Category Archives: Schools

Fort Scott, Government, Schools

Good Financial News From USD234

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USD234 has some great news.

The board of education recently approved a bond refinance, according to Gina Shelton,  business manager for the school district.

“This saves our community $5,792,515.15 and allows us to pay the bond off 5 years earlier,” she said. “We continue our commitment to be good stewards with our taxpayer funds and are so very excited to have this opportunity.”

In a 7-0 vote, USD 234 School Board approved Resolution 19-09 on March 2, 2020, to refinance a portion of the District’s outstanding Series 2014 General Obligation Bonds to take advantage of lower interest rates and captured savings for our community of $5,792,515.15. As a result of the refinancing, the District will pay off the bonds five years earlier than originally planned.

Series 2020 Taxable General Obligation Refunding Bonds Highlights

  1. The current average interest rate on the Series 2014 bonds is 4.33%.

  1. The final average interest rate after refinancing is 2.57%.

  1. Total savings is $5,792,515.15 (after all refinancing expenses).

  1. As a result of the refinancing, the District will pay off the bonds five years earlier than originally planned, with a final maturity in 2035, versus 2040.

  1. The refinancing improves the District’s financial position, provides interest cost savings and future mill levy management options.

  1. Timing – Why is this important??

    1. Past

      1. School District and Community passage of bond was just in time.

      2. The initial bonds were passed on December 22, 2014.

      3. Legislation became effective July 1, 2015, that lowered the bond state aid.

      4. We are currently receiving 64% in state aid.

      5. Had we waited, our community would have been receiving 33% state aid.

      6. In 2019-20, the state aid is paying all the interest on the school district’s bonds and some of the principal of the bonds.

    2. Now

      1. Interest rates are at a historical low.

      2. The school board’s goal with refinancing was the capture the lower interest rate currently in the market.

      3. History has shown us that interest rates will go back up, so it is critical to take advantage of the lower rates now.

Fort Scott, Schools

USD234 Conferences and Spring Break Schedule

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Parent/Teacher conferences for the USD 234 School District will be held on Monday, March 9, and Tuesday, March 10.

Conferences will be held at the following times:

 

Fort Scott Preschool Center – 4:20 to 7:50 p.m.

Winfield Scott and Eugene Ware – 4:15 to 7:45 p.m.

Fort Scott Middle School and Fort Scott High School – 4:30 to 8:00 p.m.

 

There will be no school for USD 234 students on Friday, March 13.

 

Spring Break will be held the week of March 16-20.

 

Classes will resume for USD 234 students on Monday, March 23.

 

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

Eagles Boys Soar Past Blu-Jays into Second Round

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

By Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

The Uniontown Eagles faced the Pleasanton Blu-Jays in the boys’ first round of sub-state. The boys were victorious against the Jays and will move on to the next round.

The energy in the gym on Tuesday was electric, with a huge crowd there to support the team. Luke George scored 22 points and had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. Jake Harvey had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists and steals. Clay Sutterby had 12 points and 8 rebounds. Coach Hays said, “I thought we played one of our best halves of basketball in the first half. We had guys hitting shots and playing with a lot of effort on defense. I’m extremely proud of the boys and how hard they are competing. We look forward to the opportunity to travel to Yates Center and continue playing.”

Fort Scott, Government, Schools

U234 Board of Education Minutes of March 2

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Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met on Monday, March 2, at the Board of Education office for their regular monthly meeting.

President David Stewart opened the meeting. The board approved the official agenda. The board also approved the consent agenda as follows:

  1. Minutes
  2. Bills and Claims
  3. Payroll – February 20, 2020 – $1,394,668.42
  4. Financial Report
  5. Bond Proceeds Reconciliation
  6. Activity Fund Accounts

Stephanie George, KNEA President, presented a report. Administrators from each building shared information with board members.

Superintendent Ted Hessong discussed legislative updates, a Stop School Violence grant, daily attendance rates, and Public School Week.

Gina Shelton, Business Manager, gave a report on the Business Department.

