Metropolitan Schools Hit Hard by Economic Downturn....PCR-3 Holds Ground

A compilation of information from 24 area districts created by the Cooperating School Districts of Greater Kansas City (CSDGKC) paints a grim economic and labor picture in school districts for the coming year.

CSDGKC reports $82.9 million in school cuts among member districts.

"Taking $82.9 million out of our regional economy is significant," said CSDGKC Executive Director Gayden Carruth. "School districts simply cannot provide all of the services children and their parents need when these unprecedented cuts occur. Plus, there is a negative economic impact on communities with cuts of this magnitude."

The impact on district employees is also significant. Including the 100 teachers and $44 million cut from the Kansas City Missouri School District (reported by the Kansas City Star, CSDGKC reports 727 staff jobs have been lost in the Kansas City, MO, region.

Salary adjustments also reflect the economic downturn. These adjustments to teachers salaries started with a state mandate that a .5% increase go to the Public School Retirement System. The result is that many teachers may see their take-home pay decrease. This includes five school districts whose teachers received no salary increase. Most districts report adjustments from .3% to 2.5%, and two districts report adjustments above 2.5%.

For the Platte County School District, the picture is better. While many metropolitan districts are seeing a decrease in property values, Platte County is seeing flat growth. While flat growth isn't generally desirable for a school district that has a growing population, neutral is better than negative. The district has been able to limit cost containment to minimize the overall educational impact. Due to fiscal responsibility, strong reserves and a relatively solid base of state and local money (relative to the current economic climate); Platte County R-3 School District can continue to operate in accordance with the high standards you have come to expect. Yes, it's true, it's still a great time to be a Pirate!

Meeting with the Mayor

Funkhouser that is. Mayor Mark Funkhouser called a meeting with all school superintendents who serve within the city limits of Kansas City. The meeting was yesterday morning at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Facility. It was an interesting meeting. Of course, any time I find myself in a room with the metropolitan superintendents I can't help but learn something new.

The Mayor has a vision of engaging the whole metro region to improve education for Kansas City children. The dialogue was enlightening. No one in the room could argue with the concept of improvement. However, much conversation focused on the "ills of society" and the challenge of educating children who are hungry, abused, neglected and poor.

Don't get me wrong, we have the same "ills" in our district. But I am grateful to work in a district where general speaking......children have their basic needs met. It was validating to see where we are compared to other districts in terms of students coming to school ready to learn.

That's all for now.

Educationally Yours,

Dr. Michael Reik

Why Blog?

The primary purpose of this blog is to journal my experiences at the helm of our beloved school district. You will find posts to be informative at times. Other times, my posts will be reflective in nature and (possibly) thought inspiring. Most of all, I hope this blog will allow us a venue for productive communication. I simply ask that your comments stay positive and constructive. I am a firm believer in the notion, "praise in public....criticize in private". I want to hear all comments that you have, but ask that criticism be forwarded to my email address.

I look forward to interacting with the finest school district students, parents and patrons in the state. Please enjoy my writing and feel free to make suggestions for entry topics.

Educationally Yours,


Dr. Mike Reik