Board to Repurpose Kennedy Elementary as Early Childhood Community Center Amid rising operational costs and declining enrollment, the school board faces difficult choices to find efficiencies. Executive Director of Finance Kathy Johnson estimates a $1.87 million shortfall in the current budget year, ending June 30. This stems from a decrease in the district’s weighted full-time equivalency (FTE) this fall, an unaudited student enrollment of 9,977 students or a loss of 647.9 FTE. The Kansas school finance system funds schools based on enrollment FTE. Johnson projects permanent budget reductions of $1.2 million in 2021-22 and an additional $500,000 in 2022-23. Johnson began meeting with the board’s Budget and Program Evaluation Committee (BPEC) to look for ways to bridge the gap. The BPEC reviewed budget requests, additions, reductions, and reallocations. Johnson presented to the board this spring a preliminary list of approximately $803,224 in budget cuts to elementary and middle school staffing, corresponding to lower enrollment; and staff and program cuts to board and district departmental budgets. The BPEC also reviewed budget and enrollment projections and building capacities. Consultant Rob Schwarz, chief operating officer of RSP and Associates, reported to the board in October that he looks at community development, demographics, Census, city and county data sets, income and unemployment, birth rates, and in- and out-migration, etc. to forecast enrollment. Schwarz said that among findings of note, the district enrolled fewer students in 2019-20: a loss of 300 elementary students and 168 middle school students, and its smallest kindergarten class since 2005-06. He added that in relationship to building capacity, facility usage is lower than recommended for efficient operations in 11 of the district’s 14 elementary schools. 10
MAY 2021
The BPEC discussed proposals related to lowenrollment schools, including introducing multiage elementary classrooms or making Kennedy and New York schools a primary and an intermediate center. The committee discussed changing current staffing thresholds that cap elementary class sizes. The BPEC voted to forward to the Boundary Committee a proposal to repurpose Kennedy as an early childhood community center and transition its K-4 students next year to neighboring schools with room to grow.
The Boundary Committee then looked at scenarios for accommodating Kennedy’s 172 K-4 students. It recommended shifting boundaries to transition 78 Kennedy students to Prairie Park, 19 to New York, and 72 to Cordley in the fall. The number of class sections would remain the same at New York. Cordley and Prairie Park, both with capacities to
add five sections, would need to add one and four sections, respectively. Since the district provides busing only to students living 2.5 miles from school, per the state of Kansas reimbursement, no Kennedy students would qualify for transportation. Johnson estimated that combining student enrollments across the three schools would save $722,214 through a reduction of 11.113 FTE in staff positions, accomplished through resignations and retirements. The district will place current Kennedy staff in open district positions. Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis met with staff and parents during two virtual Kennedy Conversations to discuss the change. He collected additional input through a Thought Exchange survey. “As I shared with the school community two years ago at staff convocation, Kennedy had the highest academic gains of all of our schools,” said Dr. Lewis, acknowledging the work of Kennedy’s staff and the school community’s feelings of loss about repurposing of the building. He thanked the staff and parents who shared concerns, including transportation, Kennedy’s high-risk population, and the importance of small class sizes. The board approved on April 12, 2021, the recommendation to repurpose Kennedy into an early childhood community center. “We will continue to make student-centered decisions and support our students from an academic, behavioral, social, and emotional standpoint,” said Dr. Lewis, adding that the three receiving schools would immediately begin planning activities to welcome Kennedy families.
