Sports: KU ready for March Madness See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Senator seeks quick Apartment plans proceed OK for schools bill; consolidation touted By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An influential Republican legislator said he’s hoping an education funding bill will clear the Legislature by the end of next week on the same day a GOP colleague suggested that consolidating public school districts could help in mak- Sen. Ty ing the dis- Masterson tribution of state dollars fairer. Chairman Ty Masterson had a Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing Wednesday on his plan to redistribute $39 million in state aid for schools during the 2016-17 school year to help poorer districts. The Andover Republican wants lawmakers to pass a plan before starting their annual spring break March 25. Here is a look at Wednesday’s significant legislative developments:
MOVING QUICKLY ON SCHOOLS
Masterson’s school finance bill is a response to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling last month that the state is shorting its poorer school districts, denying them their fair share of more than $4 billion a year in aid. The court gave lawmakers until June 30 to fix the problems and threatened to keep schools closed at the start of the next school year if legislators don’t meet the deadline. Masterson said he’s simply trying to keep schools open. He said his committee would vote on the bill today. “The Legislature in some capacity has to respond to eliminate the possibility of the court’s pulling the nuclear trigger and closing See SCHOOLS | Page A5
Iola Planning Commission members endorsed Wednesday a plan to rezone a portion of the old Allen County Hospital site from commercial to residential land to accommodate a new apartment complex along U.S. 54. The Planning Commission members also unanimously favored a site plan for the complex, which will be built by developer Tom Carlson, working in league with Iola Industries. Both matters now go to the Iola City Council, which must give final approval for construction to begin. Code Enforcement Officer
See COMPLEX | Page A5
Iola Planning Commission members Larry Crawford, left, looks over a site plan with Mark Peters Wednesday. The Planning Commission endorsed a plan from Iola Industries to rezone a portion of the old Allen County Hospital site for a new apartment complex. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Old hospital site Above is a copy of an Iola Industries site plan for a new apartment complex along U.S. 54.
Union head: Bill may open door to state hospitals’ privatization By MEGAN HART KHI News Service
SAFER ROUTE A Burlington Construction crew is nearing completion of the first two blocks of Humboldt’s Safe Routes to School project, which will entail new sidewalks to provide a safer route to Humboldt Elementary School and between it and the middle and high schools. This section is along 12th Street and is nearing Central, and the southeast corner of Humboldt Elementary. The project was prompted by an extensive survey by Humboldt eighth-grade students four years ago. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
Quote of the day Vol. 118, No. 98
A bill changing how state hospital superintendents can be appointed would open a back door to quietly privatizing state hospitals, according to the head of the state employees’ labor union. Language approved by both the House and the Senate earlier in a budget bill passed earlier in the session prohibited the state agency that operates the hospitals from entering into privatization agreements without the approval of the legislature. However, Rebecca Proctor, executive director of the Kansas Organization of State Employees, said a bill now under consideration could essentially provide that authorization. If the administration wants to privatize the state hospitals, it should hold Legislative hearings and public meetings first, she said. “We think this process should be open, it should be public, it should be transparent,” she said. “This bill allows any privatization to happen very quietly, with only a few people involved and no public hearings.” Tim Keck, interim secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability
“Confine yourself to the present.” — Marcus Arelius, Roman soldier 75 Cents
Services, said the measure in question — Senate Bill 460 — would simply allow the agency to explore privatization by Karen Proctor issuing a request for proposals. The bill ensures legislative oversight, Keck said, by requiring the agency to get the approval of the State Finance Council before issuing the RFP. “We need this bill to have a legitimate review of the RFP process,” Keck said. “We want to take as many RFPs as possible so we can provide the best for patients.” The agency needs “flexibility” in order to receive serious offers from private groups to run Osawatomie State Hospital, Keck said, and needs to have all options on the table to improve care. Osawatomie is the state’s largest mental health hospital. It lost its Medicare payments in December after federal inspectors found the environment wasn’t safe for patients. THE BILL would appear to at least take a step toward See UNION | Page A5
Hi: 64 Lo: 39 Iola, KS