Monday, December 07, 2009

Weekend

I have appreciated all our friends and family praying for Debbie during her eye problems. She had a procedure on Friday afternoon that we hope improves her vision.

It was great Christmas shopping with Brian and Allison on Saturday evening in Kansas City, then worshipping together Sunday at the Overland Park Church of Christ. The lesson centered on celebrating Jesus.

It was a great surprise to hear from our Central Young Professional Group on Sunday evening. They surprised us with a call from their annual Christmas Party. It was very special!

With the busyness that takes place during this time of year we often forget the blessings we have in Christ.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

School Finance Continued

Schools bracing for cuts
From Advocate Staff Reports
Published: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 1:06 PM CST

TOPEKA — Sweeping cuts required to balance the Kansas State budget announced by Gov. Mark Parkinson will impact Cherokee County schools in a powerful way.Baxter Springs, Columbus, Galena and Riverton school districts are all facing thousands of dollars in budget cuts — in some cases hundreds of thousands.Parkinson announced $258.9 million in budget cuts Monday, citing falling state revenues — K-12 education by $36 million and university funding by $2 million, leaving both at 2006 spending levels, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

“Unfortunately, we are now to the point of potentially making crippling cuts to state services. This latest round of budget reductions will mean that class sizes will again increase in Kansas schools. Some districts will be forced to lay off teachers and close schools. These cuts mean that our universities will have fewer professors, offer fewer classes and critical investments in our future are in jeopardy. These budget cuts will force us to reduce supervision of released prisoners, increase the number of disabled citizens waiting for services and reduce road maintenance across the state,” Parkinson said in the release.Columbus USD 493 superintendent David Carriger said that the spending cuts announced by Governor Mark Parkinson Tuesday afternoon will result in a loss of $350,000 to $375,000 to the district budget that has seen two previous cuts this year since the budget was set in February.Carriger said that the budget cuts will be a main topic at the December school board meeting and an announcement of what cuts in programs and personnel will be made in mid-December. Cariger said the budget in Feburary was set at $4,492 per pupil. It was cut to $4,218 in July and more recently to $4,068 before the announcement Monday which dropped it to $4,012.“A loss of $480 per pupil is a tremendous loss,” said Carriger.Baxter Springs was in some ways fortunate, only taking a little over $40,000 in cuts. Baxter was slated to lose over $349,000 in cuts but increased enrollment dropped that cut to the lower figure.“We were initially down $349,000,” Baxter Springs Superintendant Dennis Burke said. “But we’re going to gain a lot of that money back because of increased enrollment.”The district is up by 57 students this year and that was not figured into the projected budget published this summer.Burke said districts typically publish projected budgets during the summer and then republish after an audit is done mid-school year.According to Burke the state then sends any additional monies the district may be entitled to.“We planned on some contingencies last year,” he said. “We can handle ... (the budget cut).“Knowing last year we were going to face some budget cuts we put some money back for this.”Galena, alone of Cherokee County districts, is looking at more money than what was projected in their budget this summer, an increase of $99,000 because of an increased weighted enrollment of 80 students, but Superintendent Brian Smith stresses Galena is still down $265,000 over last year’s budget — and that the $99,000 was less than what the district would have been entitled to under the old funding scheme.Smith said Galena is still facing a tough year.“We’re part way through the budget year, and now you’re going to say ‘you don’t have this money you thought you were going to have?’” he said.Riverton is facing much worse — $223,000 in cuts.“Certainly these cuts are a little deeper than we’d hoped,” Superintendent Todd Berry said, adding the district anticipated these cuts last year and started to prepare for them.“We didn’t fill 3 1/2 positions this year,” he said. “To date we’ve been able to insulate students from the impact (of the cuts).“Inevitably it’s going to increase class size which is going to impact students. Ultimately we’ll do our best to keep it as far from the class room as we can.”Berry said the district would be initially looking at programs where the budget could be tightened and will try to avoid laying off staff, preferring to simply not fill vacant positions.Berry was particularly upset about the cuts which will impact special education.“All the districts in the area have made tremendous impact due to the increased funding over the last couple years,” he said. “The students we’ve been able to impact are the students who need the most assistance and require the most resources.”

