USD 257 Board of Education members were forced to broach that tickly subject — tax increases — at their meeting Monday night.
With school funding continually under attack in Topeka, such a move is a necessary evil, said Brian Pekarek, superintendent of schools.
“Because the state continues to slash funding, the money we need to keep providing our students with the education they deserve has to come from somewhere,” he said
The budget reviewed Monday included a 2 mill increase in property taxes. The increase, however, is somewhat deceiving. Because consumer inflation rates continue to rise along with a state budget that will cut income taxes in the coming fiscal year, the majority of the increase will keep funds at their current levels.
The district’s budget will be up for public discussion at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at Iola High School. A copy of the budget will be published prior to the meeting in The Iola Register.
IN OTHER news, an agreement with the Iola National Educators Association and the board was finally passed. The negotiated agreement included salary and benefit increases. By funding a step and column movement, those teachers who fall into categories that would increase pay can look forward to a raise this coming year.
A piece of land south of Iola was approved for purchase. The land will be used for storage and maintenance of the district bus fleet. Richard Habiger, owner of All Clean LLC, is selling the land for $27,000. Of that, Habinger will take $23,000, while the remaining $4,000 will be donated to the school district as a gift from the Habiger family.
“I’ve been by that land recently,” Tony Leavitt, board president, said. “I’m excited to see the kinds of things we’ll be able to do out there. I think this is a really solid investment for the district.”
“It’s going to take a little time for us to get it where we want it, but it’ll work out really well for us in the future,” added Scott Stanley, director of operations for USD 257. The land is near Lake Bassola.
Principals of the different schools updated the board on their activities.
Brad Crusinbery, Jefferson elementary school principal, talked about two conferences he attended over the summer that opened his eyes to what he termed, “an exciting new educational tool,” in Apple’s iPad.
“We explored so many different options that you can pursue with the iPad,” Crusinbery said. “From designing textbooks themselves to the tons of different applications that are available, I think it’s going to change how we do things.”
One of Crusinbery’s fourth grade classes will be equipped with the tablet this year. According to Crusinbery, other districts that have used the technology in the classroom noticed results that he hopes will prove true at Jefferson.
“There were teachers from Hutchinson who talked about how the difference in behavior was so noticeable from the kids. Unlike the previous year, the iPad kept them engaged and more interested so there were less behavior issues. These kids were also able to design interactive projects that they could share with the class which really was impressive.”
