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Overhaul of Child Welfare System
Kansas Department for Children and Families Engaged in Systemic Overhaul of Child Welfare System
DCF Secretary Laura Howard Addresses Ongoing Child Welfare Lawsuit
Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard today expressed her disappointment over the stalled settlement negotiations in the ongoing class action lawsuit and her expectations for continued improvement to the Kansas child welfare system.
“Governor Kelly tasked me with the responsibility of reforming our child welfare system because there is no one more committed to improving the lives of Kansas foster children than I am,” Howard said. “While there is certainly opportunity for the parties to resume settlement negotiations, this is a great time to highlight the work we’ve already done to improve the system.”
Howard points to the significant work done to reduce foster placement instability and improve the child protection framework in Kansas.
“A close examination of some of our most important indicators shows that in the last year we’ve made significant progress in slowing the number of foster youth who run away or are forced to sleep in offices,” Howard said. “At the same time through implementation of new practice models we are already seeing a modest reduction in the number of children who come into the system.”
Special Response Team.
In the spring of 2019, DCF took steps to expand its special response team tasked with locating youth who have run away from their placements and identify the underlying reasons why they run. The 10-member team is comprised of both DCF and contractor employees.
By engaging in prevention, location recovery and systems improvement, results from the special response team are promising – decreasing the daily pace of youth who are on the run from 94 to about 50. DCF has learned that for youth whose location is recovered, more than a half (57%) have run away at least once before. The team is working on new strategies to reduce or prevent run recurrence.
“I hear stories every day on how our special response team is having a positive impact on the lives of foster children, Howard said. “They are helping these youth get into substance use treatment, find jobs and make important connections with family members.”
Child Protection Framework
Also, in 2019, DCF began implementing a new child protection framework and family meeting practice model in both its Kansas City and East regions. The new approach supports family engagement and creates a safety network for families. Initial data from the rollout shows the new approach is already having a positive impact on safety of children, creating a stronger connection to community services and preventing the need for out of home foster care placement.
In the Kansas City region, which includes Wyandotte and Johnson counties, from 2018 to 2019 there was a 7% reduction in the number of children who entered foster care.
The agency is seeing the same positive results in its East region which covers 25 counties in the eastern part of the state. The percent of children who entered foster care reduced by almost 6% in calendar year 2019 compared to calendar year 2018.
The total number of children in foster care in these two regions is also down, thanks to more children leaving the system. Since January 2019, the agency has completed 1,141 adoptions. DCF received an adoption incentive award for its efforts in 2019 and will use those funds to help the more than 2,000 children with a current case plan goal of adoption.
PRTF Beds
DCF also has made significant progress in addressing the need for intensive treatment for our most vulnerable children. Since July, the agency has worked with our community partners to increase the number of Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTFs) beds by 54. As a result, the waiting list has dropped by more than 80.
Patience is Necessary
In recent years, Kansas families have experienced significant roadblocks to services that can assist them with important child care and food assistance, work supports and parenting skills. The result of these policies was a significant increase in the number of children entering foster care. Recent analysis by University of Kansas professor Dr. Donna Ginther and Ohio State professor Dr. Michelle Johnson-Motoyama finds that 5,986 children entered foster care as a result of policies that restricted access to TANF benefits between 2012 and 2018.
DCF has spent the last year trying to reverse the effect of these policies and is now seeing evidence that new initiatives are having a positive effect on Kansas families. DCF has implemented the Family First Prevention Act, created new policies to provide improved access to child care and supported families through safe sleep and parent skills training.
Howard says more time is needed to see the full impact of the changes.
“Child welfare experts tell me it commonly takes three years before a large child welfare system shows significant improvements after years of neglect,” she said. “I don’t see it that way. I’m hopeful that Kansas can buck that trend, but I am also realistic and know that we must be patient and give these reforms time to take hold. I won’t rest until the work is done, Kansas families are thriving, and we can focus solely on caring for our state’s vulnerable children without dealing with expensive lawsuits.”
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February total tax collections $63.6 million above estimate; 17.4% above last fiscal year
08_February_Revenue_FY2020_03-02-2020_Final
Collections of delinquent taxes plays part in increased revenues
TOPEKA – The State’s February total tax collections came into the Kansas Department of Revenue at $448.3 million; $63.6 million more than estimated. These collections are $66.4 million or 17.4% more than February of FY 2019.
Individual income taxes saw a $30.5 million increase from the estimate with the collection of $171.5 million; 27.4% more than last February. Corporate income tax collections were 10.1% above the estimate at $7.2 million; an increase of $3.2 million compared to February FY 2019
Revenues from delinquent tax collections, included in February receipts, have also increased substantially this fiscal year. Debt collections through January from past tax years are up 16.8% over the previous fiscal year, $113.1 million compared to $96.8 million. Individual income and withholding represent about 52.7% of total delinquent collections and Sales and Use taxes represent about 40.3%.
Retail sales tax collections were $2.9 million or 1.6% more than estimated at $177.9 million. This is an increase of 5.3% over FY 2019. Compensating use tax collections saw a 17.0% increase compared to last fiscal year with collections coming in at $38.9 million.
