When one door closes another opens and while Simmons Pet Food’s plans to purchase the Maynard Early Childhood Education Center are no longer in place, USD 253 Emporia Public Schools is already exploring additional options for the facility’s future.
Board members had accepted the plan back in August as Simmons was planning to convert the building into a 24 hour daycare center for employees. Simmons purchased the property for $250,000, however, following a “due diligence review” Simmons says the actual cost of purchase and renovation would be closer to $3 million.
USD 253 Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Rob Scheib says while the withdrawal is disappointing, all is not lost as three separate entities have already expressed interest in the property.
Scheib says there is no specific deadline for interested parties to submit a bid for the property. Those interested are asked to contact Scheib directly by calling 620-341-2216.
Proceeds from the sale will go to help fund an energy-efficient roof replacement at Emporia High School.
In other business Wednesday evening, Kansas Association of School Boards Assistant Executive Director of Advocacy Leah Fliter introduced the #FullyFundSPED campaign to the board. The campaign is working to urge Kansas lawmakers to fully fund special education across the state.
Fliter says the federal government has a self-imposed goal of reimbursing 40 percent of district’s excess cost in SPED funding while the state of Kansas has been legally required since 2005 to provide up to 92 percent of reimbursement. Unfortunately, Fliter says the federal government has only provided around 15 percent in reimbursement while the state of Kansas has not met its requirement since 2011.
Fliter adds that the cost to fully fund special education across the state for 2023 is estimated at $155 million. Fliter says that number seems large until you take into account that the state has a budget surplus of $4 billion available.
Fliter has encouraged the district to be more vocal on the matter with state lawmakers especially with the 2023 legislative session just around the corner. USD 253 Board member Art Gutierrez has been heavily involved in the campaign thus far and says the state’s failure to fully fund special education affects districts in more ways than one.
He says to counteract the lack of funding, districts are having to pull from their general funds, meaning sacrifices are having to be made that affect all students.
Also Wednesday, the board:
*Received an update on the Building for the Future bond renovation list of projects.
*Approved updates to district policies
*Approved a request to give Emporia High School seniors the option to purchase surplus Chromebooks at a cost of $100.
*Received an academic data report on kindergarten readiness, graduation rates and post secondary success
*Received an update on education redesign efforts from Riverside Elementary administrators
The Board of Education will reconvene for its first meeting of 2023 on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 pm inside of the Mary Herbert Education Center.
