going to get worse. ... But if the state doesn't have the money, they're not going to pay you," Price said. “Personally, I don't feel like joining the lawsuit is the best way for us to go about handling the budget issue. I don't think it's the best way to spend our time or our money."

Harris said the move sends a clear message to legislators.

“I'm not a proponent of litigation, but in this instance I think it's a wake-up call we need to send our legislators," he said. “They have to do something to fund the schools. ... We need to open their eyes a little bit. ... I'm not a big proponent of tax increases, either. The state can't print money. They have to raise money, and taxes aren't a dirty word. It's like running a business. You have to raise revenue to do it."

Daniels said legislators are already aware of the budget situation and the need to fund public education.

“I am fairly confident every legislator knows that something has to be done, whether it's raise income taxes, take off some of these tax abatements they have, whatever it is. They have to do something," Daniels said. “The last lawsuit took three, four or five years. ... I don't think joining is going to do anything for us, personally."

Schools for Fair Funding, which was formed in 1997, won a lawsuit in 2006 that forced the legislature to set up a three-year plan to increase state aid to so-called adequate levels.

Now, the group claims that lawmakers are violating the Kansas Supreme Court's directive (and the state constitution) to achieve adequate funding for K-12 education. And it's discussing another round of litigation.

Some school board members say the legislature has been shortsighted over the years by continuing special-interest tax breaks even while lawmakers knew they had to increase funding for education because of the court order.

Schools for Fair Funding officials say since 1995, the legislature has passed tax cuts that total an annual revenue loss of $1.1 billion a year.

“The tax cuts are being allowed to continue, knowing that the state cannot meet its obligations to schools," the group said in a memo to local school districts.

The group also fears the anticipated state budget shortfalls over the next three years will lead to even more draconian cuts in public education funds.

Schools for Fair Funding hasn't decided whether it will bring another lawsuit or seek another court order.

“We would be suing ourselves," Balthazor said. “However, I do think a lot of people in the legislature still have their heads in the sand. A lot of them, believe it or not, do not think much of higher education because they don't have one themselves. They've made shortsighted decisions with long-term effects. ... In my opinion, we need to at least join the group to show that it's not just a few schools that are in there.
It's across the board. It will benefit everybody. We stand to lose millions of dollars if this doesn't happen. The state's going to have to find a way to stop giving away the farm."

Stamm said Valley Center's membership helps show a strength in numbers.

“The more that join, it'll look better," he said. “The state needs to look for ways to raise money. Maybe they need to raise taxes. They've all said, we're not going to raise taxes; that's not an option. Well, maybe that should be an option. ... We're losing money and that's because of bad decisions up there. ... I'm torn about whether to be a full partner or midway, but I think we need to be involved on some level."

Spears said he also was torn over support of the group's litigation efforts.

“I'm not sure this is the best use of our dollars," Spears said. “ ... I know $12,000 doesn't seem like a lot of money, but that's a building aide.
... The point I just keep coming back to that I struggle with as a philosophical point of view is we're suing ourselves. We're using taxpayer dollars to sue ourselves. And that's very difficult for me to philosophically cross that bridge."

Fueling the Schools for Fair Funding fire has been a recent series of cuts to K-12 state aid because of state revenue shortfalls.

Valley Center's 2009-10 budget has not been immune.

In July, the district took a $200,000 hit to its general fund with a reduction in state aid. And last month, the governor ordered another reduction, totaling about $650,000 for Valley Center.

School board members said they were glad they took steps earlier this year to prepare for the anticipated cuts. By trimming some programming, leaving some personnel vacancies unfilled and negotiating a pay freeze with teachers, the board set aside about $800,000 in contingency funds to survive the cuts this school year. But board members and district officials feared the cuts will get worse.

“The cuts we did, I don't know that people felt the direct immediate impact," Springston said. “This next round will. I don't want to say the sky is falling and create a panic situation. I want to be very realistic that if the legislature continues to do what they did last year and hold the line and say there will be no revenue enhancements ... the cuts that will happen will affect the classroom. They will be felt. There will be no way we'll be able to manage the cuts and address the cuts without looking at personnel, from administration to support to teachers. ... It will impact the quality of services we provide our kids."

In other business Dec. 7, the board:

•Recognized this month's Shining Stars. They were Cassandra Addington, fifth-grade teacher at Wheatland; Kimberly Fonseca, fifth-grade teacher at Wheatland; Tracy Miracle, paraeducator at Wheatland; and Stephen Love, custodian at the high school.

•Approved a long list of surplus property, mostly books from the high school library, the district will dispose of.

•Approved the creation of a part-time transportation dispatch position. The position will handle calls from 1 to 5 p.m. Rick White, director of operations, said the calls were handled by another employee who was receiving overtime pay. The position will cost the district about $6,660 per year plus $3,852 for health insurance. White said the district is currently spending more than $12,000 on overtime, which the position would eliminate.

•Agreed to hire Caitlyn Hrbal (at-rise aide at The Learning Center, $10.60 per hour), Steve McDannald (bus driver, $10.50 per hour), Samantha Vaughn (custodian at the high school, $8.85 per hour), Ruth Healy (at-risk aide at West Elementary, $9.45 per hour) and Dennis Dahna (part-time custodian at Wheatland, $9.10 per hour).

•Accepted resignations from George LeBlanc (custodian at the high school), Larry Hayes (grounds maintenance), Amy Sears (bus driver) and Janice Hudson (lunchroom aide at Abilene).

•Accepted the transfer of Esther Ware (from at-risk aide at West to Title I aide at West, $8.20 per hour).

•Accepted the report from the audit of the district's 2008-09 financials. There were no issues with the audit.

•Gave tentative approval to a memorandum of understanding with the state department of education, signing onto an effort to secure federal funding through the Race to the Top program. The agreement is contingent upon the state's development of a district-improvement plan and approval by the teachers association.