FSCC holds line; In a special meeting Wednesday, trustees approve keeping mill levy steady

Posted on August 16, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Thursday, August 16, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Fort Scott Community College’s Board of Trustees decided to keep the local mill levy flat during a special budget hearing on campus Wednesday night.

The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees dissected the college’s projected 2012-2013 budget during a special budget hearing on Wednesday night. About 20 community members attended the meeting and applauded the board after they voted to keep the local mill levy flat at 25.357 mills.
(Angelique McNaughton/Tribune)

About 20 community members, including Fort Scott Mayor Jim Adams, attended last night’s hearing to determine the amount of local taxes to be levied for the 2012-2013 school year. The board and college administrators spent about an hour breaking down FSCC’s projected budget for audience members.

FSCC officials initially recommended a .637 mill increase for the 2012-2013 budget, but reduced that figure to about half a mill prior to Monday night’s budget hearing. A recent $1.5 million county miscalculation in assessed property valuation for 2012 left the county’s five taxing entities scrambling to re-work their budgets.

Administrators laid out two options for board members on Wednesday — both of which included an increase to the levied amount — explaining to trustees and those attending — that the increases were necessary for the college to continue to operate successfully and efficiently.

College administrators said they are faced with operating increases in every area, including a 12 percent bump in health insurance and a 33 percent hike in worker’s compensation premiums.

In response, community members stressed the rising cost of living and the number of county residents living on a fixed income.

Local businessman Jim Smith said he attended the hearing, not only as a concerned citizen but as a resident concerned about those who are financially less fortunate than him, like his father-in-law.

“I’m not here for me,” Smith said. “I’m 63 and I never thought I would be alive to see times like they are now.”

He said it would be a disservice to raise taxes on people now and suggested placing some of the burden on the college’s other revenue sources — tuition and the federal government.

“Something has to be done; it’s going to be worse in the future,” Smith said. “You have to take a look at personal responsibility. You (students) want an education; it’s something that’s important, but it doesn’t have to be put on the backs of the people out here.”

The college’s local mill levy remained flat from 2004-2011, something that both trustees and administrators say has led to the current situation.

“Expenses go up; revenues go flat,” FSCC President Clayton Tatro said. “At some point something is going to bend.”

Tatro said the community needs to look at its contribution to the college as an investment, not a penalty.

“If there is value in education we have to fund it,” Tatro said. “How do we expect to grow our economy if we don’t educate our workforce?

“The reality is, if we are going to invest in the future, we need to invest in education,” he said.

After considering public comments and statements from administrators, the panel chose to keep the local mill levy flat at 25.357 mills, with $2,321,179.78 in taxes levied for the 2012-2013 school year. The college raised the local mill levy last year more than 2 mills.

The college’s administrators sat quietly, looking almost defeated, following the panel’s decision and the audience reaction.

Dean of Finance and Operations Karla Farmer said the college already runs on a very narrow margin.

“Unfortunately, certain services will be cut,” Farmer said. “Those of us who answer everyday to requests that can’t be met because of the current budget, it will compound that.”

The ones who will face most of the burden, Famer said, will be the students but officials will do their best to make it as “painless as possible.

“I respect the decision of the board and we will operate within the prescribed budget,” she said. “But everything has a cost.”

From both Monday and Wednesday night’s budget hearing, the six-member board cut nearly $80,000 from the college’s total projected budget of about $12 million in total revenue and expenses.

Trustee Jim Fewins said he understands what the administration is tasked with.

“They work pretty hard to get this down and they’ve kept it stagnant,” he said after the hearing. “I want the crowd to understand that we are really looking at this; (we) have looked over this and we are giving up certain things.”

While the audience only represented a small percentage of Bourbon County residents, Fewins said trustees don’t “bow down” to those citizens but consider their opinions.

Fewins said he felt pressure to not raise the mill levy after the Fort Scott City Commissioners voted to keep the city’s mill levy flat at a special meeting Wednesday afternoon. Commissioners voted to cut $75,000 from the general fund instead.

“If we can get through another year … but it’s going to be tough,” Fewins said.

Audience members cheered and applauded the board following its decision.

Gerald Kerr, of Bourbon County, said what the college board did is a “very good thing” because it listened to the people.

“And we’re grateful,” Kerr said. “I want to thank you all. We’re in hard times and the city, the community, the college and the people that work in the city with businesses need to work together. We have to be prudent.”

