Focus stays on schools

Now, it’s up to the voters.
A crowd of about 40 attended a town hall-style meeting at Iola’s Riverside Park to discuss the upcoming vote Tuesday to decide whether to build new elementary and high schools on the north edge of Iola.
The meeting featured commentators on school finance, climate control systems of the existing schools, Americans With Disabilities Act compliance and infrastructure costs.
A problem, organizer Ray Maloney noted, was that some of the participants originally pegged to show up at Sunday’s meeting declined to do so.
Those who did admitted they didn’t know much about the needs facing Iola schools.
Sen. Ty Masterson, R-Andover, the Senate’s Ways and Means chairman, spoke primarily about education financing, and how it related to districts such as Iola’s.
Masterson said districts such as USD 257 should not worry about losing state aid to help with future bond projects.
“My word of caution, the urgency that appears to be in your material is really not there,” Masterson said. “I just want you to know, you have time to make a decision.”
Masterson’s comments drew responses from USD 257 Superintendent of Schools Jack Koehn and architect Kirk Horner of Hollis and Miller, the firm hired by the district to design the new schools, if voters approve.
Horner said legislation to do away with the state bond and interest assistance progresses “one step further each year.”
“That’s strictly opinion, Masterson replied.
Koehn noted state aid is being looked at by an efficiency task force, which could lead to changes in how it is distributed.
“My concern, being a citizen in a rural area, is that we basically have ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’” across the state,” said Tony Leavitt, USD 257 Board of Education President. Redistricting has created an even wider disparity. “The ‘haves’ have more votes,” Leavitt said.
“I disagree with that statement,” Masterson said.
Koehn, Horner, Leavitt and others with the district were not a part of the panel, but were in the audience. They later agreed to field a number of questions.

BRETT MILLER, representing Knipp Equipment of Wichita, a TRANE supplier, attended in order to report on the district’s heating, ventilating and cooling (HVAC) systems.
However, Miller admitted up front he had not inspected the systems.
“We spent 15 minutes driving around town looking at schools, but we didn’t go in them,” he said. “I don’t know what the issues are here. I don’t know space confinements, or if buildings are falling down. I can give you a little bit of insight of what we can do, we can offer with other districts.”
Miller noted his company deals largely with existing systems.
“If you vote yes, obviously, you don’t need us,” he said.
If the district were to hire Knipp, he estimated the new HVAC units could cost anywhere from $7 million to $10 million, if they needed new control systems as well.
“That’s a broad-based, throw a dart at the screen” estimate, Miller said. “Don’t hold me to it.”

BERNARD NEYER, Chanute, admitted he was a part of the panel “because I answered the phone.”
He spoke in place of Randy Galemore, a former Chanute city commissioner slated to talk about infrastructure costs and taxing responsibilities.
Neyer took his opportunity to speak to decry government spending.
“The people who are really driving this, that benefit from this, are the bureaucrats,” Neyer said. “The kids are only going to be in that building, four years at grade school, four years at middle school, four years at the high school. The teachers are going to be there 25 or 30 years. Superintendents are going to be there. The schools are really for them.”

MALONEY, meanwhile, spoke on behalf of Ray Pettis, of the Great Plains ADA Center out of Columbia, Mo.
Pettis, at Maloney’s behest, inspected USD 257’s schools to determine how much would need to be spent to get them in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Pettis’ report dealt with such things as ensuring at least one restroom was fully accessible, that ramps at each school met federal standards and that drinking fountains and doorways could be accessed by wheelchair-bound users.
“They’re talking about program access,” Maloney said. “If you have a building that doesn’t have an elevator, but if you can get that child entrance to the building, access to a restroom, access to the cafeteria, access to the programs he needs, you’re in compliance. It’s minimum compliance, but that will work. You don’t have to redo every single room.”
To get the schools into minimum compliance would cost about $382,000, Maloney said, citing an estimate prepared by Hollis and Miller.
There are two noteworthy omissions, he admitted — elevators at Jefferson and Lincoln elementary schools.
Those with disabilities would need to have access to classrooms and programs on the first floor, Maloney said.
Horner said the inspection did not cover all of the ADA issues facing USD 257.
“If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of an ADA audit, they count quarters of inches,” Horner said.
Koehn, meanwhile, has noted that shuffling of classrooms already occurs. If another second-story class at Lincoln Elementary gains a student with disabilities, there aren’t enough first-floor rooms in which to hold them.

LEE GUMFORY, former Iola city commissioner, showed up unannounced to show off a large chunk of what he said was a piece of an old city water line near his house.
He said the city should work on replacing its water lines before building a school.

LEAVITT and Koehn, et al, answered a handful of questions posed by the audience that could not be answered by the panelists.
Q — If student population is declining in Iola and elsewhere in southeast Kansas, why are there no longer enough classrooms?
A — With increasing number of special education students, schools need additional rooms for more programs, said Scott Stanley, the district’s maintenance supervisor.

Q — Will transportation costs increase to shuttle students from old school sites to the new campus north of town? Will students living in town be able to ride the bus, even if they’re within  2.5 miles of the new buildings?
A — Costs will increase, but will be covered by additional state aid because more students will live farther than 2.5 miles away, the basis for the state aid, Stanley said. Because each of the bus drivers already shuttle students from one school to another, the increased costs will be mitigated.
Yes, students will be allowed to ride the bus from bus stops in town, even if they live within 2.5 miles of the school, Stanley continued.

Q — What is the plan for the old buildings?
A — They will be put up for sale, Leavitt said, with any potential buyers undergoing a vigorous background check.
If the district does not find a buyer, the buildings will be demolished. Money is in the budget for demolition already. The playgrounds will be kept and the areas will be converted into city parks. As for the high school, the newer section — gym, commons area and lecture hall — would be kept as a community center.

Q — Would the bond monies pay for new furnishings and equipment?
A — Yes, Horner replied. The budget contains about $1.1 million for such items.

Q — Why can the middle school be renovated, while the others must be rebuilt?
A — The scope of the middle school work is less than the others, Horner said, and could be done over the summer. The middle school work would not be a full-scale renovation. About $1 million of the bond issue will go toward renovations at the middle school.

Q — Did the district look at other companies before hiring Hollis and Miller as architects and Universal Construction as the construction manager?
A — Yes, Stanley said. The district interviewed five different architectural firms before settling on Hollis and Miller before choosing new construction as the most viable alternative for the district. The district then interviewed “nine or 10” contractors with experience in building projects before choosing Universal.