Rumor Watch
Last updated June 2, 2008
Eudora Schools is committed to open and honest communication with patrons, parents, students and staff. Truthful, reliable information is the foundation of this commitment.
We take rumors seriously. They can be damaging, they can make people nervous, they can create feelings of fear and dread. At best they waste time and make us less productive; at worst, they damage morale and chip away at the level confidence that community members have in their public schools.
Have you heard something that sounds too good to be true? Or does the word on the street make your blood boil? Send us what you've heard at rumorwatch@eudoraschools.org ... we'll track down the truth — good or bad — and post it on this page. (Keep in mind, submissions will be screened and/or edited prior to posting.)
For the latest Eudora Schools news, click here.
Rumors and facts....
Rumor: I heard that Mr. Kobza started building the new elementary school, and now he's not going to see it finished as he's moving to Wyoming. Is this true? And if so, what's going to happen to the process of building the new school? (4/21/08)
Fact: It is true that Mr. Kobza will be leaving Eudora after this school year to serve in a new position in Wyoming. You can read more about that here. Mr. Kobza's departure in no way threatens the progress being made on the new Eudora Elementary School. This facility is still scheduled to open in 2009; all the bond issue projects that were authorized by voters in November 2007 are proceeding according to schedule. The district's construction consultant has been in place since February with the primary duty of overseeing the day-to-day construction and progress. This will allow the work of contractors to continue uninterrupted throughout the transition of leadership.
Other issues, such as teacher negotiations and the hiring of new employees, as well as the district's day-to-day operations, will continue on a normal basis, thanks to the staff members and procedures already in place.
Permanent leadership changes will be examined when the board meets on April 21. Board President Kenny Massey has assured employees and district patrons that the Board's vision and direction will not change as a result of this transition.
UPDATE:At their April 21 meeting, the Eudora Board of Education voted to appoint Don Grosdidier to serve as superintendent for the 2008-2009 school year. Grosdidier has worked in Eudora Schools for 22 years as a teacher, coach, building principal and most recently as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the district.
Rumor: With the opening of the new Eudora Elementary School in fall 2009, is it true that the Board still hasn't figured out who the principal will be? (4/15/08)
Fact: In its February meeting, the Eudora Board of Education adopted an administrative structure for the new elementary school, which includes a principal and an assistant principal. The principal will have responsibility for the overall operations of the school, as well as grades four and five. The assistant principal will collaborate with the principal, with oversight of the first through third grades.
When the structure was adopted, the Board also appointed current West Principal Jan Irby to the principal position at the new elementary school and to proceed with the process of hiring the assistant principal for the new building. The hiring process is currently underway and includes input from administrators, teachers and parents. When the new school opens, Nottingham Principal Jim Lauer will serve as principal of the preschool and kindergarten center, which will be located at what is now West Elementary.
Rumor: I heard that the district has decided to go paperless with the annual calendar. If this is true, won't this make it harder for organizations and parents to know what's going on in the district? (3/13/08)
Fact: District leaders made a decision last fall to move away from the traditional printed calendar that had historically been mailed to all district patrons. As the Web has grown in popularity and flexibility, our online district calendar has become a more effective resource than the printed calendar ever was. Spring printing deadlines for the following year's calendar made it difficult, if not impossible, to create an error-free printed calendar.
In the past two years, it has become clear that the Web calendar is a more useful and relevant resource for those interested in district activities. Not only does it offer the most updated information about student and family activities, it also allows users to print out activity schedules or sign up for e-mail alerts when events are added or changed.
For those individuals and families without regular access to the Internet, photocopied calendars (printed from the district Web calendar) will be made available in school offices beginning in the fall of 2008.
Rumor: I heard that the new auditorium that is going to be built with the bond money is not going to be much bigger than the one that the middle school already has. Is this true? (12/18/07)
Fact: The high school new auditorium will be paid for with bond funds and will be nearly double the size of the current auditorium at the middle school. The EMS auditorium has a seating for 450, and the new auditorium is programmed to seat between 750 and 1,000. The final capacity will depend on the overall budget and the bids that are submitted, but it will seat a minimum of 750 individuals.
Rumor: Is it true that the 4th grade children are going to be losing a recess because the teachers have decided they don't have enough time to teach kids everything they need to know for their testing? (11/16/07)
Fact: All students have a 20-minute scheduled supervised recess each day. A second recess/break time is at the discretion of the teacher. Teachers monitor their students closely to know when and if they need a recess or break. If a recess or break is needed they take one, no matter what time of day it is. Given this arrangement, it is possible that not all grade level classes would have the second recess/break at the same time. The intent is to allow the continuity of learning while providing some free time when the teacher identifies a need.
Rumor: I heard that lunch account balances were going to be available on PowerSchool this year...any news? (11/9/07)
Fact: The district is working to put the pieces in place to make this happen. Before a system like this can be launched and made accessible to the public, it must be verified that there will not be any security risks for either the users or for the district. As soon as a system is in place that fully protects sensitive information in a secure manner, parents will be notified by the schools with instructions to use the online lunch account system.
It is expected that a system like this will not only allow parents to monitor balances, but also add funds to accounts in an online transaction.
Rumor: The land acquired for the proposed new elementary school has no utilities or infrastructure and will cost the district millions to prepare for building. (10/30/07)
Fact: In fact, the board selected the site at 10th and Peach St. because of its ready access to this type of infrastructure. Water, sewage and utilities all are available to pull directly onto the site from the surrounding neighborhood development. Electrical will need to be upgraded, but that cost will be shared by the TIF district passed by the city. The district also will contribute to the needed upgrades to 10th St. to accommodate slow-down and turning lanes adjacent to the school site.
In the end, the cost for developing the 10th and Peach site is $1+ million LESS than other sites that were being considered, thanks to the neighboring residential development that is already in place.
Rumor: We should not count on getting 38% state aid. There is no guarantee that this funding is even available, and Eudora taxpayers will have to make up the difference. (10/24/07)
Fact: The state aid is approved by the Kansas legislature and has been in effect since 1992. This aid was used to help build both the current Eudora Middle School and Eudora High School. In fact, Eudora was the first community to take advantage of this funding when the bond was passed to pay for the current middle school in 1992. The funding program continues to be active and current at this time. Kansas Deputy Commissioner of Education Dale Dennis provided this information directly to the district on Oct. 22, 2007:
"The
bond and interest state aid for USD 491 for the 2007-08 is 38
percent. This percentage is computed based upon the assessed
valuation per pupil. ... This issue is outlined in KSA 75-2319 et seq."
The KSDE finance office may be reached at 785-296-3872 if further
documentation is desired.
Rumor: I heard that at the new grade school proposed in the bond is going to have a principal and vice principal. Do we need both or can we be like other districts and run with one position? (8/29/07)
Fact: No final decisions have been made about the formal staff structure of the proposed elementary school, but it has been considered to have more than one principal role. It is actually very common across the state to have more than one principal (whether that is a principal and assistant principal, or some other structure) when a school houses as many as 700-1,000 students.
When the Eudora Board of Education begins to determine the administrative structure of the new school, it will be a priority to assure the continued employment of current district staff members. As a structure is developed, every effort will be made to put each person in a position where he or she can be the most successful and be of the greatest service to our students.
Rumor: I heard that Nottingham is going to be turned into a post office if the bond passes. (8/8/07)
Fact: If the bond issue passes in November, the school board will consider a different use for the Nottingham property, including a possible sale of the building and/or land. There are many different groups and companies that have expressed interest in the property, if it should be put up for sale by the district. While district officials have been contacted by a few retail companies interested in this plot of land, the district has no knowledge of plans for a post office in that location.
