HUMBOLDT — As school districts such as Humboldt USD 258 are asked to do more with less — particularly in terms of special education — they may soon be faced with some unpopular decisions.
K.B. Criss, USD 258’s superintendent of schools, said at Monday’s Board of Education meeting the time is coming in which member districts of the ANW Special Education Cooperative will be forced to reconsider their participation.
Humboldt is one of eight districts within the co-op, which also includes Iola USD 257, Marmaton Valley USD 256, Crest USD 479 and Chanute USD 413.
Criss’s comments came after Helen Harrington briefed her fellow board members on looming cost hikes related to the cooperative needing to provide health insurance for more of its employees.
While the insurance is required as part of the Affordable Care Act, it is not included in the state’s budget.
“We’re trying to find ways to do more with less,” Harrington said. Some ideas suggested at the most recent ANW board of directors meeting was to either have paraprofessionals work fewer hours or remove an assistant administrator’s position.
Nothing has been decided.
“This is an unpopular of me to say, but something has to be done,” Criss responded, suggesting districts consider developing a limited services cooperative instead of its full services cooperative.
Through such a plan, each district would be responsible for hiring its own special education staff, except for extreme cases in which the cooperative is used “a la carte” style. One of the primary advantages would be USD 258 could cover the added employees in its own health insurance plan.
Criss admitted the proposal has been unpopular when the subject has been broached.
“I get eggs thrown at me for suggesting it,” he said. “These folks have done a good job. Bob (Coleman, ANW’s executive director) has done a good job, and there is a need for the co-op. But our costs continue to go up, up, up and our funding is going down, down, down. With these unfunded mandates, something’s gonna have to change.”
PRIOR to Monday’s meeting, board members toured the new Humboldt High School building trades house at 1317 Cherokee St.
Work is progressing on schedule, instructor Nathan Ellison said. The house is slated to be finished by the end of the school year.
“There may be some landscaping that stretches into the summer,” he said.
The 2,000-square-foot, four-bedroom home is the largest home ever built by the high school students. It will be available for public viewing at an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. May 1.
Ellison said 48 students have participated in the project. He expects a similar number in 2014-15.