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

School Finance

Published November 26, 2009 09:25 pm - The latest round of Kansas budget cuts will hit hard in the school districts of Pittsburg, Columbus and Riverton. Statewide, cuts to school districts now total nearly $83 million, based on what the districts budgeted, according to figures provided by the Kansas Department of Education.Budget cuts, enrollment declines take toll at some Kansas schools.

By Roger McKinney and Andra Bryan Stefanoni
news@joplinglobe.com
The latest round of Kansas budget cuts will hit hard in the school districts of Pittsburg, Columbus and Riverton.

Statewide, cuts to school districts now total nearly $83 million, based on what the districts budgeted, according to figures provided by the Kansas Department of Education.
The base state aid per pupil was reduced from $4,218 to $4,012, the 2006 level. The cuts announced Monday by Gov. Mark Parkinson — a total of $259 million in statewide spending, including $36 million for public schools — follow two earlier rounds of cuts to school districts in the 2008-09 school year.
The Columbus School District will take a $351,558 hit from the budget cuts. The district’s enrollment declined this school year.
“With the reduced enrollment, it’s kind of a double whammy,” said David Carriger, Columbus superintendent, about the budget cuts. “Those kinds of cuts, it’s going to affect everyone across the district.”
Carriger declined to say what actions are being considered. He said the school board will make some of those decisions at its December meeting.
“We’ll have to make some tough, tough decisions in the next few weeks,” he said. “We’ve been discussing possible scenarios.”
In Riverton, where enrollment also declined, the cuts total $223,364.
“So far, we’ve been able to insulate students from the cuts, but I don’t know how much longer that can happen,” said Superintendent Todd Berry.
Berry said some positions have been eliminated by leaving vacancies unfilled, but continuing to do that or taking the further step of eliminating employees would affect students’ education.
“We’ll start looking at those programs we offer year to year that don’t impact the classroom a great deal, but those don’t add up to significant dollars,” he said.
Berry said the district has delayed buying needed uniforms, and a bus purchase also has been delayed, but he said those cannot be put off indefinitely.
“We either pay now or we pay later,” he said.

In Pittsburg, the school district lost money it never had, plus funds it will have to cut from its current budget.
“We were supposed to get $530,000 for increased enrollment, but we never saw a dime of that, and on top of that, they’re cutting what we already had another $273,000,” said Superintendent Destry Brown.
The district this year had an enrollment increase of the equivalent of 162 students, for which it had not budgeted.
But the enrollment increase came after the Sept. 20 counting date, so the district never received the funding, and this week’s cuts were based on the new increased count, Brown said.
The district has attempted to deal with previous rounds of cuts by eliminating the after-school enrichment program at four elementary schools — a program that was popular with students and “shouldn’t have been considered an ‘extra,’” Brown said.
In addition, he has not filled two positions in his office that opened when a staff member retired and another was married, instead dividing the work among the existing staff.
Outside of the office, eight positions that were open have not been filled, he said.
Ways to deal with the most recent round of cuts have yet to be determined.
“As for teachers … not yet,” Brown said. “We want to keep staff in place. We’ve hired for next year, and we don’t want to fire anyone in the middle of the year.”
What could help is the number of staff members, including teachers, who might retire in upcoming years. A total of 75 are eligible, Brown said. Whether the district could offer incentives to those who choose retirement is questionable.
“If a district offers $10,000 to that many teachers, then I have to ask myself, ‘What if they all took it?’” he said. “That’s $750,000.”
Teachers currently are eligible for 15 percent of their salary for five years, something Brown said is a “pretty good incentive.”
“Everything will be on the table right now,” he said. “We’ll be working pretty hard putting together ideas on what are things we can live without. We’ll be putting a price tag on everything, asking, ‘Is that worth that buck?’”

Enrollment increased this year in the Baxter Springs School District. Superintendent Dennis Burke said that prevented the cuts from being worse than they would have been. The cuts total $40,516 in Baxter Springs. Had the funding not changed, the district would have received an additional $268,484 in state funding instead of the $40,516 cut.