Board members approved the following items:

  • Resolution 19-09 Taxable General Obligation Refunding Bonds, Series 2020
  • Fort Scott High School course additions/changes for 2020-21

The board tabled action on handbook changes for the Fort Scott High School Parent/Student Handbook.

Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting. The board then went into executive session to discuss matters relating to employer-employee negotiations and returned to open meeting. The board approved the following employment matters:

  1. Retirement of Ellen Kendrick, high school art teacher, effective at the end of the 2019-20 school year
  2. Resignation of Emily Clayton, high school teacher aide, effective March 6, 2020
  3. Extension of contract for Ted Hessong, Superintendent, through the 2021-22 school year
  4. Employment of administrators for the 2020-21 school year

Amber Toth – Principal – Fort Scott High School

Robyn Kelso – Assistant Principal – Fort Scott High School

David Brown – Principal – Fort Scott Middle School

Matt Harris – Assistant Principal – Fort Scott Middle School

Stephanie Witt – Principal – Eugene Ware School

Joy McGhee – Principal – Winfield Scott School

Martin Altieri – Assistant Principal – Winfield Scott School

Andrea Scott – Principal – Fort Scott Preschool Center

Rick Scholes – Special Education Coordinator

  1. Employment of district directors for the 2020-21 school year

Joe Allen – Transportation Director

Robin Button – Food Service Director

Jeff DeLaTorre – Fort Scott High School Athletic/Activities Director

Daniel Koppa – Facilities Director

Stephen Mitchell – Technology Director

  1. Employment of Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk, for the 2020-21 school year
  2. Employment of Breann Eden as Winfield Scott art teacher for the 2020-21 school year
  3. Employment of Torrie Singmaster as a Winfield Scott first grade teacher for the 2020-21 school year
  4. Resignation of Jeff DeLaTorre as high school head boys’ basketball coach, effective at the end of the 2019-20 season
  5. Resignation of Drew Graham, high school assistant baseball coach, for the 2019-20 school year
  6. Employment of Josh Messer as a high school assistant baseball coach for the 2019-20 school year
  7. Termination of James Feezell, Eugene Ware 12-month custodian, effective February 28, 2020
  8. Transfer of Terry Barrager, Eugene Ware/Winfield Scott 10-month custodian, to Eugene Ware 12-month custodian for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year
  9. Addition of a high school CTE computer teaching position for the 2020-21 school year

The board adjourned

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

UHS Basketball Teams Defeated by Girard

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

By Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

The Uniontown Eagles played against the Girard Trojans in our last regular-season game. All four of our teams lost to Girard, but Uniontown is still proud of all our athletes. JV players were dismissed from practice, so we hope they had an amazing season!

The Varsity girls were defeated by Girard with a score of 27 to 50. Karleigh Schoenberger scored 12 points and had an assist. Danielle Howard had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Sammie Hampton had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. Gwenyth Fry scored 4 points and had 3 rebounds. Breleigh Harris had 3 rebounds and Sivanah McAnulty had 4. McAnulty and Kaydra Woods both had 2 steals. Coach Miller stated, “We knew coming into this game that it would be a tough one. The matchups were not favorable for us and their ability to go deep into the bench with their rotation would challenge us as the game progressed. However, it was good to play a team of that caliber as we prepare to play Jayhawk for our first round of sub-state.”

The Varsity boys lost to the Trojans 34 to 56. Luke Perry lead the team in points, scoring 9 points. Luke George had 7 points and 6 rebounds and Jake Harvey had 6 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Hunter Schaaf and Clay Sutterby also scored 6 points each, and Schaaf had 6 rebounds while Sutterby garnered 5. Drew Perry had 3 assists. “It was a tough night for our team,” said Coach Hays. “We couldn’t get many shots to fall and their ball pressure gave us trouble. Girard is a good team and they are well coached. We will learn from this one and get ready for sub-state next week.”

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

Lady Eagles Defeat Jayhawks in 1st Round of Sub-State

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

By Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

The Uniontown Lady Eagles faced the Jayhawk-Linn Jayhawks in the first round of sub-state on Monday. We managed to beat the Jayhawks and will move on to the second round, in which we will face St. Mary’s Colgan on this Thursday.