For more info:
08_February_Revenue_FY2020_03-02-2020_Final
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St. Mary’s Catholic School Dinner and Auction April 25
St. Mary’s Catholic School Invites you to attend their
Dinner & Auction Event on
April 25th!
Presentation Explores Lives of Free-Born Children after Civil War
Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, KS, will host “Children of the Promised Land,” a presentation and discussion by Angela Bates on Tuesday, March 17 at 12:00 P.M. at The Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton St. Fort Scott, KS.
Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Contact Kirk Sharp at 620 -223-2700 ext. 5850 for more information.
The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas.
“This is a Lunch and Learn event so everyone is welcome to bring their lunch and drinks. Dessert will be available,” said Museum Director, Kirk Sharp.
Nicodemus, a small, unincorporated town in Graham County, is the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War.
Today the town is a National Historic Site. This pictorial history explores the unique experience of mothers and their children in Nicodemus, some of whom were the first members of their families born free.
Angela Bates is the executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society. She presents educational programs across the nation covering Nicodemus, Exodusters and black towns in the West, Buffalo Soldiers, and black women in the West.
“My great uncle, Henry Williams, was the first baby born in Nicodemus just a month after my great-grandmother Emma arrived with the first group of settlers in 1877,” said Bates. “He was one of the first in his generation born on the free soils of Kansas. He represents the many children of his generation that were reared by parents who were former slaves.”
“Children of the Promised Land” is part of Humanities Kansas’s Movement of Ideas Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and workshops designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.
For more information about “Children of the Promised Land” contact the Gordon Parks Museum at 620 -223-2700 ext. 5850 or visit http://www.gordonparkscenter.org/
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.
Bourbon County Commission Meets March 3 at 9 a.m.
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: March 3, 2020
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
9:00-9:45 – Jim Harris
10:30-10:40 – Kendell Mason, Non-elected personnal
11:00-12:00 – Apex Wind Generation Contracts
12:00-1:30 – Lunch
2:00-2:05 – Barbara Peine, Wind Turbines
2:05-2:10 – Mike Wunderly, Wind Turbines
2:10-2:15 – Mary Pemberton, Wind Turbines
2:15-2:20 – Carla, South Wind Extension
Bourbon County Commission Special Meeting March 3 at 8 a.m.
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: March 3, 2020
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________
3rd District-Nick Ruhl Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Kendell Mason
8:00 – Executive Session, Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship
Water Main Work Begins March 3
The City of Fort Scott Water Distribution Department will be renewing a water main from 5th & Andrick to 6th & Andrick. A new water main and valves will be installed to replace the existing aging and shallow one.
Work will begin on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020 with the excavation of the water main at 6th & Andrick. Customers on Andrick and the surrounding area may experience water outages for short durations during the construction time. Precautions by the Water Distribution Department will be followed when the water is restored. However, customers may experience discolored water and some air. This should clear up by running the water for a short time from an outside faucet.
Access to your area and home will be available. At the beginning of the project, the intersection of 6th & Andrick will be closed and 5th and Andrick will be open. As the project moves north on Andrick, and it becomes necessary to close the intersection of 5th and Andrick, 6th and Andrick will be reopened for traffic.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact City Hall at 223-0550 and ask or the Water Distribution Department.
Legislative Update By State Senator Caryn Tyson
February 28, 2020
Turnaround, the ½-way point of session, is an important milestone. There is a push to pass bills to keep them alive.
If a bill has not been in one of these exempt committees, Federal and State Affairs, Tax, or Ways & Means, and has not passed the originating chamber, that bill dies at turnaround. The Senate passed over 50 bills last week to the House. The bills and debates are posted at www.kslegislature.org.
Legislation 101 Senate Bill (SB) 294, the bill we are following in these updates, that brings transparency to your property tax increases, was debated on the Senate floor. The Majority leader brought the bill above the line for debate and it passed the Senate 39 Yes and 0 No. There were a couple of attempts to weaken the bill but those amendments failed. SB 294 is now in the House Tax Committee. Hopefully, the Chair of the Committee will schedule a hearing for the bill. SB 294 would require local governments, starting in 2021, to notify taxpayers if they intend to collect more money in property tax than the previous year. It would allow taxpayers an opportunity to comment before property tax increases occur.
Here’s a brief overview of some of the bills that passed the Senate and were sent to the House:
SB 272 would prohibit a property valuation from increasing during the appeals process. You shouldn’t have to worry about your valuation being raised as a result of an appeal. The bill passed unanimously.
SB 331 would allow the department of corrections employees, local correctional or detention officers, judicial branch employees, and municipal court employees to remove any identifying information from public websites, including home addresses or home ownership. The bill passed unanimously.
SB 295 would stop the value of real property being increased solely as a result of normal repairs or maintenance. It should encourage, rather than discourage, property owners to maintain their investment. The bill passed with 39 Yes, 1 No. I voted Yes.
SB 283 would allow for sports betting and online gambling. It would allow for state-owned casinos to provide software applications that run on your phone or other devices to be used for gambling. The bill would give money to Eureka Downs (only one race track – why not all if any), established computer science scholarship fund, and creates a temporary rules and regulations process, ignoring the one that is already in place. The bill passed 23 Yes to 15 No. I voted No on the final bill. There were a couple of amendments offered that I did supported but they failed to go on the bill. One was to pay down KPERS with the increased state money.
