The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees will gather at 4 p.m. before the regularly scheduled monthly meeting on February 21 for a board training session provided by Kansas Association of School Boards.
No action will be taken during this training time, but it is open to the public.
NEWS RELEASE
Monday, February 14, 2022
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met in the Fort Scott Middle School Commons on Monday, February 14, 2022, for their regular monthly meeting.
President James Wood opened the meeting. The board approved the official agenda. The board also approved the consent agenda as follows:
A. Minutes
B. Bills and Claims
C. Payroll – January 20, 2022 – $1,629,877.81
D. Financial Report
E. Activity fund accounts
F. Fundraiser application
G. Extended trip application
H. Sale of old middle school uniforms, bottoms, and warm-ups
The board recognized teachers who received U-Benefit Grants from OFG Financial, Security Benefit, and KNEA. Brenda Hill, Fort Scott KNEA President, presented the grant awards to Sydney Cullison, Jennifer Hartman, Jamie Rogers, Becky Tinker, and Trisha Whitehead.
Kellye Barrows, Vice-President, presented a report on the Summit on Professional Learning Community at Work in Phoenix, AZ. Written reports were shared by principals. In addition, the board heard reports from Dalaina Smith, Academics Director; Ted Hessong, Superintendent; and Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk.
The board approved contracts for Provision of Educational Services – Low Incidence and Audiology and a Memorandum of Understanding with Communities in Schools.
The board approved Gary Billionis, board member, to sit in on legal mediation claims.
Superintendent Hessong gave an ESSER III update.
Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss matters relating to employer-employee negotiations. The board returned to open meeting and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting. The board approved the following employment items:
A. Resignation of Shelly Sanborn, middle school special education teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
B. Resignation of Eileen Strakel, Eugene Ware cook, effective February 11, 2022
C. Leave of absence request from Elizabeth Rose, preschool paraprofessional
D. Employment of Cole Claypool as a middle school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
E. Employment of Dylan Goucher as a Eugene Ware/Fort Scott Preschool Center custodian for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
F. Employment of Angie Kemmerer for middle school PDC chairperson
G. Employment of Angie Bin as the high school fine arts team leader for the 2021-22 school year
H. Employment of administrators for the 2022-23 school year
I. Employment of district directors for the 2022-23 school year
J. Employment of Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk, for the 2022-23 school year with a change in title from Business Manager to School Finance Director/Board Clerk
K. Stipend for Bryce Daly, Technology Coordinator/Technician, to video board meetings
L. Employment of Katren Rienbolt and Josh Hudiburg as high school assistant track coaches for the 2021-22 school year
M. Retirement of Debbie West, high school secretary, effective June 30, 2022
N. Termination of Brooke Senkevech, Eugene Ware paraprofessional and middle school intramural coach, effective February 14, 2022
O. Employment of Connie Harper as a Eugene Ware paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
The board adjourned.
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2022 could prove to be an interesting year for producers in Southeast Kansas. Ultra-high fertilizer prices and herbicide shortages, paired with high commodity prices already have producers scratching their heads on what to plant this year.
Now, the EPA is beginning to unveil label changes for many commonly used herbicides, throwing yet another wrench in farmers’ plans.
The herbicide that has been most effected by these new EPA restrictions is the Enlist herbicide technology. This includes Enlist One, and Enlist Duo. The registration for Enlist herbicides was set to expire on January 12, 2022, and the EPA renewed its registration on Jan 11, 2022. The renewal will be in place for 7 years. The EPA added several new restrictions, a few being: the prohibition of spraying within 48 hours of an irrigation or a predicted rainfall event, new mitigation measures for runoff management, and most notably, the prohibition of Enlist One in 169 counties, and Enlist Duo in 217 counties nationwide.
Many of these new restrictions were made to comply with the Endangered Species Act. Ten Kansas counties appeared on both Enlist One’s and Enlist Duo’s list of prohibited counties, two of which belong to the Southwind District. The ten counties are Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Labette, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson. These counties were all identified to having a high risk of harming species listed in the Endangered Species Act.
In the EPA’s Memorandum supporting the new restrictions, they claim it will only effect 1% of corn acres, 4% of cotton acres, and a “negligible” percent of soybean acres nationwide. While the number of total acres affected may not worry the EPA on a national scale, producers in Southeast Kansas are faced with a serious dilemma.
