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Report Prioritizes District's Capital Outlay Needs

Jan. 6, 2012 ~ The first phase of the district's five-year capital improvement plan was presented during the Olathe Board of Education meeting Jan. 5. Chief Financial Officer John Hutchison explained the $13 million of prioritized needs for the remainder of the 2011-12 fiscal year.

Hutchison said many of the minor projects can be funded by the Operations Service Center operating budget, while others would be funded through capital outlay funds. The largest expense categories are $4.2 million for technology, $1.7 million for the Service Center operating budget, $1.4 million for roofing at five schools, $1.1 million for heating/ventilation/air conditioning systems at five buildings, and $1 million for financial software. The list also includes asphalt/flatwork/curbing at 49 buildings, copier leases, track resurfacing at six schools, international language lab upgrades at the high schools, carpet at four buildings, furniture in 17 buildings, Olathe East High School band uniforms, and security.

Financial Software

Hutchison updated board members on the process used to find updated financial/payroll/human resources software. The existing systems were developed in the 1980s and have been used by the district since the mid-1990s. They were difficult to customize to the district's needs and the lack of a dedicated system to handle payroll and month-end activities affected productivity, especially at the end of the year.

The board authorized Hutchison to begin negotiating with SunGard, a software vendor, with hopes of finalizing a contract at the Feb. 2 board meeting. If a contract is approved in February, the new software could be implemented starting this spring, Hutchison said.

Phoenix Program

Board members heard an update on the Phoenix educational program provided by the district to students living in KidsTLC. The program assists students who haven't been successful with other treatment programs or may have been placed in many other programs before arriving at Phoenix. Their education has often suffered because of gaps in attending school, negative experiences in school, difficulty trusting others, abuse, neglect, etc.

KidsTLC has created a "bridge unit" to help students integrate back into their community, but the facility is prepared to house more than 50 students currently. The Phoenix program helps students transition to a more traditional classroom experience in the Claire Learning Center on the KidsTLC campus.

Recognitions and Awards:

  • Tiffany Richard, chemistry and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) teacher at Olathe East High School, was named the 2012 Kansas Teacher of the Year. She and past teachers of the year from Olathe Public Schools were recognized. They included Don Everhart, Becky Goodwin, Nancy McRoberts, Sue Rippe, Ruth Gharst Waggoner and Josh Anderson.
  • Allison Meads, an Olathe East athlete, won the 6A state championship in gymnastics in the All Around, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, and Uneven Parallel Bars categories.
  • The Olathe South High School football team won the 6A state championship title.

In other business, the board:

  • Approved a consent agenda including meeting minutes, reports, Head Start policies and plans, and the mileage reimbursement rate for 2012.
  • Authorized district staff to begin contract negotiations with a vendor to supply new financial, payroll and human resources software for the district.
  • Approved bids for desktop and laptop computers because of aging equipment and growth needs in the district.
  • Approved a process for student suspension/expulsion appeal hearings.
  • Received information on future action items including a student trip, bids for asphalt and casework, and legislative priorities.
  • Received written information on the 42-question employee climate survey distributed to all staff via email on Jan. 3. Input will be taken through January, with results given to the Board of Education and building administrators this spring. Results will also be reviewed by the Superintendent's Leadership Team and other district leaders.
  • Received the Head Start director's monthly report.Held an executive session to discuss personnel matters.

The complete agenda and supporting documents are online at http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/olathe/Board.nsf/Public.