The USD 234 Preschool Round-Up is on May 6th from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are currently accepting applications and the qualifications are listed on the flyer. Families may call the Fort Scott Preschool Center at 620-223-8965 for more information. The preschool is located at 409 Judson.
Category Archives: Fort Scott
U234 Board of Education Minutes of March 7
NEWS RELEASE
Monday, March 7, 2022
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Board of Education office on Monday, March 7, 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 – February 18, 2022 – $1,430,277.49
D. Financial Report
E. Activity fund accounts
There was one comment in the public forum section of the meeting.
Written reports were shared by principals. In addition, the board heard reports from Dalaina Smith, Academics Director; Ted Hessong, Superintendent; and Gina Shelton, Finance Director/Board Clerk.
Superintendent Hessong gave an ESSER III update.
Board members approved the following:
· Contract with HTK Architects for options to expand the preschool center
· Pre-funding early retirement recommendation
· Membership in the Greenbush Perkins Consortium
· Boiler repair with CDL
Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss employer-employee negotiations. The board returned to open meeting and then went into executive session for preliminary discussion relating to the acquisition of real property. The board returned to open meeting and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel. The board returned to open meeting and approved the following employment matters:
A. Resignation of Mary Jo Harper, Eugene Ware music teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
B. Resignation of Kristin Duffey, Eugene Ware fifth grade teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
C. Resignation of William Hall, high school math teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
D. Resignation of Carrie Southwell, Eugene Ware third grade teacher on leave of absence, effective March 3, 2022
E. Resignation of Jennifer Hartman, high school English teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
F. Retirement of Jim Pruitt, central office maintenance, effective May 12, 2022
G. Resignation of Judy Warren, Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective February 24, 2022
H. Resignation of Jennifer Durkin, high school paraprofessional, effective March 11, 2022
I. Leave of absence for Hayden Travis, Winfield Scott second grade teacher
J. Addition of a high school counselor position and a middle school counselor position for the 2022-23 school year
K. Employment of Suzan Durnell as the elementary instructional coach for the 2022-23 school year
L. Employment of Jonathon Barnes as a high school social studies teacher for the 2022-23 school year
M. Employment of Lannette Wood as a high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
N. Employment of Makyah Goldsby as a middle school intramural track coach for the 2021-22 school year
O. Employment of Kathi Hall as a high school assistant softball coach for the 2021-22 school year; A stipend for Dave Martin as a high school assistant swim coach for the 2021-22 school year
P. Addition of a high school assistant boys’ tennis coach for the 2021-22 school year
The board adjourned.
FS Golf Advisory Board Meets March 11
Dancers Purchase Downtown Scottish Rite Temple
Tracy and Kathy Dancer, Fort Scott, have purchased the
Scottish Rite Temple at 110 South Main.
The couple is investing in the historic downtown building to make it an asset to the community once again, she said.
“We see this as an opportunity to invest in Fort Scott and repurpose a historic building,” Kathy said. “The building has been dormant since 2014 and there has been no maintenance or activity in the building since it was sold by the Scottish Rite.”
They purchased the building from the Bourbon County Commission property tax auction that was conducted in January.
“Currently, we plan on providing micro-retail spaces for small retail businesses,” she said. “Micro-retail spaces are a great opportunity for local entrepreneurs to have a retail space without committing to a large store or the overhead associated with a stand-alone storefront.”
“The building will also support pop-up shops and small seasonal stores,” Kathy said. “We have had many community members also ask us to consider a cafe or pie pantry so we are considering incorporating those into the space as well. Ideally, we will be able to use the theater for events and as a rentable venue in the future.”
Currently, they are not seeking grants to help with the project.
“If grant funding becomes available that is a good fit for the space and the community, we would consider applying but at this time we have not applied for anything and our plan does not rely on grant money.”
“Right now our initial plans are to restore utilities and water service
so we can better assess the condition of the building and mechanical systems,” she said. “Once electricity and water are in place, we can begin to better evaluate the interior and formalize plans to repurpose the ground floor space.”
so we can better assess the condition of the building and mechanical systems,” she said. “Once electricity and water are in place, we can begin to better evaluate the interior and formalize plans to repurpose the ground floor space.”
“The building is part of the historic downtown district so we will be applying to the State Historic Preservation Office for their approval of restoration and renovation plans before we can begin work,” she said.
History of the Building
“The building was constructed by the Scottish Rite Valley of Fort Scott and was completed in 1926,” she said. “The building hosted meetings for the fraternal organization as well as community events. There was a dining hall on the ground floor and a large theater on the second floor. The building still has many original features in the theater and lobby area as well as the original air chest pipe organ.”
“If anyone would like to follow our progress and plans, we will be posting updates on our social media on Facebook and Instagram at @110SouthMainFortScott,” she said
Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge Tomorrow
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FSHS Talking Tigers: Three National Qualifiers
Submitted by Angella Curran, FSHS Forensic and Debate Teacher
The Fort Scott High School Talking Tigers had five students who broke to the Final House, plus three National Qualifiers!
Competing in Senate:
Lillian Collins – 2nd place National Qualifier!
Kinsley Davis
Finals House:
Shekhar Gugnani-1st
Neil Gugnani -4th
Cadence Tuck
Joy Self
Jase Anderson
Consolation House:
Regen Wells – 4th place
Silvia Moreno
Caroline Barnes (PO House 2 in preliminary round)
2nd Place SWEEPS for the team!!!
Congratulations Talking Tigers!!!
FS Land Bank Meets March 9
There will be a meeting of the Fort Scott Land Bank held on Wednesday, March 9th, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. in the City Commission Meeting Room at 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. This meeting is open to the public.