The girls played incredibly well during this game and beat Jayhawk 58 to 47. Danielle Howard scored 34 points and was 14 for 16 on her free throws. She also had 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 6 steals. Karleigh Schoenberger had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Sammie Hampton also had 6 rebounds, as well as 2 steals. Gwenyth Fry had 5 rebounds, Sivanah McAnulty had 4 rebounds, and Alie Fuhrman had 3 rebounds. Coach Miller said of the game, “The girls’ hard work is paying off. They played hard, overcame adversity, and got the job done tonight. We will get back in the gym tomorrow and prepare to take on Saint Mary’s Colgan on Thursday night.”

The boys’ basketball will face the Pleasanton Blu-Jays at home in their first round of sub-state on Tuesday, March 3. We wish them the best of luck and hope to have a large turnout to the game!

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

UHS Basketball Teams Achieve Sweep Over Northeast

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

-Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

The Uniontown Eagles played the Northeast Vikings on Friday. All Varsity and JV teams won their games.

The girls’ Varsity won in their game against Arma with a score of 55 to 27. Karleigh Schoenberger led the team in points, scoring 23 in total. She also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Danielle Howard scored 13 points and had 4 assists and 5 steals. Sivanah McAnulty contributed with 6 rebounds. Breleigh Harris scored 7 points and had 3 assists. “Wrapped up our league competition with a dominant win over Arma. We’re playing some tough teams next week to help us get prepared for the sub-state tournament,” said Coach Miller.

The Varsity boys also beat the Vikings with a score of 68 to 64. There was balanced scoring across the board, but Jake Harvey and Luke George led the team, earning 25 and 17 points, respectively. Harvey also had 4 rebounds, while George had 11. Drew Perry had 6 assists and Clay Sutterby had 5 assists and 8 rebounds, as well as 2 steals and 3 blocks. Cade Goodridge had 3 steals. “The boys played hard and handled adversity well. Northeast is a really strong team. Our kids battled their tails off. I’m proud of how we played,” said Coach Hays.

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

Eagles and Chargers Go Head to Head

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

The Uniontown Eagles and the Cherryvale Chargers went head to head on Monday evening. The Varsity boys won their game, but the Varsity girls and both JV teams lost to the Chargers.

The Varsity girls lost to Cherryvale 45 to 56. Danielle Howard had 15 points, 4 assists, and 6 steals. Breleigh Harris had 14 points and 3 steals. Sammie Hampton had 6 points and rebounded 8 times. Karleigh Schoenberger had 8 points and 3 rebounds. A few of our players were hurt during the game, but they’re tough and will pull through. “Tough loss tonight,” Coach Miller said. “The girls played a solid first 2 quarters. We had an 11 point lead going into the half. Unfortunately, we came out flat and ended up getting banged up in the 3rd quarter. We went deep into the bench to finish this game. It was good to see some of our role players step up and compete to finish the game.”

The boys’ Varsity beat the Chargers 54 to 52. Jake Harvey scored 16 points and had 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Luke George had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Luke Perry and Hunter Schaaf each had 11 points and 2 assists, and Schaaf had 5 rebounds. Drew Perry had 4 assists. Coach Hays said, “I thought our kids battled all night. We hung around the entire game and were able to make a play in the final seconds to get a big road win. It’s been a really fun stretch of games. It is quite an accomplishment winning 10 games in a row and 13 of 14. I feel like we are playing our best basketball at the right time.”

-Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

Senior Night Sweep for Eagles Varsity Basketball Teams

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

by Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

The Uniontown Eagles faced the Southern Coffey County Titans in our last home game of the season. This game was also Senior Night, serving to honor our seniors (and their families) who participate in basketball, wrestling, and band. Both Varsity teams won, but the girls’ JV lost to the Titans by one point.

The Varsity girls beat the Titans 37 to 29. Karleigh Schoenberger and Danielle Howard once more lead with points, scoring 15 and 13, respectively. Schoenberger also had 3 rebounds, an assist, and 3 steals, while Howard had 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Gwenyth Fry scored 4 points and had 3 rebounds, and Sivanah McAnulty and Alie Fuhrman each scored 2 points. Sammie Hampton had 6 rebounds.