Superintendent, board begin work on goals

Posted on August 15, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Following the USD 234 district budget hearing on Monday evening, school board members approved a change in board policy regarding the annual report to allow Superintendent Diane Gross to deliver it monthly, rather than annually.

In her August monthly report, Gross said since taking on the role of superintendent she has began to formulate a foundation for establishing the district’s new mission statement and goals.

“I would go as far as to say it’s about putting us all on the same page as to … the main objectives we are trying to address,” Gross said told board members.

The seven-member school board began considering changing the district’s goals and mission statement at the end of 2011.

Business Manager Tiffany Forester said in a past Tribune article that board members thought it would be a “good idea” to review the statements because the district’s goals may not be the same as they were in the early 1990s.

“What they (the school board) ended up doing was kind of putting that (district goals) on hold until a new superintendent was hired,” Gross said. “So I took the information that was shared with me when I began and began using that as a foundation.”

Gross outlined six goals for the district, in no particular order, that would replace the district’s current objectives, which were adopted in October 1993:

They include:

* Community engagement with the parent/family environment

* Curriculum instruction and assessment

* Recruit, retain and train highly effective staff

* Build capacity for use of technology operation and instruction

* Develop a long-range facilities plan

All of the revised goals include action plans to help the district fulfill its ambitions and explain the value and importance of each.

Gross said she will continue to meet with building administrators to “get some indicators” as to where certain individuals would like to see the direction of the district go.

“I eventually will be working with teams of teachers from each of the buildings to really put the action plan into place so that we are all taking ownership of these goals,” Gross said. “Some discussions will include community leaders and different organizations, as well.”

It’s important that community members understand and “take ownership” of education locally, Gross said.

District goals serve as an “agreement” among staff, that are adopted through the school board.

In other business, the board:

* Heard that the staff opening ceremony will be held at 7:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 20. Gross said it will include several presentations, a performance by the Fort Scott High School drumline and a few words from school board President Janet Braun.

* The district’s reception for new employees will be held at 5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 10, at the Board Office before the school board’s monthly meeting. Board Secretary Connie Billionis said the informal reception provides an opportunity for new employees to meet board members.

* Approved a 5-cent increase in the price of adult lunch fees, according to a news release.

The full price for an adult lunch was $3.15 at the end of July. A full price breakfast was $1.95.

* Approved hiring: Angela Kemmerer, early childhood coordinator in the Early Steps to Success Program; Nancy Geneva, Fort Scott Middle School ticket clerk; Jenna Campbell, Fort Scott High School assistant freshman volleyball coach; Erin Broadbent, Winfield Scott Elementary School counselor; Dustin Wiley, Eugene Ware Elementary School physical education teacher; and Jared Martin, FSMS football coach.

The panel also approved the following employment matters: The resignation of Jeanie Murrow, Eugene Ware paraeducator; the resignation of Julie Mewhinney, Fort Scott Middle School ticket clerk; retirement request of Phyllis Combs, FSHS cook; and a maternity leave of absence request for Amy Hixon, FSMS science teacher.

A special board workshop is scheduled for 5 p.m. today with Doug Moeckel, of the Kansas Association of School Boards at the Board Office. The workshop is meant to assist board members with the transition into the school year with the new superintendent.

County vote tally made official

Posted on August 14, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Approximately 28 percent of registered Bourbon County voters participated in the Aug. 7 primary, according to Monday’s official ballot canvass.

The three Bourbon County Commissioners spent Monday morning certifying the election results from the primary elections last week.

Commissioners received 66 provisional ballots that were marked for further review. A provisional ballot is used if there is any doubt about a person’s eligibility to vote due to a name or address change, lack of photo ID, or a discrepancy with the person’s party affiliation.

Commissioners counted 35 ballots in full and four partial ballots.

According to the canvass, 3,067 of 10,800 registered voters in Bourbon County participated in the election. The Associated Press reported a 23 percent turnout in Kansas.

Locally, County Clerk Joanne Long said registered Republicans turned out in greater numbers than Democrats.

Election results from local and state races are available on the county’s website, www.bourboncountyks.org.

Jent family honored

Posted on August 10, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Friday, August 10, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Before longtime Tri-Valley Developmental Services board member and local resident Winfred Jent died in September, he wanted to ensure that his son David would always be taken care of.

