Around 30 patrons of Greensburg USD 422 crowded around their board of education Monday night to voice disapproval of the group’s recent decision to rename their community’s school, change its colors and proceed with a committee to decide on a change of mascot, in conjunction with a two-year cooperative agreement with the soon-to-close Haviland High School.
Board President Ki Gamble opened the meeting by announcing an open forum to give visitors a chance to speak before turning to the agenda. It would be nearly an hour before the agenda was addressed.
Though later speakers reiterated several of the concerns addressed, the majority of the comments fell under the following categories:
*The Board ignored public sentiment…In the minds of many the BOE acted in much the same manner as the Obama administration in pushing through an unpopular agenda without paying heed to the majority consensus. Greensburg Planning Commission member Travis Barnes referred to his body having just attempted to put extraterritorial zoning into place—an effort the commission abandoned when dozens of distraught residents attended a public hearing to express their objections.
“I thought it (the zoning) was the right thing to do, but we listened to the public and dropped it. I don’t think you (BOE) should turn a deaf ear to the public’s concerns,” Barnes told the school board.
Carolyn Morton added, “This is not what the community wants and you are not listening to your constituents.”
*Haviland students will go elsewhere anyway…Wylan Fleener was the first to speak of Haviland families spurning USD 422’s concessions, having heard that a number of Haviland high-school aged students are planning to attend school outside Kiowa County next August.
He spoke of being told at a previous meeting for parents concerning the countywide junior high sports teams that competing with one common name and color was a way “to break down barriers.” He went on say, “I’ve heard 16-20 Haviland kids are pre-enrolling at Skyline and that Wyrick (Greg, last year’s Haviland football coach who teaches at Bucklin) is hauling four to five boys to Bucklin next year to play football. That doesn’t sound to me like breaking down barriers. That’s half a school (Haviland student body) you’re tearing down barriers to invite to your school, while the other half goes out of county.
“If the roles were reversed, I would be upset that you’re changing your name to thank me for helping you clean up debris after the tornado (reference to a number of then Haviland high school students helping clean up immediately after the May 2007 tornado). If your purpose is to tear down barriers, that’s not what you’re doing.”
*The move is premature…Several referred to Greensburg giving up its name, colors and mascot when there’s no assurance Haviland will make a long-term commitment such as eventual consolidation.
“What if the state starts funding schools more than they are now and Haviland reopens their school?” Fleener asked. “What then? This (cooperative agreement) is only a two-year agreement.
“I think the name change is premature,” Jim Keith added. “Before we have a central school we need consolidation. Doesn’t it make sense to put off the name change for two years, to make sure this is going to happen? If it does, then have a countywide contest and let the people choose the name.”
*Greensburg is being asked to give up a sense of identity despite its hard work to rebuild and supply the county with a state-of-the-art educational facility…”It was the Rangers who stuck around here after the storm to rebuild this town and to build this new school,” Amber Boyles said. “And now that we’ve rebuilt so much, now that the school is almost built, now we can’t be Rangers anymore?”
“I’ve been preaching for 40 years that we needed to build one high school in this county,” said M T Liggett of Mullinville. “And you guys here in Greensburg have done it. This board has climbed out of the trash to build the best school around these parts. And what thanks do you get for it?
“You need to preserve your heritage. I wouldn’t change the name, the colors or the mascot. This one new school is something the county has needed a long time, and you’ve done it. You’re the ones who did it while others were watching and praying you would fail. Why should you have to give it a new name?”
*What say do the GHS kids have in this?... “What do our kids want?” Ruth Ann Wedel asked. “I’d like to see some figures on what the kids are saying about this.”
It was at that point that BOE member Dale Hayse responded, saying, “There’s four of us sitting here that damn well know what four seniors think about it.”
“Seniors will be gone after this spring,” Susan West replied to Hayse.
The only person to speak in favor of the Board’s position was Kim Gamble, wife of BOE President Ki Gamble.
Gamble began by acknowledging hers was likely a minority position in the room, saying she and Ki “have had many discussions on this for a lot of reasons.” After assuring those present that BOE members had “not taken this decision lightly,” Gamble went on to say her son, GHS junior Kasey, “wants to graduate (in May of 2011) as a Ranger and that breaks my heart. I know we have to give up some things to make this one school viable. I just hope my son will warm up to this idea by next year.”
She continued with an advisory note to fellow parents, saying, “How does it affect our kids when they hear us bicker about this at home? The parents’ role should be to make this transition easier and not more difficult.”
Once the comments were at an end, Superintendent Darin Headrick let it be known that Mullinville, which is currently in a cooperative agreement with Greensburg, “wanted consolidation done this year, but we asked to give us another year to get our building done and paid for so we couldn’t be accused of recruiting them here for financial reasons.”
As for the likelihood of Haviland reopening its high school in the future, Headrick pointed out the low enrollment numbers there, including several upcoming classes numbering in the single digits. “That’s why the cooperative agreement (with Haviland) is in Haviland’s best interest as well as the county’s best interest,” Headrick said. “Your BOE wants to make sure they keep the best interests of kids as a priority, so that we’re providing a good education not just a year from now, but 10 and 20 years from now. We’re moving in this direction to make sure you and your kids enjoy the quality of education you’re used to here.”
Headrick also referred to his board having made decisions “based on our priorities—what’s best for the kids, all kids across the county.”
The most pertinent priorities toward that end, would seem to be contained in a couple of short-term objectives in the USD 422 priorities and vision statement; namely, “Maintaining and expanding positive long-term relationships with neighboring communities” and “finalizing plans and construction of the new school, ensuring its place as a welcoming educational facility for all students…(including) review and approval of name, mascot and school colors.
Concluding the open forum was Jim Keith, who asked the Board, “Would you consider keeping the colors and mascot the same for two years?”
“We’ll take it under consideration,” Ki Gamble answered.
