By Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington school district, like the 292 other school districts in the state of Kansas, are about to submit budgets to the state next month. But in order to submit a budget to the state, they need the state to provide them some figures.

“In my 39 years in public education I have never seen anything like it,” said Rick Weiss, Wellington School Superintendent. “Here we are in the middle of July, and we don’t know what money we are going to have to work with.”

As a result, the Wellington school board has decided to have a special meeting after the regularly scheduled Aug. 13 meeting to approve the budget. Normally, a budget is passed at the second Thursday of the month meeting. But Weiss warned the board that this year’s budget could be so hot off the press on August 13 that the board members would be looking at the budget just minutes before having to approve it.

Weiss said he is going to attend a workshop on Thursday which he hopes will outline the amount of revenue a school district should expect and how the school should budget. It is required by law that all government entities submit the budget by August 25.

Board member Jason Newberry said he would prefer to have some time to review the figures before making a vote and would like to see the budget at the Aug. 13 meeting and then approve (or vote against) the proposed special meeting sometime between Aug. 13 and Aug. 25.

Weiss said the block grant funding recently passed by the state is supposed to freeze all figures in place from the 2014-15 budget. But after a recent ruling by a three-judge panel that said the block grant funding is unconstitutional, there is speculation on whether to go by the block grant figures or revert back to the current school finance formula that the legislature has been trying to eliminate.

Weiss said he is planning on going with the same figures as 2014-15 on single budgetary items.

“According to the block grant we have more freedom and flexibility to allocate money in different places,” Weiss said. “But I don’t want to operate the school district like the state runs the state. So we’ll keep everything in place.”

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New gymnasium, duct work

The school is about to embark on its second phase on the USD 353 Security and Safety Bond issue. At Thursday’s meeting, the board heard from architects who briefed the board on putting in new heating/air units and duct work in both Eisenhower and Kennedy Elementary schools.

The ceilings will be removed at Kennedy and Eisenhower incrementally in order to put in the new duct work and heating/air systems — a process that could last throughout the school year.

The architect said all work will start around 4 p.m. when all the students have left for the day.

The board also approved an $86,945 change order for moving the heating/air conditioning from the ceiling to the floor and redoing the duct work at Washington Elementary.

The construction of the Wellington Middle School auxiliary gymnasium is also scheduled to start sometime during the 2015-16 school year. An architectural rendering of the new facility was presented to the board Thursday. The practice gym will be located on the southeast corner of the WMS complex on the upper level of the campus. Wellington Middle School Principal Jamie Ybarra was on hand and said parents driving in to pick up their children, will be rerouted immediately once school starts. People will turn immediately left and proceed west before turning north.

“My thought process is to get people used to the new route right off the bat before the construction of the gym takes place,” Ybarra said.

The WMS parking lot is also being replaced. However, the full lot will not be completely paved.

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Employment changes

The board approved the following employment changes:

Resignation:

Jesse Dale: WHS PE teacher, head baseball coach and assistant football coach.

Hirings:

•Jourdan King: WMS Interrelated Educator;

•Kelsi Barlow: 5th grade teacher at Eisenhower;

•Kurt Sherry: USD 353 gifted education;

•Debbie Ham: Special Education at Eisenhower;

•Taylor Becker: First grade teacher at Eisenhower;

•Briana Stephenson: WHS head volleyball coach, 2015-16 season.

Transfers:

•Kristin Whaley: from second grade long term sub at Kennedy to first grade teacher at Kennedy.

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In other business, the board approved:

•a request by Pastor Michael Adkins to hold the 125th anniversary of the Friendly Second Baptist Church in May at the Wellington High School;

•the appointment of Forrest Bryant as treasurer of the board;

•the appointment of Shawn DeJarnett as school attorney;

•the adoption of the school calendar for the 2015-16 which will adhere to the 1,116 hour requirement;

•the designated snow make-up dates for March 28, April 15 and May 18, 2016;

•the increase of substitute teacher rate pay from $75 to $80 per day;

•setting food prices at USD 353 as: Breakfast: $2 adults, $1.50 for students, .30 for reduced students; Lunch: $3.50 adults, $2.50 students K-5th grade; $2.75 students WHS 9-12; .40 reduced;

•the establishment of various school enrollment fees too many to mention for this article.

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