To make this wish a reality, Jent arranged to have his family home, located at 1736 S. Margrave, donated to TVDS after his death so that David, 70, could remain in the house he grew up in.

Local resident Winfred Jent donated his house, located at 1736 S. Margrave, to Tri-Valley Developmental Services to serve as a group home for clients with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The Jent family was recognized at an open house here Thursday afternoon.(Angelique McNaughton/Tribune)

“He (Winfred) wanted to make sure … (David) was taken care of and this is his way of doing it by giving his whole house,” Executive Director Tim Cunningham said Thursday.

TVDS took possession of the single-story green house in April to serve as a group home for clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since the home’s renovation, four clients, including David, now live there.

Tri-Valley representatives joined extended members of the Jent family Thursday afternoon at the home for an open house. About 20 people with varying connections to the family or Tri-Valley stopped by to peruse the home’s new look.

Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation Board member Barb Albright said she used to frequently drive by the home that’s down the street from the Fort Scott National Cemetery, but had never seen the inside.

“It’s nice,” she said of the residence’s new look and feel.

Albright said board members become familiar with the homes in Tri-Valley’s care because part of their job is to secure funds to run the facilities.

Representatives from Tri-Valley went room to room pointing out the improvements, noting the new hardwood flooring and the addition of an extra bedroom.

Relatives Jennie Wood and David Jent decide which cookie to choose during an open house on Thursday afternoon honoring the Jent family for the donation of David’s childhood home to Tri-Valley Developmental Services. David’s father, Winfred Jent, contributed the home after his death in September to ensure David would remain cared for.(Angelique McNaughton/Tribune)

Relatives Jennie and Ken Wood, of Fort Scott, nostalgically walked around the house they often visited before Jent passed away.

“We’ve been here before,” Jennie said as she pointed out where special events were held and what the renovations replaced.

Talking about old memories, Jennie pointed out where the family would sit and eat ice cream after dinner.

“We sat right at that table… It’s just beautiful,” Jennie said of the home. “We’re so happy.”

Bourbon County resident and Tri-Valley board member Mary Davis said she attended the open house because of the gesture by the family.

Davis said the donation by the Jent family is “great.”

“Mr. Jent was a great man,” Davis said. “That was a nice gesture from him and his family.”

The Jent home is now one of three group homes Tri-Valley sponsors in Fort Scott. The organization has six homes total, with the majority in Fort Scott because of the need, Cunningham said.

Tri-Valley is a Southeast Kansas provider, based in Chanute, serving people with developmental disabilities in Allen, Bourbon, Neosho and Woodson counties.

The board, which has about a dozen members, meets every two months. The next meeting is scheduled for sometime in September. Cunningham said the elder Jent was one of Tri-Valley’s founding board members and was responsible for “bringing Tri-Valley to Fort Scott.”

“Winfred wanted David back in the house where he’s always been and I’ll bet he’s (David) happy about that,” Cunningham said.

Lowell Milken Center awarded grant honoring Sendler

Posted on August 3, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Friday, August 3, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

The Lowell Milken Center was recently awarded a substantial grant to benefit the Irena Sendler Award through the Life in a Jar foundation, Program Director Megan Felt said.

The center received a $10,000 grant from the Frank Family Foundation Fund on Monday to benefit the “For Improving the World” award, named in honor of Sendler’s work. Tulsa Community Foundation adviser Brad Frank helped the Frank Family Foundation make the grant happen, Felt said. She noted the center is always looking for donations to help with costs incurred by having the award.

“We actually did have a family from Los Angeles who funded the award for several years,” she said. “We’ve been looking for someone new to fund the award.”

One teacher in Poland is annually awarded the monetary gift for their “innovative and inspirational” teaching of Holocaust education. In the past, the award has been $10,000, Felt said, and has included an American educator. Recipients are selected by a panel of judges who are leaders in Holocaust education.

This year’s award ceremony will take place sometime in September and Felt said it is a “very special event” that features Poland’s top representatives and officials.

Eleven educators from both Poland and the United States have been honored with the award since its inception.

The award originated in 2006 after the Association of “Children of the Holocaust” became associated with the Life in a Jar Foundation and then-Uniontown High School teacher Norm Conard.

Conard, Lowell Milken Center director, was personally nominated by Sendler as one of the award’s first recipients that year.

The “Life in a Jar” presentation chronicled the life of Sendler who helped save 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.

