Myth: If given more time, Wetmore’s enrollment will increase.
Fact: Head count enrollment has plummeted from 180 in 2015 (when the Legislative Post Audit recommended closing Wetmore due to low enrollment) to 125 in 2022. 6 grades currently have 8 or less students. 5 of the 7 largest classes will graduate in the next 5 years.
Myth: Wetmore is operating at a budget surplus.
Fact: Under the formula used by the State of Kansas and every other school district in the state, Wetmore operated at a total budget deficit of $395,298.41 over the past 4 years, and is projected to lose $212,477 during the 2022-23 school year.
Myth: An independent third-party auditor should have been appointed to review the district’s financial information.
Fact: All financial reports relied on by the Board of Education were audited by Kickhaefer & Buessing, an independent certified public accounting firm.
Myth: The Petition to Disorganize USD 113 would not impact Sabetha and Axtell, and would merely allow Wetmore to organize as its own district or attach to a different district.
Fact: If the question is placed on the ballot and approved by a majority of voters, USD 113 would be dissolved. Because there are no means under Kansas law for all or part of the district to reorganize as a new district, the State of Kansas would assign the territory of USD 113 to other existing districts. Scott Gordon, General Counsel of the Kansas Department of Education, and attorneys representing the Wetmore Community Action Association all agree with this legal assessment.
Myth: It is unknown if a neighboring district would keep Wetmore open or not.
Fact: USD 113 Board President Leslie Scoby invited the Jackson Heights Board of Education to discuss a possible scenario to keep the Wetmore Academic Center open. Jackson Heights declined, stating in a letter dated January 22, 2023, “Our board has reached a consensus that we are unable to engage in the discussion of being the sponsoring district to keep the Wetmore school open at this time.”
Myth: The Board of Education’s plan is to retain all territory and assign all Wetmore students to Sabetha.
Fact: At their meeting on February 13, 2023, not one of the board members objected to transferring territory to Jackson Heights. To the contrary, the Board unanimously approved a committee to explore such a transfer.
Myth: Board members from Sabetha are out to get Wetmore.
Fact: During the 2015 election, the Wetmore Save Our School Committed actively supported Jim Scoby and Kent Saylor for the USD 113 Board of Education. Both candidates were elected, and both gave Wetmore nearly 8 years to increase their enrollment. After enrollment decreased from 180 to 125 during their tenure on the board, both candidates voted to close the Wetmore Academic Center.
Myth: The Board of Education rushed into their decision and didn’t give Wetmore a chance to increase their enrollment or to make their case against closure.
Fact #1: The Board first considered closing the Wetmore school in 1984, but the motion was defeated by a 4-3 vote. Wetmore’s viability has remained an issue ever since.
Fact #2: In 2015, the Legislative Post Audit recommended closing Wetmore, estimating it would save the district $460,000 annually. The Board declined, choosing instead to give Wetmore an opportunity to increase their enrollment.
Fact #3: In 2019, after Wetmore’s enrollment had fallen to 145 and their annual budget deficit had grown to over $100,000, the Board of Education again refrained from closing Wetmore. Instead, the Board adopted a new and unique viability formula to give Wetmore one final opportunity to grow their enrollment.
Fact #4: On October 10, 2022, the Board scheduled a special meeting to consider campus viability. The public was then given an opportunity to present their arguments at 6 separate Board meetings between October 25, 2022, and February 13, 2023. During these 6 meetings, the Board was addressed by no less than 60 members of the public.
Fact #5: The Board only voted to close Wetmore after enrollment had plummeted from 180 to 125 over the past 7 years, and Wetmore’s budget deficit had grown to $212,477 during the 2022-23 school year. Perhaps just as important, the Board only took action after the district as a whole was faced with a budget deficit in 2022-23.
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