Leavenworth school board approves $1.5 million budget package, moves some central services to closed Intermediate Center

The Leavenworth Unified School District board voted to adopt a budget-reduction package that includes a hiring freeze and a plan described as moving fifth- and sixth-grade configurations, a package district staff said would save about $1,500,000.

District staff warned the proposed hiring freeze would not affect positions paid from restricted funding such as capital, food service or federal grants and noted that special education is constrained by maintenance-of-effort rules, meaning some positions could remain ineligible for cuts. Staff also told the board it expects separations based on historical data and cautioned that a hiring freeze would reduce classroom and classified staff, which would affect students and current employees.

A board member moved to adopt "Option 5" from the budget-reduction decision sheet, citing the combination of the grade reconfiguration and hiring freeze as Decision 3; another board member seconded the motion and the board approved it.

Public commenters and community members reacted during patron input. Sarah Dyer, who addressed the board immediately after the vote, thanked board members for "voting today in a way that least impacts our most vulnerable students," specifically naming children at Anthony and David Brewer. Adam Schertz told the board that because Kansas is an open-enrollment state, closing a school could trigger student transfers and revenue loss; "If 20 kids, just 20, decide to do that, that's $200,000 a year," he said.

Several board members and staff discussed where the savings would come from. District staff said primary savings accrue when an instructional center is closed entirely; the district indicated parts of the Intermediate Center (IC) already host some programs but that the IC has effectively been closed for other uses. The board debated whether to return sixth graders to elementary schools or keep them housed together at a single site, noting trade-offs for band and extracurricular offerings, classroom sizes and staffing configurations.

Related facility action: the board approved a separate motion to close the district office and move central-office functions and nutrition services into the Intermediate Center. Supporters said consolidating central services would reduce building-envelope maintenance costs and simplify operations; others cautioned that alternative or CTE programming might not fit in a single site and raised concerns about moving programs funded by restricted grants.

Sharon Mueller, president of the Leavenworth NEA, told the board that career and technical education funding is tied to Perkins grants and "CTE can't move out of the high school. It's funded by Perkins money, and it impacts hundreds of students at the high school." She warned that freezing pay or jobs risks losing good educators and increasing class sizes.

The board also moved into executive session twice during the meeting: once to discuss employer-employee negotiations and again for consultation with the district's attorney. After the negotiations session the board appointed four district representatives for bargaining: Amy Sloan, Amy Jo Troyer, Beth Maddox and David Cunningham.

Votes at a glance: - Motion adopting budget-reduction Option 5 (includes grade reconfiguration and hiring freezes): moved by a board member and seconded; outcome: approved (voice/count vote as conducted during the meeting). Savings cited: approximately $1,500,000. - Motion to close the district office and relocate central office and nutrition services to the Intermediate Center: moved and seconded; outcome: approved (board recorded in favor by voice/count during the meeting). - Motion to appoint negotiating representatives (Amy Sloan, Amy Jo Troyer, Beth Maddox, David Cunningham): moved and seconded; outcome: approved. - Motions to enter executive session for negotiation and for attorney consultation: approved per board procedure.

What happens next: District staff said they can hold a study session to work out instructional placement and details but warned against indefinite delays, noting staff and families will need clarity about assignments for the next school year. Board members and commenters said further difficult decisions may be required depending on how state school-finance decisions unfold.

The board adjourned after closing comments and scheduling announcements.