It is getting harder and harder to find a good herbicide program for soybean acres in southeast Kansas. Many producers are not able to make their post-emergence applications of dicamba before the dicamba cutoff date of Jun 30, especially on double cropped acres. Adding in limited availability of the glufosonate herbicide, and skyrocketing glyphosate prices, farmers were looking forward to having Enlist as an option for weed control this growing season.
The EPA also unveiled additional safety measures for herbicides containing paraquat. These additions are focused around human contact with the herbicide. A couple additions are updated PPE, the prohibition of spraying from a pressurized hand tank or backpack sprayer, the requirement of having an enclosed and ventilated tractor cab, and some addition buffer requirements. Paraquat is a restricted use chemical that requires an applicators license, and an up-to-date paraquat training. Training must be done online at http://usparaquattraining.com and must be renewed every 3 years.
Another herbicide that requires trainings in addition to an applicators license is dicamba. Kansas producers must complete an approved dicamba training course each year to legally be allowed to spray the chemical. Approved trainings are hosted online, or in person by BASF, Bayer, and Syngenta throughout the state. For help finding an approved training course, you can contact your local extension office.
While this year may prove to be a challenging year for producers in SE Kansas, K State Research and Extension continues to offer research-backed information to help you make management decisions. To stay up-to-date on herbicide regulations and requirements, contact your local extension office and ask for Chad.
Long-time restauranteur Marsha Lancaster died last fall and her life will be celebrated in a unique event planned by her nieces and nephews and close friend Rhonda Dunn.
“When Marsha passed away last fall, her family wanted to plan a celebration of her life,” Dunn said. “At that time, they weren’t sure what kind of event they wanted to plan or when it would be. They knew they wanted to do an event with music because Marsha loved music, and went to a lot of concerts.”
To view Lancaster’s obituary:
Marsha’s favorite band was Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs, and they will be performing in Fort Scott around Marsha’s birthday, Dunn said. “We traveled all over Kansas City watching them perform. As a special tribute to her, they are coming back to the Liberty Theater to perform.”
“Marsha’s passing was such a huge loss to our family and our community,” her niece Sara Lancaster said. “She would have been 55 years old on March 1 and there is no better way to celebrate the Dancing Queen herself than with a concert in her honor.”
“We hope to make the event an annual one,” Dunn said.
Plans are for the first annual Marsha Fest with Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs to take place on Saturday, March 5 at the Liberty Theater, 113 S. Main, Fort Scott.
The Liberty Theater doors open at 7:30 PM and the concert will be from 8 to 11 p.m.
There will be a cash bar.
For more information, contact Rhonda Dunn at (620) 224-1186.
About the Band
Disco Dick and the Mirrorballs are a band that tribute to the disco dance era. They perform the greatest hits from KC and the Sunshine Band, Kool and the Gang, the Commodores, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, and many more. They formed in 1998.
Mary Josephine Spurgeon of Fort Scott, Kansas passed away peacefully early morning on February 15, 2022. She had been in assisted living for the last few years. Mary Jo was born on July 13, 1933, at home in rural Parsons, Kansas to Nicholas and Frances Glendenning Jones, they preceded her in death.
Mary Jo worked various jobs ranging from assembly worker at the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant, seamstress, convenience store manager, and railroad transport driver for BNSF.
She married George “Bill” Spurgeon on June 27, 1951, they later divorced, and Bill died in 1987.
She is survived by seven children; Vickie (Rod) Chaplin of Fort Scott; Terri (Jeff) Staton of Pleasanton, Kansas; Kenneth (Stacie) Spurgeon of Stockton, Missouri; Tony Spurgeon of Pleasanton; Patsy (Dale) Smith of Pleasanton; Bobbi (Scott) Williams of Columbus, Kansas; and Richard (Stacey) Spurgeon Fort Scott.
A son Tiff W Spurgeon died at the age of 18 in 1984.
Her children gave her 13 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren. One great-grandson preceded her in death.
Mary Jo is also survived by two sisters Lois Anderson of Girard, Kansas, and Janet Post of Olathe, Kansas; two brothers Louis “Nick” Jones of Pittsburg, Kansas, and Lawrence “Dale” Jones of Paola, Kansas.