Felt, who was one of the original students who told Sendler’s story and developed the project under Conard’s instruction, said because of the “Life in a Jar” project, Holocaust education has become mandatory in Poland.

“You have changed Poland; you have changed the United States; you have changed the world,” Sendler told Felt in May 2008, just days before she passed away.

“It’s absolutely wonderful that her story becoming known has impacted other countries,” she said. “Our goal was to make her story known throughout the world … (It’s) very amazing to see that.”

Felt said neither she nor any of her fellow classmates could have envisioned the impact their project would have on people’s lives.

“I don’t want to predict what could happen in the future because I don’t want to put a cap on it,” she said. “(I’m) excited to see how the project goes and how it can continue to help other people with their goals and ideas.

“I’m excited to be on this amazing journey,” Felt added.

For more information on Sendler, visit www.lowellmilkencenter.org and for information about the award, go to www.irenasendler.org.

Bridge move gets OK

Posted on August 3, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Friday, August 3, 2012

Tribune Staff Report

Officials with the National Register of Historic Places recently approved the relocation plan for the Long Shoals Bridge so it can stay on the register during and after its move to a new site across the Marmaton River.

The Fort Scott/Bourbon County Riverfront Authority submitted the relocation request to the Kansas Historic Sites Board of Review in May seeking to move the bridge, located in the northeast part of county across the Osage River at 265th Street.

The state board approved the request and forwarded its recommendation to the national register in Washington, D.C., which made its final decision July 17. Register keeper Carol Shull made the final decision.

FSBCRA officials said the 175-foot long bridge would serve as part of a pedestrian and light vehicle trail, spanning the Marmaton River between U.S. Highway 69 and North National Avenue.

Getting approval for the bridge to remain on the National Register is an important step in the relocation process for the proposed Riverfront Park and trails, Riverfront Committee member Dean Mann said.

“By keeping it on the registry, it makes the project eligible for certain types of grants that are for the preservation of historical items or historical places,” Mann said.

Early cost estimates for the project range from $300,000 to $400,000, Mann said. The FSBCRA officials said they plan to contract with a professional engineering firm to provide a plan for the bridge’s disassembly, relocation and re-assembly, according to the relocation request.

Mann said some of the work to construct the piers for the bridge will be done through a project to complete the River Loop Road.

“After we have that information, we will able to use it for grant requests and we’ll know exactly what that will cost us to move and restore it,” he said.

The project should be completed within a couple years, Mann said.

“We have a lot of government agencies that have to bless the project before we can get started,” he added.

Once moved, the bridge will still need to be re-evaluated by Kansas Historical Society staff to determine if its integrity has been compromised, in which case it wouldn’t remain on the list.

Lisa Hecker, public information officer with the Kansas Historical Society, said the society is “pretty hopeful it will work out fine.

“They think it should be OK and easily reinstated on the registry unless they find something they are not aware of,” Hecker said referring to damage that might be sustained during the move.

The ornate, metal truss bridge, constructed in 1902, was listed on the National Register in 1990 for its engineering significance, and at the time of its nomination, was only one of two vertical end post-Pratt truss bridges in Kansas, a news release said.

In order for properties to be eligible for the registry, they must have made a “significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.”

The National Register recognizes properties of local, statewide and national significance, the release said.

Commissioners making county budget work

Posted on August 2, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Thursday, August 2, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Bourbon County commissioners sat down and discussed several ways to cut expenses from the upcoming fiscal year’s budget and keep the mill levy down during a recent workshop.

Commissioners Allen Warren and Chairman Harold Coleman, minus commissioner Jingles Edincott, who is on vacation until next week, along with County Clerk Joanne Long and accountant Terry Sercer, of Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPAs, spent more than an hour Monday afternoon discussing where the board could make adjustments to reduce the budget. All department budget requests were submitted to the county last week.

County officials met with some of the department heads to discuss where to make possible cuts without affecting their operations.

“We know what you’re asking for but what can you live without?” Coleman asked.

The revised budget after the workshop shows about a $10.3 million budget, which is slightly higher than last year’s $9.6 million budget, but with a decrease in the local mill levy.

“We’re spending more, but we levied less,” Long said.

County officials slashed approximately $160,894 from the preliminary budget by reducing the amount some county departments requested during the work session.

