Board of Education
School Year to be Shortened...
...This Year and Next
by Randy Rivers
February 05, 2010
UPDATE: The community conversations are complete. The Board will discuss and possibly take action on this topic on February 8th. We are still taking comments, questions and suggestions. Handouts from the Community Conversations may be downloaded at the end of this article.
At is regular meeting on Monday, January 11, 2010, the Bluestem USD 205 Board of education approved a shortened calendar for this year (2009-2010) and next year (2010-2011) to help trim and balance the school budgets that have been hit hard with State budget cuts and declining enrollment.
The Board has not yet decided whether to proceed with a shortened 5-day per week calendar or a 4-day per week calendar for 2010-2011 nor exactly how to abbreviate the current school year. Further deliberations will take place at the February 8, 2009 regular meeting.
In order to seek out public feedback on the options, community conversations are scheduled for Wednesday, January 27th and Thursday, January 28th at the District Office Board Room. The meetings will begin at 7:30 PM and adjourn no later than 9:00 PM. At these meetings, Superintendent Randy Rivers will provide a brief background presentation on the current budget situation and will also provide background information on the shortened school year and 4-day week options. The remainder of the meetings will provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions, brainstorm together and share suggestions that will be presented to the Board at its February meeting.
If you cannot attend one of these community conversations and want to share ideas and suggestions, please feel free to contact us. The district office phone number is 316-742-3261. You can send email to rrivers@usd205.com. We are also willing to come to your meetings to share information.
Presentation from Community Conversations