The Varsity boys also won against SCC, with a score of 61 to 28. Luke George and Hunter Schaaf scored 16 and 14 points, respectively; George also had 2 assists and 4 steals, while Schaaf had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Jake Harvey had 9 points and 5 steals. Luke Perry and Cade Goodridge each scored 5 points, and the rest of the board is pretty even on scoring. Fan-favorite Kord Bowen sunk a 3-pointer in the last minute of the game, thanks in part to the great sportsmanship showed by the Titans. Coach Hays commented, “I’m really happy for our seniors tonight. They all played really well and capped off with a 3 pointer from Kord Bowen. These seniors are really good leaders for our team and, more importantly, great people. I’m excited for their future when they leave Uniontown High School.”

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

Eagles Basketball Teams Soar Above the Jets

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

by Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

The Uniontown Eagles played the Altoona-Midway Jets once again, this time in a regular-season game instead of a tournament. Both Varsity teams, as well as the boys’ JV team, won their games. There was no girls’ JV.

The Varsity girls won their game against Altoona with a score of 54 to 24. Karleigh Schoenberger lead in points and rebounds, scoring 18 points and rebounding 7 times. Danielle Howard had 17 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Sivanah McAnulty had 6 rebounds, Breleigh Harris had 4 steals, and Sammie Hampton had 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Many of our JV players got to play up for this game, including freshman Skyler Coulter, who had 2 points and 3 rebounds, and foreign exchange student Irina Otero. “Tonight, our team was able to experience one of the biggest reasons why we play the game,” stated Coach Miller. “Irina Otero stepped onto the varsity basketball court for the first time in her life tonight. Irina, an exchange student from Vilanova de Arousa, Spain, contributed to the Lady Eagles’ win with 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal. The win was great, but watching Irina meet her personal goals was even better.” I asked Irina what it was like playing for the varsity team. She replied, “We played as a team, even when we weren’t playing the best. We supported each other. Even when we missed, we cheered for each other. We had fun and enjoyed the game, which we don’t always do. We felt like a family.”

The boys’ Varsity team beat Altoona 64 to 32. Jake Harvey scored 18 points and had 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Hunter Schaaf had 12 points and 2 assists, and Clay Sutterby had 11 points and 7 rebounds. Luke George scored 9 points and rebounded 4 times. Drew Perry had 2 assists. “I thought we played one of our best games of the season tonight,” said Coach Hays. “I loved the energy and the unselfish basketball. Our shots weren’t falling from the perimeter, but we did a good job of attacking their zone and getting some good shots.”

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

Homecoming Victories for Eagles Basketball Teams

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by Adelay Martin, UHS Student Sports Media Reporter

The Uniontown Eagles faced the Pleasanton Blu-Jays on February 14 for our Homecoming basketball game. Both Varsity teams won, and so did both JV teams.

The Varsity girls beat the Blu-Jays 55 to 35. Scoring for this game was very even, all the Varsity starters and subs scoring at least one basket. Danielle Howard lead in points, scoring 23 over the course of the game. Howard also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 7 steals. Karleigh Schoenberger had 8 points and 4 rebounds. Gwenyth Fry and Breleigh Harris each scored 6 points and had 3 steals; Fry also had 5 rebounds. Sammie Hampton had 5 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals. Coach Miller said, “It was another good night for the Lady Eagles. Glad to see some different girls step up tonight and impact the game. Our next contest will be Monday, February 17, when we face Southern Coffey County at home.” The game on the 17th will be our last home game for the season.

The boys’ Varsity also won against Pleasanton, with a score of 60 to 46. Jake Harvey scored 21 points and had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Clay Sutterby had 15 points and 6 rebounds, as well as 2 assists. Hunter Schaaf had 7 rebounds and 11 points. Luke George had 3 steals, 12 rebounds, and 10 points. “The 1st half was a little rough,” said Coach Hays. “We missed some layups and free throws, but our defense kept us in the game. We came out at half and got into a rhythm. I thought we did a much better job of sharing the ball, which opened up some good shots. I’m proud of boys and their resiliency.”