The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Department originally put in a request for around $558,000 — about $125,00 more than the previous year. But after working with Sheriff Ron Gray, the department’s request was reduced to $518,355 for the coming year.

The projected budget shows about $3.68 million in the county’s general fund, with about a third of that earmarked for the road, bridge and culvert funds.

“I think it looks great,” Long said of the budget on Wednesday. “It includes a cost of living adjustment for all employees and funding for the essential things we have … (the budget is) looking pretty good actually.”

The coming year’s proposed budget includes a 2 percent raise for all county employees and an additional 5 percent raise to recoup the salary reduction department heads agreed to last fiscal year.

About 20 percent of the budget includes $2.4 million in employee benefits and salary increases, which also factors in health insurance and retirement benefits. County employees haven’t had a raise since January 2009, Long said.

“… You’ve got to try and look out for your people because we’re not only making the budget, we’re going to have to pay these taxes, too, before it’s over,” she said. “People only have a finite amount of money, so you can’t tax them to death.

“It’s a balancing act and it’s difficult sometimes,” Long added.

The county has had to steadily raise the local mill levy the last couple of years because the county’s assessed valuation continued to drop. Commissioners raised the tax rate by slightly more than 3 mills last year.

Long said she was nervous prior to working on the budget about what the tax rate would look like this year, afraid trends wouldn’t help and values wouldn’t go up. “But I was pleasantly surprised to see the value was up and we also didn’t spend as much as we thought we were going to, so we had some carryover.”

The county’s assessed valuation, or worth, went up by nearly $2 million this year, which in turn creates more revenue.

Sercer said in a recent email to county officials that he thinks the budget “looks pretty solid right now.”

All the county department heads — about 12 people — start working on the county’s budget in the spring.

Warren said one of his main concerns about the county’s finances was how to reduce cost for tax payers and “still get the job done.

“I think that’s the big one,” Warren said.

Long said she considers all the county’s responsibilities and whether it can meet them.

“What kind of services are we able to provide and are we able to provide all the services that we’ve been (providing) in the past and are there any more that we can do,” she said. “There are all sorts of people that depend on the county for money to run themselves and we need to make sure we can fund everybody.”

The county’s budget must be published 10 days before a scheduled public hearing, which has yet to be set. The budget will be finalized and approved before Aug. 25, Long said.

Report shows county violated statutes

Posted on July 30, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Saturday, July 28, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Bourbon County violated four Kansas accounting statutes in 2011, accountant Terry Sercer told Bourbon County commissioners Friday.

In his audit report, Sercer, of Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPAs, said the statements “fairly present” the activities of the county for the calendar year.

The county’s financial practices and expenditures were tested for compliance with state and federal laws. Sercer said because the county spent more than $500,000 in federal money he, by law, also became a federal auditor.

The first three violations in the report dealt with the county treasurer’s office and say the treasurer did not follow state statutes when dealing with partial payment plans for individuals with delinquent taxes for real estate; assessing interest rates to individuals with delinquent taxes on partial payment plans; and publishing of the delinquent real estate taxes. These violations were also stated in the audit of the county treasurer’s office that Sercer conducted for commissioners in October 2011.

The fourth violation in the audit report deals with the Escrow Suspense Fund, which is a county agency fund set up to account for partial property tax payments.

According to the report, this fund had a negative cash balance of $3,479.01.

“She is working on this today diligently and I told her (County Treasurer Susan Quick) she needed to check for everybody that made payment on the partial payment (plan),” Sercer said.

Quick said she wasn’t surprised by the audit’s findings.

“(There are) some problems that we are working on and trying to correct,” she said, adding there is “usually a hitch” that has to be worked on. “… I wasn’t surprised by some of the stuff.

“Hopefully, we can get it corrected, … I think it has to be some kind of error,” she added.

The rest of the auditor’s report discussed normal adjustments that “clean up” some of the county’s balances, or funds that were closed out several years ago. Sercer informed commissioners they need to “try and have less adjustments” next year.

A finding emphasized in last year’s report about internal control, pertaining to the Community Corrections Department and inmate funds, was repeated to commissioners this year.

All checks of more than $500 issued to released inmates must be signed by two county employees, the report said.

Sercer said “several checks” greater than $500 did not have two signatures, and one check cleared the bank with no signatures.

“We didn’t see any missing money, but if (you’re) not doing things right, it’s easier for that money to come up missing,” Sercer said.

