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The Kansas City, Missouri School Board Votes to Approve a $300 Million Budget

Posted on: Thursday, 28 June 2007, 00:02 CDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The auditorium at the Kansas City, Missouri School Board building was filled with community members eager to learn the fate of the district. This evening, Board members of the Kansas City, Missouri School District voted to approve the 2007-2008 comprehensive school budget, presented to them by Superintendent Anthony Amato.

For more than 20 years, students in the Kansas City, Missouri School District have been bused to receive an education at schools quite a distance from their homes. The new reorganization plan and budget will provide a better way. Within three years, the new reorganization plan adopted in April will have students attending neighborhood schools, thus saving the District about $4 million in transportation costs -- a savings that will be used to improve student academic achievement.

The new budget and reorganization plan calls for the elimination of all middle schools except for the Kansas City School of the Arts Middle School and Lincoln College Prep Middle School. The District will go to a PreK through 8th grade format. Students will return to their neighborhood schools based on their residential address, rather than being bused to schools outside of their residential boundaries. By 2009, all schools in the Kansas City, Missouri School District will become PreK - 8th neighborhood schools and high schools.

"The Board's vote has provided us with the ability to move forward," said David Smith, Board President. "I support this budget and the PreK - 8th grade conversion plan. We have given the community choices and opportunities that will carry our District into the future."

Transportation costs and a decrease in student enrollment over the last several years forced the Kansas City, Missouri School Board to debate this issue of school closings and to streamline the budget. Last' years budget was approved by the previous administration. The Board's previous budget did not set aside funds needed to provide increases for teacher's salaries across the District. In order to accommodate the agreement reached with the Teachers Union the Board accessed $10 million from reserve funds. This new approved budget will be the first from Superintendent Anthony Amato's administration.

The new budget reflects an $18 million decrease from the previous years' budget and provides an estimated $6 million in reserves.

The timeline for school consolidation is as follows: * Students who are currently enrolled in 5th grade will not attend 6th grade at middle schools next year. Instead, those students will, in 2007-2008, remain in the elementary school they attended in 2006-2007. Those students will continue attending that school through their 8th grade year. * In the academic year 2008-2009, neighborhood schools would be fully embraced. This means students who would enroll in grade 5 or lower that year, would no longer be bused out of their neighborhoods and would be transitioned instead to their neighborhood schools located in their own communities. These are the students who are currently enrolled in kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades in this academic year 2006-2007. * Any students who enroll as new patrons of the Kansas City, Missouri School District next year 2007-2008 would be enrolled in the neighborhood schools that would be assigned to their residence address. This is also true with students who are entering the kindergarten class of 2007-2008. Those students, too, would enroll in the buildings defined as the neighborhood schools in their community. Other highlights of Amato's plan calls for: * Continuation of Schools of Choice: Foreign Language Academy, Longan French Academy, Lincoln College Prep Middle and High School, Kansas City School of the Arts Middle School and Paseo Fine Arts High School. * Continuation and expansion of Montessori programs and the creation of a Montessori Lab School.

The 15% reduction in spending reflects a theme that has continued to echo throughout Amato's tenure. Amato's strong message of accountability for progress and effective deployment of resources is clearly demonstrated through the Boards' adoption of his first budget as leader of the Kansas City, Missouri School District.

"Earning the public trust is vital in our ability to move forward and provide students a solid foundation," said Superintendent Anthony Amato. "This is a defining moment for Kansas City."

The Kansas City, Missouri School District is the largest school district in the metropolitan area serving over 24,000 students. With 75 schools and numerous signature school programs, the District continues to provide innovative initiatives which prepare students for post secondary education and life long learning skills.

The Kansas City, Missouri School District

CONTACT: Cynthia Wheeler-Linden, Chief Communications Officer,+1-913-707-5854 cell, for The Kansas City, Missouri School District

Source: PRNewswire

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