SB 358 would give authority to the highway patrol to administrator ignition interlock manufacturers and their service providers for DUI offenders. The bill passed unanimously.
SB 404 would establish a process to terminate parental rights of a person whose sexual assault of another resulted in the conception of a child. The bill passed unanimously.
SB 337 would allow students enrolled in nonpublic schools to take the ACT college entrance exam and other assessment exams at no cost. The bill passed 39 Yes to 1 No. I voted Yes.
SB 308 would require a label for raw milk being sold, stating it is raw milk – non pasteurized. It would also clarify the definition of milk to include all mammals. The bill passed 37 Yes to 3 No. I voted Yes.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports March 2
Bourbon County Arts Council 28th Annual Fine Arts Exhibit
Bourbon County Arts Council 28th Annual Fine Arts Exhibit
The Bourbon County Arts Council will present their 28th Annual Fine Arts Exhibit, March 5th through 7th, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, on the Campus of Fort Scott Community College.
“The mission of the Bourbon County Arts Council is to foster, promote and increase the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts in our community,” said Deb Halsey, who is a board member and also co-chairing the Fine Arts Exhibit along with President Deb Anderson.
The Exhibit will be open to the public on Thursday and Friday, March 5th and 6th, from 12:00 pm to 7:00pm, and on Saturday, March 7th, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. A Reception will be held on Thursday evening from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, to honor this year’s Juror and artists; the public is invited to attend and enjoy the opportunity to meet and visit with them about the art. (Note: In previous years, the reception was held on Wednesday evenings. The change to Thursday was made in hopes of allowing a greater number of community members to attend.) The Bourbon County Arts Council will host the Chamber Coffee at 8:00am on Thursday, March 5th.
Artists will have their work on display and for sale in this multi-media exhibit, with categories including Ceramics, Drawing & Graphics, Fiber Arts, Glass, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting (oil and acrylic), Pastels, Photography,Printmaking, Sculpture, and Watercolor. A “themed” category was added to the Exhibit, with this year’s theme being “My Hometown”. An artist may create a piece in any of the above catogories, in relation to the theme. In recent years, artists from Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Vancouver, British Columbia have participated in this show. This year, 55 artists have contributed 148 pieces of art. Local artists presenting at this year’s Exhibit include Elaine Buerge, Cheyanne Carpenter, Steve Floyd, Chance Fuhrman, Jane Gaines, Barbara Gibson, Deb Halsey, Bobbi Kemna, Cindy Lipe, Paul Milks, Connie Neil, Jezeriah Simpson, Bri Stokes,and Jean Strader.
James Oliver will serve as Juror for this year’s Exhibit. He holds his BFA from Denison University in Granville, OH, his MA from Easten Illinois University in Charleston, IL, and his MFA from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. Mr. Oliver has acted as Pittsburg State University Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing since 2001, and was Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at Denison University from 1997 t0 2001. James has taught courses at Pittsburg State University in Designed World, Intro to Art Studio, Drawing, Perspective Drawing, Color Theory and Application, Painting, Structural Anatomy and Figure Drawing, Special Topics of Plein Aire Painting, Portrait Painting and iPad for the Artist, and Graduate Drawing. He has participated in numerous Group Exhibitions, and his works have been featured in Solo Exhibitions in Deleware, Illinois, Missouri, New York, and Oklahoma. Mr. Oliver has affiliation to the College Arts Association, the Popular Culture/American Culture Association, and FATE(Foundation in Art:Theory and Education. Publications include American Art Collector and New American Paintings.
The Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center is located at 1208 Horton St., in Fort Scott, Kansas. There is no admission charge for this event, and all are encouraged to come and enjoy a wonderful collection of original artwork.
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Iron Star Southside Being Renovated
Iron Star Antiques and Such owner Barbara Trimbur was sitting at the cash register on Wednesday, with the sound of hammer’s pounding in the background.
“Every year I try to improve the store,” Trimbur said. Last year she renovated half of her store at 3 N. Main, this year, she is renovating the south half.
“We are redoing the floor, took off the drop-down ceiling that was put in during urban renewal in the 60s,” Trimbur said. “We are going back to the old ceiling tile. And new light fixtures and fans.”
The contractor for the renovation is Ron Query Construction, Fort Scott.
The store remains open during the renovation.
The window on the store’s Wall Street side is covered over with plywood, following a January 2020 storm.
Trimbur said she had the plans in place to start the reno well before the window blowout, and added that the glass is being provided by Peerless Products, a local company.
The renovated space should be operational again in mid-March, Trimbur said.
Trimbur said there are four women in the store’s co-op of selling decorative items, furniture and more.
“There are several ladies that sell stuff and we take turns working,” she said. “They pay a commission to the store and can work it off, like a co-op.”
Asked if anything was new on the horizon for the store, Trimbur replied with a laugh “I would always welcome someone to buy it from me, so I can retire.”
To follow the store on Facebook: The Iron Star.