The monthly personnel report approved by the Geary USD 475 Board of Education includes a series of administrator position hirings for next school year.

–Fort Riley Middle School  assistant principal Heather Oentrich will become the new Fort Riley Middle School principal. She will succeed Joe Handlos who is retiring.

–Custer Hill Elementary School principal Melanie Laster will become principal at Jefferson Elementary School. Custer Hill Elementary will be closed at the end of the current school year.

–Current Jefferson Elementary principal Vern Steffens will become the coordinator of post-secondary education at Junction City High School.

–Melisa Burgess has been hired to be assistant principal at Fort Riley Elementary School. She has a master’s degree from K-State plus 15 years of experience.

–Rebekah Helget has been hired to be the ESS Director. She will be located at the Devin Center. Helget holds a master’s degree from Fort Hays State, and has 14 years of experience.

Hazardous Weather Outlook – There are a couple chances for strong to severe thunderstorms through Wednesday night. The first will be this afternoon and this evening across east central Kansas. Thunderstorms could develop after 3 p.m. along the I-35 corridor, and be capable of producing large hail and damaging winds. The better chance for severe weather looks to be Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night. Again thunderstorms could develop after 3 p.m., however the location and extent of the thunderstorms activity remains in question. Storms that develop Wednesday afternoon could be capable of large hail, a couple tornadoes and damaging straight line winds.

Today: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 72-78. South winds 5 to 10 mph shifting to the northwest 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Lows around 51. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: Cloudy in the morning then becoming mostly sunny. A 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 74. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the southwest after midnight.

Thursday: Cooler…breezy. Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs in the lower 60s. West winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the northwest 15 to 25 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night: Colder. Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s.

Friday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 60s.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 40s.

Saturday: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s.

Saturday Night: Warmer. Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 50s.

Sunday And Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms likely. Highs around 70. Lows in the upper 40s. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Monday: Mostly sunny with a 30 percent chance of showers. Highs in the upper 60s.

 

GEARY COUNTY

Junction City Commission (FINAL)

(Elect 3)

(Elect 4)

Tom Brungardt 904
Anwar Khoury 909
Ferrell Miller 929
Kimberly Milleson 1,008

Grandview Plaza City Council (All 3 will be elected) (FINAL)

(Elect 3)

Honey Grant 30
Robert Rodney Jr. 24
Gary Sacher 31

Milford City Council (All 3 will be elected)  (FINAL)

( Elect 3 )

Dennis Bolte 27
William Draper 25
William Noveroske 26

DICKINSON COUNTY

Chapman City Council (FINAL)

(Elect 3)

Mike Brown 127
Lenora Fleck 116
Tim Jury 188 – WINNER
Luan Sparks 180 – WINNER
Lee Wolf 153 – WINNER

USD 473 Board of Education

District Three Position 1 (FINAL)

Mitch Langvardt 892

District Three Position 2 (FINAL)

Judd Liebau 817

District Three Position 3 (FINAL)

Brian Rock 499 – WINNER
Rodney Anderson 483

At Large Position 7 (FINAL)

Kevin Harris 449
Todd Frieze 599 – WINNER

CLAY COUNTY

USD 379 Board of Education (FINAL)

Position 1

John Reardon 447
Andy Contreras 732 – WINNER

Clay Center City Council

Mayor (FINAL)

James Thatcher, Jr. 675 – WINNER
Butch Hess 250

Third Ward Position 2 (FINAL)

Daton Hess 97
Patrick “Mike” Ramsey 112 – WINNER

Wakefield City Council

Mayor (FINAL)

Jeffery Riffel 123 – WINNER
Audie McMurtrey 8

City Council Position 1 (FINAL)

James ( Dwight ) Tilley 77 – WINNER
Paula Krueger 27

City Council Position 2 (FINAL)

Shara Boman 46 – WINNER
Kasey McMurtrey 19

RILEY COUNTY

Manhattan City Commission (FINAL)

(Elect 3)

Mike Dodson 2,306 – WINNER
Jerred McKee 1,349
Wynn Butler 2,088 – WINNER
Linda Morse 2,643 – WINNER
John Ball 1,717
Kaleb James 917

USD 383 School Board (Manhattan, KS)(Elect 4) (FINAL)

Nicholas Dyer 1,560
Curt Herrman 2,849 – WINNER
Darell Edie 2,680 – WINNER
Leah Fliter 3,278 – WINNER
David Colburn 2,816 – WINNER

USD 378 Board of Education (Riley, KS) 

Position 1 (FINAL)

Position 3 (FINAL)

Dennis Tegtmeier 352
Randy O’Boyle 577 – WINNER

At Large Position (FINAL)

Jared Larson 667 – WINNER
Vinton Visser 40
Michael McCoy 227

Ogden City Council (FINAL)

(Elect 5)

Ed Burch 124
Felecia Zeedyk 41
Kenneth Carroll 81 – WINNER
Jim Arp 69 – WINNER
Brian Still 59 – WINNER
Roger Graham 60 – WINNER
Eladio Reid Jr. 103 – WINNER

Mayor (Will be elected) (FINAL)

Robert Pence 112

The polls for the city and school board elections Tuesday open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

In the Junction City Commission race the candidates include Pat Landes, Tyler Dupy, James Sands, Phyllis Fitzgerald, Heinrich Biggs, David Alexander, and George Marcus.  Scott Johnson’s name will be on the ballot, even though he has announced that he has withdrawn from the race.