Of the four violations the country received, Sercer said none are criminal or will result in any fines.

County Clerk Joanne Long said she was “glad to see there weren’t any budget violations.

“We try and make sure that doesn’t happen,” she said. “Nothing was really surprising to me in that regard.”

Commissioners have also received all the 2012 budget requests from county departments. The panel plans to review budget requests throughout the weekend to determine what cuts might be made and from where.

“As of now, it’s about the same as last year in terms of mill levy,” Sercer said.

In other business:

* Representatives from the Amish community met with commissioners to learn what their options are to remedy their community’s use of outdoor bathroom facilities, which violate state and county sanitation codes.

“Basically… (you’re) going to have do to something, but that choice is yours. We can’t make that decision for you,” Chairman Harold Coleman said, “whether it’s composting or a holding tank, it’s totally up to you guys.”

Commissioners agreed to give the community until Aug. 31 to come up with a proposal.

Commissioners met with Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials on July 20.

*Bourbon County Emergency Manager Keith Jeffers provided a report to commissioners, which included:

* Gov. Sam Brownback’s issuance of a drought declaration, which includes Bourbon County.

This allows use of state fishing lake waters and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs with approval from the Kansas Water Office. For more information, contact the KWO at (785) 296-9283.

* Narrowbanding of public safety radios is approximately 85 percent complete. The city of Fort Scott and other agencies will completely switch over July 31.

*Brenda Boehm, Mapleton, has agreed to become the new Community Emergency Response Teams leader (CERT).

* The Kansas Department of Transportation’s Darrin Petrowsky said based on the U.S. 69 Highway Corridor Study and Brownback’s announcement in June that the state would continue expansion of the highway, “I believe the recommendation is to construct an upgradable expressway,” Petrowsky said.

The project will add two lanes to the highway between Fort Scott and Arma.

Lake Fort Scott residents will get a chance to give their opinions on a proposed resolution to assess debt incurred from the construction of the new sewer district during a public hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at the courthouse.

Funding requests are coming in to commission

Posted on July 24, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Monday, July 23, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

A facilitator for the Family Peace Initiative met with Bourbon County commissioners on Monday to request funding for 2013 to continue the program, which holds batterers accountable and provides an alternative to jail.

Katy Parker spoke to the panel about the county’s participation in providing a share of the $50,000 needed to fund the program for an entire year.

Hosted by the Parsons-based Southeast Kansas Independent Living Resource Center, the program assesses how dangerous domestic violence offenders are. It is modeled on state DUI laws.

Parker said the program has served about 90 Bourbon County residents in the last 10 years, with an average of about 10 a year. But she thinks that number will increase following a recent state law mandating these types of assessments.

“What other communities have found is that while we don’t reduce (domestic violence) calls, we reduce the repeated calls, so officers spend less time going back to the same families,” Parker said.

Parker said Crawford and Labette county commissioners have agreed to discuss splitting the cost among the four counties the program serves, which also includes Cherokee County.

While Parker said the program is safe until the start of the new year, no new clients are being added until funding is in place.

“So, we’re okay through the end of the year, but as of Jan. 1, we will need to have funding in place,” she said.

Chairman Harold Coleman told Parker commissioners would give the request “ample consideration.”

“It’s the best we can do at this time,” Coleman said. “As you know, money is tight and you came at a bad time.”

In other business:

* Commissioners signed onto the city’s Neighborhood Revitalization Plan.

* Went into an executive session so department heads could discuss Southeast Kansas Regional Corrections Center Administrator Dylan Marlow’s request for a community pool for the absence of an unidentified employee. In case of an emergency or unforeseen event, county employees can donate their vacation time for an employee who has used up his or her leave, if department heads approve the request.

Commissioners approved the community pool request after the closed session ended.

*A number of Bourbon County department heads recently began planning the 17 Southeast Kansas County District Officials meeting, scheduled for spring 2013.

County Clerk Joanne Long said the last time the county hosted the meeting was in the fall of 2004.

County commissioners and department heads agreed during the county commission meeting on Friday that Thursday, March 21, would be the target date.

Commissioner Allen Warren said he has been in contact with Fort Scott Community College President Clayton Tatro about the possibility of having the college host the department meetings and sponsored lunch. Long said all county employees are generally invited to the lunch.

* Approved and signed a contract with Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPAs to conduct the county’s annual audit. Terry Sercer, an accountant with the firm, will present his findings to the commission at 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 27, during the regularly scheduled meeting.

