News

Board handles multitude of items at Monday’s meeting

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

There were many items vying for the USD 480 school board’s approval during the board’s most recent meeting Monday evening.

After quickly approving the republishing of the 2023-24 budget, the board also set its July 8 meeting as its organizational meeting for the 2024-25 school year.

The board moved quickly through the next few items on its agenda by approving a motion to delete Policy CGA concerning the Administrative Index and modification of GAAAA and approving the increase of the board health benefit from $6,600 to $7,200 per year, which is aligned with the increase to the board health benefit that had been proposed in the negotiated agreement.

KCC’s first public hearing in Kansas Gas Service rate case scheduled for Thursday

Kansas Corporation Commission

TOPEKA – The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) will begin public hearings this week to give Kansas Gas Service customers an opportunity to learn more about the company’s rate increase request, ask questions and make comments before the commission.

The first of two public hearings will take place this Thursday in Topeka at the Washburn Institute of Technology Main Conference Center, 5724 SW Huntoon, beginning at 6 p.m.

USD 480 to receive 2024-25 state accreditation status

USD 480

USD 480 has received word from Dr. Jay Scott, KSDE Director of Accreditation and Design, that the Accreditation Review Council has voted unanimously to recommend USD 480 receive Full Accreditation with no conditions beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. The Kansas State Board of Education will vote in July to approve the recommendation from the Accreditation Review Council to grant USD 480 the status of “Accredited.”

Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, the Kansas State Department of Education changed the way school districts received accreditation and tabbed that year as a “learning year” for the new model. They kept the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) as the state’s K-12 accrediting model, but removed the 5-year cycle.

Commission approves design change, rescinds bleacher bid

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

Seward County commissioners recently approved a design change directive from the architect firm helping with getting new bleachers at the rodeo arena at the fairgrounds.

Administrator April Warden said she had previously approved the change, and the item was placed on the commission’s June 3 agenda for formal action.

“After our work session on the bleachers, we decided to go back and get a certified architect engineering and ask GMCN (Architects) to prepare the specifications and drawings to bid the new bleachers for the rodeo arena,” she said. “This also included construction site visits as well. It’s $2,240 for their services and $520 for their construction site visits.”