She was preceded in death by two sisters Wilma “Billie” Hinman and Rosadene Briner.
A private memorial service for the family will be held at a later date.
Burial will be at the Oakwood Cemetery in Parsons, Kansas.
The family has requested that in place of flowers donations be made to Hillside Guest Home in Mary Jo’s name and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
KDHE Awarded State Partnerships Improving Nutrition and Equity Program Grant
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is pleased to announce that the Community Health Promotion (CHP) team has received the State Partnerships Improving Nutrition & Equity (SPINE) Program Grant from the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD).
CHP was awarded $144,274 to support the one-year grant project. This grant project aims to implement sustainable and equitable policy, systems, and environmental actions to address food and nutrition security across the life span.
“Even though Kansas is known for its food production, access to nutritious food is still a challenge for many Kansans,” said Courtney Koenig, Physical Activity and Nutrition Program Manager at KDHE. “We are excited for this grant opportunity and look forward to getting started on the work to improve nutritious food access in Kansas.”
For this year-long program, the CHP team will partner with the Kansas Food Action Network and focus their efforts on community engagement, assessment and creating a food policy council in the Southwest Kansas region.
Health equity is foundational to the SPINE program and will be integrated throughout the planning, action, and evaluation stages, in addition to considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health equity can be defined as “when everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from, has a fair and just opportunity to experience their highest level of health and wellness. This requires eliminating barriers like poverty and repairing injustices in all systems that can impact the ability to experience health and wellness. Such systems include education, criminal justice, health and transportation.” (Modified from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “What is Health Equity?” and Colorado Department of Health and Environment)
Nine states were selected to receive the grant, including Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oregon and Oklahoma.
For more information about the SPINE Grant, please visit the NACDD website at chronicdisease.org/spine-program/.
John Carl Scheuerman, age 66, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Friday, January 28, 2022, at the Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas.
He was born December 7, 1955, in Wellington, Kansas, the son of Maynard Scheuerman and Evelynn Mae Seaver Scheuerman. John was a longtime resident of Ft. Scott. He worked in construction and enjoyed watching old movies.
Survivors include a sister, Sherry Carson and her husband, Terry, and a brother, Jim Reed as well as several cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Private services with burial in the Evergreen will take place at a later date.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Todd John Madison, age 44, a resident of Fort Scott, KS went to be with the Lord on February 12, 2022,
Todd graduated from Fort Scott High School in 1996 and then attended FSCC on a rodeo scholarship. Todd enjoyed his years of high school and college rodeo and the friends he made along the way.
Todd had many good horses and dogs throughout the years, however, you cannot talk about Todd and not include his best dog Elvis. Elvis’ bloodlines are still sought after, he was a dog like no other.
Todd was a man who enjoyed the outdoors. He was a cowboy at heart and felt most at ease on a horse working cattle.
He enjoyed fishing and that is where you might find him when he had things on his mind to be sorted out.
He would have referred to himself as a master at smoking meat and his family enjoyed many of his wonderful dishes.
Todd was a friend to all and never knew a stranger. He had a larger than life personality and a laugh to match it.
He will be missed by many but his kind nature and great personality will continue to live on in those that knew him.
Todd is survived by his parents, Frank and Debbie Madison of Fort Scott. His fiancé, Lacy Nutter and two sons; Ty and Terron Nutter of the home. His children, Talli, Taitlyn, and Tucker Madison of Butler, Missouri. His brothers and sisters; Mike Rose (Nicole) Aurora, CO, Dani Fine (Todd) Nevada, MO, Nicki Traul (John) Fort Scott, KS, Jeff Madison (Heather) Fort Scott, KS, Charlie Madison Fort Scott, KS, Jessi Smith (Brandon) Fort Scott, KS. He has many nieces and nephews whom he loved very much.
He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Bill and Blanch Madison as well and his maternal grandparents, Don and June White.
Father Yancey Burgess will conduct the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, February 17th at the Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church.
The Rosary will be prayed at 10:15 A.M. prior to the service at the Church.
Visitation will be held Wednesday from 5:00 – 7:00 P.M. at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the Bourbon County AA association and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