This meeting will be made available via the City’s you tube channel at City of Fort Scott.
The Fort Scott City Commission Meets at 5 p.m. on March 7
4th Grade All-State Musician Performs
Eugene Ware Elementary 4th grader, Charly Gulager, performed on February 24th with 160 of the best elementary
singers in the state of Kansas.
600 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders auditioned in autumn to be a part of this prestigious ensemble, twelve of them from Eugene Ware.
Charly was selected in December and had just two months to
memorize the music for the performance, requiring her to meet each week outside of class with her music teacher, MJ Harper, and to practice on her own at home.
Students who made All-State Elementary Choir rehearsed from 10 AM until the performance at 6 PM on Thursday, February 24th at the Century II Performance Hall in Wichita, KS.
Of the five pieces of repertoire, Charly said “Dust in the Wind is my favorite, but I also really like Oye!” Charly Gulager also performs with Eugene Ware Youth Choir.
Knights of Columbus Annual Friday Fish Fry Starts Today
The Knights of Columbus will host their annual Lenten Fish Fry each Friday starting today.
The March 4th & 11th meals will be drive-thru only.
“The first two (Friday meals) will be a practice run since we only did two last year,” Mark McCoy, spokesman for the group said. The COVID 19 Pandemic prevented more meals served.
The drive-thru starts at 5 pm and serves until 6:30 pm.
The ladies of Mary Queen of Angel parish bake wonderful desserts and many varieties of cakes, pies, and cookies will be offered.
The menu is:
1 – Catfish, French fries, and coleslaw
2 – Catfish, cod, French fries, and coleslaw
3 – Cod, French fries, and coleslaw
Bourbon County REDI Receives Award
Bourbon County REDI Named Winner of Site Selectors Guild 2022 Projects with a Purpose Award
March 3, 2022 – The Site Selectors Guild (the Guild), the professional association of the world’s leading corporate location advisors, named Bourbon County Regional Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) the winner of its 2022 Projects with a Purpose award.
This award was presented during the Guild’s 2022 Annual Conference in San Diego, California. This award honors individuals or organizations who have successfully implemented location selection projects that go above and beyond job creation to address social and/or environmental issues within a community.
“We are thrilled to present the second annual Projects with a Purpose award to Bourbon County REDI,” said Chris Lloyd, Site Selectors Guild board chair. “Now in its second year, the awards recognize communities which see economic development as about more than just creating new jobs but as a way to help to address pressing social issues and to enhance opportunities for all.”
“What an honor!! Thank you to the Site Selectors Guild for presenting Bourbon County REDI with the Projects with a Purpose award, for our work with the Bourbon County Commission, Fort Scott Commission, and Noble Health Corporation. It is an honor to be accepting this award, and I am humbled by the recognition we received from such a prestigious group.” said Robert Harrington, Executive Director Bourbon County REDI.
In 2019, the local hospital in Fort Scott, Kansas closed. The hospital is reopening thanks to Project Phoenix, led by Bourbon County REDI. The reopened hospital will bring 150 jobs and $20 million in annual payroll back to the community. Moreover, the reopened hospital provides the healthcare necessary to attract and retain future job opportunities.
To learn more about the Site Selectors Guild Awards program, visit https://siteselectorsguild.com/guild-awards.
About the Site Selectors Guild
The Site Selectors Guild is the only association of the world’s foremost professional site selection consultants. Guild members provide location strategy to corporations across the globe and for every industry, sector, and function. Founded in 2010, the Site Selectors Guild is dedicated to advancing the profession of international corporate site selection by promoting integrity, objectivity and professional development. Members are peer-nominated, vetted, and must demonstrate significant professional location advisory experience. In the past three years alone, Guild members facilitated the announced creation of approximately 165,000 jobs and $90 billion in announced capital investment. Guild membership is the highest standard in the site selection industry. For more information, visit siteselectorsguild.com or follow @siteselectguild on Twitter.
Labor/Housing and Retail Studies To Be Conducted By Bourbon County Eco Devo
There is a shortage of workers and also quality housing in the county.
The Bourbon County Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI) organization is working to address that problem.
“We are conducting a labor and housing study that will be used to help create programs that will allow REDI to help our current employers and the communities within Bourbon County to attract people,” Robert Harrington, director of REDI said.
“We know that there is a shortage of workers and quality housing within our county,” he said. “We are hopeful that after these reports are published we will get a lot of information that we can use to help find solutions for both issues.”
Looking for Retailers That are Needed
REDI is also facilitating a retail survey at the same time.
“We will use (this study) to help give us an idea of what new retailers the citizens of Bourbon County would like to see and the information we would need to attract such retailers,” he said.
The retail survey can be viewed at:
REDI Consultants Conduct Interviews, Send Surveys
REDI recently hired Goldstone Consulting, Moberly, Missouri, and O’Brian and Associates, Joplin, Missouri, who will be conducting the interviews and putting together the studies after they accumulate all of the information, he said.
“They will also be giving the REDI Board a strategic plan based on the data we receive,” he said REDI is paying for the study
“The consultants that we hired will be conducting interviews with several of our business owners in the upcoming months as well as surveys being sent out to Chamber members and citizens across the county,” Harrington said.
“We are also hopeful that we will be able to send these same surveys out to students in the two high schools and the community college so that we can get a perspective of our younger generation on their needs and wants as well as hopefully entice them to stay and live and work here at home,” he said.
“The studies are being paid for by Bourbon County REDI and the results will be given to my board of directors by August of this year,” he said.