* Shane Walker presented the 2013 information technology budget to commissioners July 20. The budget is almost $52,000 less than last year, representing a 24 percent decrease.

* County Treasurer Susan Quick told commissioners on July 16 that there is $1,083,590.92 in delinquent 2011 real estate taxes and $10,597.06 in property taxes. Notices are currently being sent out.

At Friday’s meeting, commissioners are scheduled to meet with representatives of the local Amish community and hear from Sercer.

District, teachers to file papers for federal mediation

Posted on July 16, 2012 by angeliquemcnaughton

Saturday, July 14, 2012

By Angelique McNaughton

Having failed to reach an agreement over a loyalty stipend and health insurance, talks between USD 234 and the Fort Scott, Kan., National Education Association have reached a standstill.

Authorized by the school board, district officials presented what they called their “last, best and final” offer of a 1 percent salary increase for 2012-2013, advanced degree movement and one step up within the salary schedule. The teachers’ union had agreed to the district’s proposal, but also requested an increase to the health insurance contribution and some form of “loyalty stipend” for some 45 employees who did not receive any back pay from the recouped lost steps last week.

“I think I already know what we will say after discussion,” Fort Scott High School social science teacher and KNEA lead negotiator Roberta Lewis said.

After less than five minutes of talking over the board’s final offer — minus the loyalty stipend — Lewis returned with the teachers’ response: no.

Fort Scott High School social science teacher and KNEA lead negotiator Roberta Lewis stares straight ahead after announcing the teachers’ union refused to accept USD 234 district’s “last, best and final” offer for 2012-2013 teacher contracts during negotiations Friday morning at the board office. Both parties filed joint impasse papers and will await the appointment of a federal mediator to continue talks.(Angelique McNaughton/Herald-Tribune)

“I’ve told you everything I can tell you. We’ve tried to present everything as fairly as possible to the rest of the board members,” school board president and district spokeswoman Janet Braun said. “I don’t think we can move any further.”

Business Manager Tiffany Forester immediately began filling out the joint impasse papers to send to the Office of Labor Relations in Topeka requesting that a federal mediator step in and attempt to break the deadlock. If the mediation fails, a “fact-finding” panel of experts would be appointed to further dissect the district’s budget and make recommendations to the school board.

Deputy Clerk/Secretary Connie Billionis said this is not the first time teacher negotiations have reached impasse. Billionis couldn’t remember when the last time was, though.

“It doesn’t happen often, but it’s happened,” she said.

After the meeting, Winfield Scott Elementary At-Risk teacher Linda Jackson said, “we just want what’s fair for the teachers; that’s it.”

The collective bargaining process began at the end of March, covering items such as salaries and the district’s health insurance contribution. Both sides have gone back and forth amicably, frequently praising the other for their efforts but respectfully declining the offers.

New Superintendent Diane Gross said when she was at a school district in Liberal, teacher negotiations reached an impasse, but were settled before official action was taken. A contract was not ready for the beginning of the school year in Liberal, Gross said, which created “a lot of uncertainty” and flagging teacher morale.

“This is not the ideal way to start (the school year), and especially from my seat,” Gross said. “I was hoping we would have some sort of agreement.”

Approximately 154 teachers are waiting for the conclusion of the talks. Educators recently accepted the district’s offer to use end-of-the-year funds to recoup lost steps from 2009 through 2012. District officials also agreed to forfeit any new state money — about $148,000 — to fund the salary increases and step movements. The money comes from the state legislature’s proposed $58 increase in base state aid per pupil.

School board members also recently agreed to award classified district staff a 2 percent salary increase and one step on the staff salary schedule. The original proposal included both administrators and classified staff, about 172 total, but board members did not approve the raises for administrators.

“My understanding is that the 2 percent for the classified staff is minimal compared to the certified staff,” Gross said. “Our certified staff and buildings cannot operate without the support of paraeducators and it takes everybody to operate the system to be the best we can be and classified staff have not seen a raise and (are) not getting any recouped steps.”

During the negotiation meeting, a district teacher who asked to remain anonymous, said the classified staff raises “didn’t help” the teachers’ decision to reject the district’s offer.

Federal mediators will contact the district to set up an available date to continue conversations in about four to six weeks.

A special school board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday.

A majority of that gathering will be spent in executive session.