The
IOLA REGISTER FOOTBALL
Midnight Madness in Humboldt,
Monday, August 19, 2013
Locally owned since 1867
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A sign of the times By KAYLA BANZET kayla@iolaregister.com
Iola High School students were greeted with the word “welcome” last week when they started the new school year. The word flashed across the school’s brand new LED sign. The sign, which is eight feet wide and six feet tall, was purchased with a portion of an S3 grant that the school was awarded. The sign is to better communicate with parents and students. It falls under the “commitment to school” category which Register/Kayla Banzet is a qualification under the Kansas Safe and Supportive schools grant. Susan Owens, left, Melissa Stiffler, Amanda Thompson, Krystal Henderson, Travis Hermstein and Stacey Fager See SIGN | Page A4 are part of the committee that applied for the S3 grant for Iola High School. A portion of the grant helped pur-
chase a new LED sign near the east entrance of the building.
School finances teeter on crisis By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
Poorer school districts, such as those in Allen County, could be in for tougher financial times. Jack Koehn, superintendent of USD 257 schools, told Iola Rotarians Thursday that Ed Bideau, Chanute Republican and Ninth District representative, fears a showdown on how the state dispenses financial aid may occur during the session that will unfold in January. With urban legislators holding sway, Koehn said the outcome may be a revamped state aid formula unfavorable to rural districts. As it is now, with the formula passed in 1993, a statewide 20-mill ad valorem tax levy supports state aid to education. In Johnson County’s Blue Valley district, a levy of 1 mill raises enough money to fund its general fund budget, which means proceeds from the remaining 19 mills goes to other districts throughout the state, on the premise that all Kansas students should receive the same basic education. Koehn said USD 257’s general fund budget for 2013-14 had predicted expenditures of $9.38 million, of which 91 percent comes from outside the county. Allen County’s mill levy raises $884,058, or 9 percent, of the school district’s budget. Many patrons of rich urban districts would prefer to have things the way they were before equalization, Koehn said, so they could spend local property proceeds raised within a district in the district. That would lead to massive tax increases for prop-
erty owners in poor districts, to meet the state Supreme Court’s ruling that Kansas is obligated to provide a comprehensive and equal education to all Kansas children. The current crop of legislators seems intent on cutting statewide costs on the backs of students, which led Koehn to encourage Rotarians to contact their representatives in Topeka. “ Y o u r Jack Koehn voice is more important than mine,” Koehn said, allowing that he did bend legislators’ ears at every opportunity. “I’m trying to push advocacy,” he said candidly. “It’s time to get off the sidelines.” KOEHN’S
POLITICAL
commentary was interspersed in a presentation about the mechanics of USD 257’s budget. He noted the general fund was “where the rubber meets the road,” containing money for salaries — 80 percent of the $9.38 million — and general operations of schools, including educational materials. A second source of general operations funding is in the local option budget, a means for local districts to raise additional money. The local district’s is 30 percent of the general fund, or $3.17 million. Its revenue comes from 78 percent in state aid, down from previous years, and the remainder in a 26.379-mill property tax levy. See SCHOOLS | Page A4
Register/Bob Johnson
Carnival celebrates summer’s end Wesley United Methodist Church concluded its three-day “Keeping it Real” event Sunday afternoon with a backto-school carnival in Riverside Park. At right, Kaylie Lower paints Scarlett Alexander’s face; above, Emily Long attempts to toss a ring around a peg for one of the carnival’s games.
Country Girl comes to Moran By KAYLA BANZET kayla@iolaregister.com
Register/Kayla Banzet
Lindsey Vanderford Vol. 115, No.208
Lindsey Vanderford doesn’t let anything get in the way of her dreams and being happy. The Elsmore native has recently opened Country Girl Salon in Moran at 512 N. Birch St. Vanderford, 31, was born and raised on a farm in Elsmore. After attending Marmaton Valley High School she went off to pursue a graphic design degree at Emporia State University. In 2005, she made the decision to move back home after her brother passed away. “My younger brother was 15 and my other brother had just passed away and my parents had recently divorced,” Vanderford said. “I felt like I needed to come home for my
family.” Once she was back in the area, Vanderford changed her focus and attended cosmetology school in Fort Scott. She waited tables to put herself through school. After graduating, she worked at Class Act Salon in Iola. “I worked there for three and a half years,” Vanderford said. “I learned a lot from Pam Tressler, the owner.” After a while she finally felt ready to go out on her own and she opened All About You hair salon in Iola. “Things were going well at the store,” she said. Then earlier this year her father passed away suddenly. Vanderford and her husband Dennis then decided to take over the farm in Elsmore. “It made sense to go home,” 75 Cents
she said. Now, Vanderford, her husband and their two children live on her family’s farm and run a cattle operation. “My entire family lives on the same road,” she said. “I love being home.” At the Country Girl she does hair, shellac nails, and waxing. She also sells Avon and Scentsy products. It doesn’t stop there. Vanderford also sells clothing, jewelry, accessories and hair care products. “Right now I’m open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday by appointment,” she said. She said she’d add more services eventually. “It feels good to bring business to your town,” she said. See HEART | Page A4
Iola, KS