From the Desk of Patrick McKernan

Dear USD 429 Patrons:

I hope all is going well for you and your families this summer as we continue to see July flying by.  The fair is currently going on and it has been great to see many of our students participating in various events.  I was able to make it to the ballpark many nights during the baseball and softball season to see our kids compete.  I always enjoy visiting with the kids and their families at these events.  As you are aware, it is amazing to see how they grow and change over that short period of summer break. 

As we move into the new school year, we too are going through some change.  We have had some staff leave for various personal and professional reasons and there will be some new faces in our district.  We will officially introduce everyone in our August Back To School news when we post it on our social media platforms.  Wea re fully staffed with our teaching staff but continue to look to employ a full or part time nurse. 

As we prepare for another school year, there are a couple things I want to bring you up to date.  Our gym usage has been limited this year as we are replacing the flooring in the gym commons, gym hallways, and kitchen and cafeteria with epoxy flooring.  We have refurbished our basketball and volleyball systems and have added some safety straps as well as some mechanical fixes.  We had the crow’s nest at the football field resided with metal tin siding.  This will extend the life of that building for many years.  All of our parking lots will be repaired, sealed, and striped before we start school in August.  We have had all our roofs inspected by three different roof companies.  And they are all in pretty good shape but the metal roofs on top of the main gym, and two main buildings are aging.  We have managed to do these repairs from funds in our annual budget and some capital outlay funds. 

It is not new news that our student enrollment has declined over the years.  Especially since the 2020-2021 school year.  In turn, this decreases our annual budget.  Even though our budget authority decreases, costs continue to rise and are not predictable year to year.  It is also hard to reduce staff when you only lose a couple kids per grade level.  Computers haven’t replaced teachers.  We,  and I believe you also think, we still need and want good teachers in our classrooms.  We have not been able to reduce staff, nor do we want to.  After a decline in our mill levy last year, we will have an increase to our mill levy this year.  I nor the board of education want to exceed the revenue neutral rate.   Increasing costs, decreasing assessed valuation, and cost of living and inflation related to our “business” are all valid reasons to keep our current budget authority.  We are one of only 2 schools in the state, according to KSDE, that does not have a capital outlay mill levy.  We are also in the bottom quartile across the state regarding our mill levy.  It simply costs more to operate.   Saying that we are always looking for areas to save funds and will continue to do so.   

I hope to see you out and about, even though I am not a fan of this hot, humid weather.  Take care, and as always, I am proud to serve as your superintendent of schools. 

Patrick E. McKernan

Superintendent of Schools

Troy USD 429