State Assessment Testing this past week has not been a pleasant experience in school districts across Kansas.

Dr. Beth Hudson, USD 475 Associate Superintendent, said that there were problems reported in the District on Wednesday.

“We had one Principal after another that was emailing to say that they were concerned; so when it gets to be that widespread we know that it’s probably not a [USD 475] District issue,” said Hudson.

As Principals contacted District Officials, Hudson noted they began to receive emails from the State Department warning of the issues.

“In some cases, we had students who just finished a test – the teacher even checked to see that they had completed the test – and then they were showing no results,” said Hudson. “We’re hoping that this means a student doesn’t have to go back and take the test because that is a nightmare, especially for a student who struggles.”

The test allows local educators to assess how students are performing in comparison to others across the state.

“The significance [of the test] has been downplayed a little bit from the State Department just to take some pressure off the Districts; but [the tests] are still good measures for us, and we want our students to perform well on them,” said Hudson.

Hudson noted that in 2014 issues with the State Test were so severe that results were not usable or available to District officials and administrators.

The Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas is the entity contracted by the State Education Department to host the tests. The Kansas Interactive Testing Engine, the center’s technology arm, says that the problem is with the servers and not the tests.

**REMINDER**

Second half real and personal property taxes are due by May 10th. After this date, interest will accrue daily and will be added to the tax.

There are three options available to make payments:

1. In-person: Visit the Geary County Office Building located at the corner of 8th and Franklin; tax payments can be made between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. A drop box is also located outside of the office, on the south side of the building, for your convenience – a receipt will be mailed when received.
2. Mail: Send payment to the Geary County Treasurer, 200 E 8th Street, Junction City, KS 66441
3. Online: Visit www.kansastreasurers.org

Again, the deadline for the second half real and personal property taxes is Wednesday, May 10th.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today with Congressman Roger Marshall, R-Kan., sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on behalf of Kansas ranchers affected by the recent wildfires, expressing thanks for previous departmental actions taken and requesting additional programmatic and resource flexibility when responding to a disaster.

“With more than 700,000 acres burned to date across the state, local officials are still in the process of evaluating the totality of the damages and impacts from this disaster,” the lawmakers write. “In response to the recent wildfires, farmers and ranchers across Kansas are in need of assistance to protect their property, livestock, and livelihood in a number of ways. We appreciate the Department utilizing programs offered through agencies, including the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Risk Management Agency, to help with recovery efforts from this catastrophic event.

“Response efforts to natural disasters require flexibility to address challenges specific to local and county circumstances. We request that USDA consider any further requests, particularly those that have garnered local consensus on appropriate flexibilities, including additional conservation practices eligible for emergency grazing.

“Unfortunately, Kansas has now experienced two consecutive seasons of unrelenting wildfire. As a result of the Anderson Creek fires, many lessons have been learned that can be applied to the response and recovery efforts for the challenges that remain ahead related to the most recent wildfire. We urge the Department to employ any program requirements and contract flexibilities that will result in timely, deliverable assistance to producers during this critical time.”

With more than 700,000 acres burned to date across Kansas, local officials are still in the process of evaluating the totality of the damages.