By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
On Jan. 9, 2023, the USD 112 Central Plains Board of Education voted 5-2 to close Wilson High School at the close of the 2022-23 school year. Some Wilson residents continue to battle that decision. Last October, the Wilson High School Future Committee was formed in an effort to keep the school open. Member Michael Kratky said the group is planning to file a petition that could eliminate the district altogether.
"We have plenty of signatures already from people who are in favor of the petition," he said. "We will proceed with the petition after May 1. We gave the board an opportunity to give us a one-year extension for 2023-24, so we can work out the solutions for our school. If not, then we're going to proceed with the disorganization petition."
Per Kansas statute 72-635, whenever a disorganization petition is filed with the appropriate number of signatures, the matter shall be put on a ballot before all voters in the district. If a majority of voters approve the disorganization, the matter goes to the Kansas State Board of Education.
RELATED ARTICLE: USD 112 BOE votes to close WHS
"There's a possibility, with disorganization, we could become a sub-district of another district, which means we would manage our own funding and our own expenses," Kratky said. "We feel we have options either way, with the one-year extension or the disorganization. As far as the disorganization, we don't really have anything to lose. We have everything to gain."
Kratky and a group of others have testified before the Kansas Legislature on multiple occasions. House Bill 2138 pertaining to school closings passed the legislature but, with several other items attached in the bill, was vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly. The group now gives the USD 112 BOE until May 1 to extend Wilson High's life for another year, or the petition will be filed in Ellsworth County, the home county of the district that spans 548 square miles in parts of five counties.
"This is historical for Kansas because there has never been a disorganization if it goes to that," Kratky said. "It's up to the 112 Board. They've been given a choice, on our part, to give us a one-year extension and work through the process of what we need to get done to save our 7-12."
In his March 22 testimony before the Kansas House Committee on Education, Kratky detailed the history of WHS, which was founded in 1887, and remained a single-school district until consolidation into USD 328 with Holyrood, Bushton, and Lorraine in 1966. In 2010, USD 354 Claflin joined the consolidation, which became USD 112 Central Plains.
Kratky testified that in February, the board of education stated by consensus it would delay the Wilson closure if a transfer to another district could be negotiated. He said the committee has been in talks with other districts, but the board reversed its decision by voting 5-2 against any extension.
Roberta Meier, who has taught for 36 years, has expressed concerns about the lack of a district-wide staff meeting to discuss how the closure would impact staff, directly and indirectly, with unemployment and retirement benefits possibly on the line. She's also expressed concern about the lack of a transition plan for the Wilson High students when the school closes.
Per statute, a petition to disorganization cannot be put on the ballot between Jan. 1 and July 1 of any year. Primary elections in Kansas are scheduled for Aug. 1.