info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

USD 313 seeks approval of new teachers contract

info2019-06-11T10:08:11-05:00June 11th, 2019|

BUHLER, Kan. — The Buhler USD 313 School Board will take action on a new collective bargaining agreement with the teachers union during Monday’s regular meeting. Action on the new contract comes after it was voted on and approved by teachers. If approved, the contract would run the standard one year. The board will go into executive session before returning for a vote. Also tonight, the board will hear a report on the random drug testing program at the high school and go over state assessment scores. The board will also go into executive session regarding the sale or purchase of [...]

Assessed valuation has gone up in Geary County

info2019-06-11T10:06:36-05:00June 11th, 2019|

Geary County officials have received good news on assessed valuation. It has gone up! County Clerk Rebecca Nordyke said Monday that the numbers in the entire county are up about $4 million compared to one year ago at this time. “The residential and some of the commercial property has gone up.” Nordyke added that the county also went up about $1.4 million in state asssessed utilities. “This is really good news because over the past couple of years we’ve actually been losing value so to have some increases is good for us.” That could potentially produce more tax revenue but Nordyke [...]

Some USD 308 workers to get about 4.5 percent raises

info2019-06-11T10:05:06-05:00June 11th, 2019|

The Hutchinson USD 308 school board Monday approved new salary schedules for administrative and classified positions that will hike the district’s costs next school year by about 4.5 percent over the current year. The district and the bargaining unit for teachers are still negotiating a contract for 2018-2019. Teachers probably can expect average salary increases of at least 4.5 percent next year, based on the district’s pattern of trying to align pay increases. Administrative positions include principals and administrators at district headquarters. Classified employees include paraprofessionals, custodians, food service, and maintenance workers. (Read more: Local - The Hutchinson News)

USD 309 pursues bond issue, grants superintendent Johnson a sabbatical

info2019-06-11T10:03:36-05:00June 11th, 2019|

The Nickerson-South Hutchinson Unified School District 309 school board returned to the bond issue topic Monday night, voting 4-3 to stick with a $29.9 million, one-question ballot to improve all the schools. Voting yes were: Jason Ontjes, Mike Apfel, Valorie Garcia and Brian Teichmann. Voting no: USD 309 Board of Education president Dan Schweizer, Brent Engelland and Tammy Davis. Schweizer and Engelland objected to the size of the bond issue and favored a two-question ballot. Davis wanted the ballot broken into two questions. Also on Monday night, the USD 309 school board unanimously voted to allow superintendent Dawn Johnson a sabbatical. [...]

Elevation continues to fall at Tuttle, high water advisory lifted

info2019-06-11T10:00:49-05:00June 11th, 2019|

The high water advisory in place in areas downstream from Tuttle Creek Lake — including the Berry Streets and Dix Addition in Northview — has been lifted, but residents are advised to stay aware of the situation. Lake elevation has steadily declined since the end of May, recorded at a level of 1129.48 feet above sea level as of 4:30 p.m. Monday, June 10th. As a result, the Army Corps of Engineers have reduced releases steadily to a level of 12,000 cubic feet per second with the anticipation of further reductions of 3,000 cfs at the end of the week. The [...]

Great Bend school bond issue is in the hands of the voters

info2019-06-11T11:57:00-05:00June 11th, 2019|

The USD 428 Board of Education moved ahead with sending a nearly $42 million school bond issue to the voters after passing the finalized proposal at Monday’s meeting. The outcome will be determined by registered voters within the Great Bend school district through a mail-in ballot sent to citizens later this summer. USD 428 Superintendent Khris Thexton says the process to finalize a master plan started in February 2018 with gathering ideas, naming a steering committee, hiring SJCF Architecture, and conducting several community meetings to gather information from the voters. “The resolution lets the voters decide if they approve of this [...]

USD 309 Nickerson School Board to consider bonds

info2019-06-11T11:57:37-05:00June 11th, 2019|

The Nickerson USD 309 School Board will seek approval of a resolution tonight that will officially kick off efforts to pass a major facilities improvement bond issue. The board recently approved a $29.9 million bond proposal for improvements to district schools. The bonds would be financed for 25 years. The decision to proceed with the bond issue comes following more than a year of planning and a recent survey that showed positive feedback from district patrons. Superintendent Dr. Dawn Johnson says they will start a campaign to convince voters in the district to approve the bond issue. (Read more: Hutch Post)

This Might Be The Last Summer Garden City Swimmers Enjoy Their Enormous Pool

info2019-06-11T08:03:37-05:00June 11th, 2019|

Every summer since 1922, locals and tourists have flocked to Garden City’s Big Pool. Once promoted as “the world’s largest outdoor free concrete municipal swimming pool,” it holds around 2 million gallons of water. “Holds” might now be an overstatement. The Big Pool leaks. A lot. Around 200,000 gallons of water from the pool seep into the ground per day — even after renovations that replaced pipes and sealed cracks in the concrete. Even for a pool of its size, the water loss is “excessive,” according to Fred Jones, Garden City’s water resource manager. “It's kinda to the point where we [...]

Kansas A to Z: ‘J’ is for Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park, south of Oakley

info2019-06-10T11:17:14-05:00June 10th, 2019|

The anticipated opening of the Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park this year in western Kansas highlights the state’s 2019 travel season. Kelli Hilliard, public relations and travel development manager for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, said the state park is expected to open sometime this summer. Located south of Oakley, Little Jerusalem encompasses a mile-long valley of 100-foot-tall spires and cliffs rising from the western Kansas prairie. The park includes the state’s largest Niobrara Chalk formations. “A lot of people have heard about it,” Hilliard said. “But unless you had a private tour, you couldn’t get in and [...]

City considers adding limited second shift for water division workers

info2019-06-10T10:34:39-05:00June 10th, 2019|

Topeka’s mayor and city council plan Tuesday to consider a proposed resolution aimed at greatly reducing the number of hours in overtime the city pays to water division employees who respond to scenes of water main breaks. The measure would arrange for some water division employees to work a “second shift” lasting from 2 to 10 p.m. in January, February, June, July, August and September, months that historically see a lot of water main breaks that require employees to work overtime. The mayor and council will hear public comments and consider the proposal when they meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in [...]

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