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Humboldt school vote May 24
Iolan rallies to win tennis thriller
By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Amber Wheeler wishes the upcoming school bond issue for $17.45 million included more bright, shiny objects and bells and whistles. “New roofs, fire alarm systems and HVAC systems aren’t very exciting,” she admitted. “But they are what will take our schools into the future.” Wheeler is superintendent of schools for USD 258. When she began the job last July, it was with the knowledge the special election would be a priority. “The nice thing is that all the big work was completed two years ago,” Wheeler said, including a facility study determining the needs of district buildings as well as community input affirming that the overwhelming sentiment was to keep the schools in their current locations. “People like that the majority of students can walk to school and that the schools are part of the community,” she said. Even so, she’s continually plagued by those asking why the district isn’t shooting for new schools.
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Kelly pledges to sign bill to end food sales tax gradually PAGE A5 USD 258 Superintendent Amber Wheeler with students Radlee Decker, left, and Andi Weilert at Humboldt Elementary School. REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN “That’s the Number One question I hear,” she said. Her reply? “This bond issue gets us 25 years down the road. At some point, we may decide we need a new school. And by then we’re going to know a little bit more about what we need. But right now, our facilities are in good shape.”
The original election was scheduled for May 19, 2020, requesting $15 million. Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, closing schools and sending the economy in freefall. As a result, school board members pulled the election. “All we’ve had to do is update the numbers. Even the bulk of the information
in our flyers is the same,” Wheeler said of renewing the effort. “The only big difference is that we went ahead and replaced the HVAC system at the high school last summer. That simply could not wait,” she said of the approximate
In her veto message earlier this month, Kelly said the measure would “unnecessarily burden” some 30,000 adults. Republicans have put the number affected at less than half that, or about 12,000 adults. Republicans said the new law applies only to non-disabled adults from 18 through 49 who do not have children. But Democrats said because
TOPEKA — The House and Senate completed a flurry of votes early Friday sending to Gov. Laura Kelly bills legalizing sports gambling, investing more than $1.1 billion in the state’s pension system and blocking government mask mandates for all contagious disease outbreaks. The 2022 Legislature, which plans to return to Topeka in late May to complete the annual session, also plowed through legislation adding details to the state budget for the fiscal year starting in July. An unprecedented influx of tax revenue — lawmakers had a $3 billion surplus to work with — allowed lawmakers to craft a state
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Kansas tightens rules for food assistance TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will be tightening its rules for adults receiving food assistance even though critics have warned that its new law is so sloppily written that it will apply to thousands more people than supporters intended. The Republican-controlled Legislature on Thursday overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a GOP bill imposing a new job-train-
ing requirement for non-disabled adults. The changes will take effect July 1. Republicans could overturn Kelly’s action on their own because they have more than the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to do it. The votes were 86-36 in the House and 29-11 in the Senate, and almost no Democrats supported the override attempt. GOP lawmakers have long
argued that tighter rules for people receiving public assistance, coupled with state-provided job training, moves people from being dependent on the state’s help into jobs. “What is the central solution to poverty? It’s work,” said Republican state Rep. Susan Humphries, of Wichita. “Work is not a punishment, it’s a blessing. Helping someone move to a place of self sufficiency is as gift to them.”
Lawmakers will return to end session
Sen. Moran visits IHS students, tours new science center By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
“You’re actually my most intimidating audience,” Sen. Jerry Moran joked with a group of Iola High School students on Friday morning. Moran stopped by for a tour of the new science and technology building at IHS on his way to Coffeyville, where he planned to visit Coffeyville Community College to recognize their national basketball championship last year, and visit a new CEO at the hospital there. Moran, who serves on various education committees in Washington, D.C., said he often visits high schools around Kansas, but this was his first chance to see IHS. It gives him a opportunity to
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talk to students, and see firsthand what is happening at Kansas schools. “Nearly every decision we make has a consequence for this generation,” he said. “This is my chance to stay connected.” IHS seniors Josie Plumlee and Sam Fager, accompanied by Principal Scott Carson, led Moran through the science and technology building, that opened this fall. They told him about some of the advantages of the modern building, with its cafeteria and large commons area, storm shelter and multiple classrooms. They visited the Family and Consumer Sciences classrooms, a robotics classroom and two science classSee MORAN | Page A8
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, second from right, meets with Iola High School students and faculty during a brief visit at the new science and technology building on Friday morning. Moran said he enjoys visiting Kansas schools but hadn’t yet been to IHS. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
GIVE BLOOD Save A Life
The Red Cross is experiencing the worst blood shortage in a decade. Many NMRMC staff members participate in blood drives and encourage you to donate also. Visit www.redcrossblood.org to make your appointment.
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