Park Hill will not pursue tax increase

For now, Board of Education decides not to put issue on April ballot

Jeanette Browning Faubion
Citizen Reporter/Editorial

The Park Hill School District has put the possibility of a levy increase on the back burner, for now.

With the Jan. 24 deadline looming for placing an issue on the April ballot, the Board of Education last week directed district administration to form a steering committee to build a pilot student-centered digital device program for the 2012-13 school year. The committee will also be tasked with determining how best to fund a full program.

In December, the Board heard a report on the digital device initiative and a recommendation to consider seeking a levy increase to fund the program. The goal of the initiative is to transform teaching and learning in the district toward a student-centered model through deployment of laptops and related technologies. The district is considering a one student to one laptop ratio for each grade level, though the plan also includes options for one laptop for every two and four students.

The district wishes to provide teachers with the means of giving all students greater access to technology to develop 21st century skills. The access would allow development of a digital tool kit that “meets student individual learning styles and needs, preparing them to be productive digital citizens in today’s world,” according to the report. The initiative would also allow teachers to share lesson plans and other technology-based resources that are used to teach instructional standards to students.

Yearly “train the trainer” workshops would be held to train teachers and administrators to establish goals for technology use and criteria for assessment. The workshops would help teachers create project-based learning activities. The district would also create collaborative teams with monthly online meetings and constant access to peer assistance. Outside consultants would also be brought in on a yearly basis to evaluate the program.

The total initiative cost is estimated at $7.8 million per year, with the bulk of costs — $5.8 million — in purchase of the actual devices and software. Of that total annual cost, $1.2 million would be used for technical support and almost $800,000 for instructional support and staff development.

District staff suggested the Board consider a 55-cent increase to $5.97 per $100 assessed valuation to fund the full program. Currently, the district’s levy is at $5.41 per $100 assessed valuation, second lowest of 12 Kansas City metro area school districts. In comparison, the North Kansas City School District’s levy is $5.88; the Liberty School District levy is $6.09.

Other suggestions for funding the initiative included making $7.8 million in cuts in existing expenditures, seeking grants or running a bond issue. However, one-time funding such as a grant or bond would make the program difficult to sustain in the future.