JC Post and KJCK AM, The Talk of JC will have election night returns coverage.

 

Geary USD 475 leaders are adamant the school district is not closing the Larry Dixon Center for Innovative Studies. There will be some restructuring.

Six members of the public spoke during a public forum at the Board of Education meeting Monday in support of keeping the facility open for the 113 students served there. One of those, Lisa Davis, talked with JC Post. “They sent home letters with our students stating that they were sending 113 back to the main high school.” Davis noted they were just being mixed back in with the general student population with two paraprofessionals employed to keep up with them. “They said that they didn’t have the funding to continue the Dixon Center.”

But JC Post talked with the superintendent of schools Dr. Corbin Witt as well.  He confirmed the plan is to look at each individual and determine what is in their best interest. He noted some of the students interviewed felt the Dixon Center was not the best place for them, while others did. “We want to look at each students, find out what is the best placement for that student, put them in the place they’ll be successful.  But when we have students not making progress toward graduation, even if they enjoy the Dixon Center, if they’re not making progress toward graduation we have to try something different.”

Witt added he was unaware of any letter that had been sent out, noted he hadn’t seen one, and would be checking into it.

Dr. Beth Hudson reported to the board that the intention of the staff is to restructure for the success of as many students possible. She said in the early fall district officials learned 40 students were not on target to graduate and that raised their level of concern.

 

Geary County has been chosen to receive $6,714 to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county. The selection was made by a national board chaired by U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

According to the executive director of the United Way of Junction City – Geary County, Aileen Cray, a local board will determine how the funds distributed to the county are distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in the area.

Geary County has distributed Emergency Food and Shelter funds previously with the Food Pantry, Junction City Caring Place, and Open Door participating. Those agencies are responsible for providing food and lodging.

Public or private voluntary agencies interested in applying for Emergency Food and Shelter Program money must contact Aileen Cray at director@unitedwayjcgc.org, or 785-238-2117 for an application. The deadline for applications to be received is Monday, April 20.

WAMEGO, Kan. (AP) — With few trees in large swaths of Kansas prairieland, early settlers built fences out of stone instead.

People interesting in learning more about how those fences were built will get a chance this spring during a festival in Wamego. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Native Stone Scenic Byway Committee is offering a stone fence workshop May 2 and 3. The Kansas Sampler Festival will be set up that weekend in Wamego.

Workshop participants will construct a new fence in Wamego City Park. That breaks from the tradition of doing the workshop along the Native Stone Scenic Byway.

A professionally trained dry stone conservancy mason will be the lead teacher. The registration fee is $80.

 

Youth can sign up for 4-H Camp.

Geary County 4-H Extension Agent Ginger Kopfer has announced that 4-H Camp is open to youth in grades two through seven. It is scheduled June 18-21 at Rock Springs 4-H Center.  Campers will join other youth from Geary, Dickinson, Riley, Pottawatomie, and Wabaunsee counties.

Swimming, archery, horseback riding, crafts, and canoeing are some of the activities. The cost to attend is $190 with registration due May 15. You do not have to be a 4-H member to attend.

You can contact the Geary County K-State Research & Extension Office at 238-4161, go to https://www.geary.ksu.edu/p.aspx?tabid=19, or go by the Extension Office at 119 East 9th Street in Junction City to get additional information.

The Larry Dixon Center will be restructuring next year, and NOT closing.

Dr. Corbin Witt, Superintendent spoke during a media briefing Monday morning where he put a rumor to rest about the possibility of the District closing the Dixon Center.

“The Dixon Center is still open, there’s a rumor that we’re closing the Dixon Center and that is not the case,” said Witt. ” We are doing some reshaping of the Dixon Center to make sure we are meeting the needs of all students.”

He went on to explain that there was a large number of students not making progress towards graduation, and it is the district’s responsibility to ensure they are making the needed progress to graduate. The district will be moving some positions around for the next school year.

“What we’re doing is eliminating some positions so that we can create two positions, and they are behavior interventionists. We feel like students that are struggling will need some supports to be able to build their skills, organizational skills, their skills to be able to work in a school environment.”

The decision to restructure the Dixon Center is based solely on the need to ensure the district is meeting the needs of the students, not based on budget cuts.

Those students who are currently doing well, on the path to graduation and believe it is in their best interest to stay, can remain at the Dixon Center.

There will be no Boys and Girls Club summer program this summer through Geary USD 475.

Dr. Corbin Witt, Superintendent announced Monday morning that the Boys and Girls Club summer program has been cut for this summer due to the cuts in K-12 funding from the state.

“We get so much in the grant monies and we’re going to revamp some of those programs so that we are at a break even point,” said Witt. “Right now the district is supplementing those programs, and we just can’t afford to continue to supplement the programs. What grant money we do get for those programs we will continue to use, we’re just going to have to revamp them so they’re a break even program instead of costing the district.”

The district is only cutting the summer program, but the after school program during the regular school year will remain.

The budget cuts are related to the new block grant funding program signed into law by Governor Sam Brownback for the next two years.

Through the block grant program the district is expected to lose approximately $541,000 this school year. The district is expected to cut approximately $411,134 from the LOB, and approximately $130,012 from capital outlay equalization.