Burke said the cuts make planning difficult.
“We’ve saved for a rainy day, but our umbrellas are all out,” he said.
An enrollment increase in the Galena School District was enough to overcome the state cuts.
The district will receive an additional $99,586. Without the funding reduction, the district would have received an additional $364,647, based on its enrollment.
“We’re still well down from last year, but we were prepared for that,” said Superintendent Brian Smith. He said he is worried that more cuts could come.
“The unknown is very difficult,” he said.
Smith and other superintendents said they hope this will be the last cutback for schools this year.
“We just hope that the economic turnaround comes quickly and the state revenue starts to grow,” said Carriger, the Columbus superintendent.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving Break








Debbie and I had a great Thanksgiving Break with our parents in Broken Arrow. Dad and I played golf on Wednesday at Emerald Falls a beautiful new course in East Broken Arrow. We had a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday and hit Bass Pro Shop Thursday evening. We headed back on Friday.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Education is Important

I shared this with my staff in the November Newsletter:

Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On her first trip home, (from an OU football game), having driven onto the freeway, she set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's' seat to go into the back and make herself a sandwich. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mrs. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising her in the owner's' manual that she couldn't actually do this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit (Being from Oklahoma I believe this story 100%).As we educate our students in the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic we teach other basic skills as well. We teach problem solving skills on a daily basis. It might of helped Mrs. Grazinski.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving break coming up, and please, if you do drive south into Oklahoma please watch out for recreational vehicles, you never know who might be driving.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Thanksgiving

I still like this story.....................

I hope your Thanksgiving is better than this individuals Thanksgiving nightmare………………

My in-laws were in town 2 years ago and in addition my parents were coming over. It was the first time in our marriage that everybody came to OUR house for the holiday. That morning as my wife was making early preparation, our septic tank overflowed all over our basement. The smell was anything but festive and the mess was even worse. A $50 shop-vac and a $500 holiday septic service special helped clean up a little but nonetheless, it was not something I ever care to relive. We laugh about it now, but then…UGH!

May your blessings overflow this Thanksgiving!

P.S. I love this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYB9bC13ODw

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Branson











We had a great time in Branson. Silver Dollar City was beautiful. The Christmas lights were unbelievable. The coasters were great at night. The food was fantastic (of course we had to stop at Lamberts in Ozark).





Monday, November 23, 2009

Christmas in Branson

We took a quick trip to Branson on Saturday and Sunday with Brian and Allison to see the Christmas lights and visit Silver Dollar City. We had a great time. We will travel back to SDC on December 26 when Craig comes home for the holidays.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Blood





Craig was the PR guy for the blood drive at FIT. I enjoyed his posters.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

My Retreat in NE Kansas




I really enjoy living in Southeast Kansas, but I miss a special place where I could go to get away. My fishing spot at Lake Pomona. Now I'm not an expert fisherman, but I have learned alot about the sport in the past 5 years.

I needed to find a hobby other than golf so my boys decided I needed to give fishing a try. I decided on catfish because that's the only fish that I like eating and Pomona is one of the best L
lakes for catching channel and flathead. I have enjoyed it tremendously, especially our 4th of July Carriger Fish Fry's.

I need to find a new place where I can escape for a few hours...........................

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

It's In the Valleys I Grow

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.
If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.
I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.
I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.
My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.
Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.
Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.
Thank you for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it's in the valleys I grow!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Weekend Visit


Herb and Alberta Kelly from Topeka visited us this weekend. A great surprise visit from two dear friends.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Thought for the Day

I Cannot Do This Alone

O God, early in the morning
I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely,
but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart,
but with you there is help;
I am restless,
but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness,
but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
Amen.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Thursday, November 12, 2009

New York City Trip Day 4


We ended our NYC trip saying goodbye to our new friends and a quick cab ride to LGA for our flight home.
Craig, we had a great time visiting you. You were a great host and look forward havng you home for Christmas.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Football Season Ends


The Columbus Titans ended the 2009 football season on Saturday night at Louisburg. The Titans lost 26-0 but played a great defensive game. They ended the season 8-3.

Friday, November 06, 2009

New York City Trip Day 3 Continued


















A Sunday afternoon walk down Park Ave window shopping.  We heard a beautiful choir sing in one of the oldest churches in NYC.  We ended the day with a trip to the Empire State Building.  A great way to end our last night in NYC.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Columbus Wins Bi-District Championship

The Columbus Titans won the Bi-District Football Championship last night defeating Coffeyville.  The Titans (8-2) travel to Louisburg (9-1) for a Saturday night showdown.

Congratulations to the Osage City Indians as well.  They host Galena on Saturday afternoon.

Christmas 2018 in Las Vegas and Texas