The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting tomorrow on Thursday , August 7 at 10:00 am in the Cleaver-Burris-Boileau Hall approve personnel items.
Bourbon County Arts Council Presents Roxie & The Moon King on August 22
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ArtEffect 2025 Certificate of Excellence Winners
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Fort Scott School District U234 Starts Classes on August 15
This is part of a series on the schools starting the 2025 school year in our community.
Destry Brown is the superintendent of schools for Fort Scott’s School District, USD234.
“We are looking forward to another great year in Tiger Land!” he told Fort Scott Biz in an interview.
The first day of school for teachers in 2025 is August 11, with students first day of August 15.
He said student school supply lists are all posted on the district’s Facebook page.
Vaccinations are a part of the new school year in schools across the nation.
“If students have started their immunizations before school starts, we work with the families to get them completed by a deadline,” Brown said. “We have not set that deadline for this year yet. It is usually in late September. If the family claims a religious reason for not getting the immunizations, they need to contact the school nurse and complete a form stating that.”
The USD234 student enrollment is approximately the same as last year, 1,750 students in five buildings across the town.
A more accurate number will be after the first couple of weeks of school, he said.
The following are the names of the school district’s 20 new teachers and administrators assigned to each building.
Winfield Scott Elementary:
Amanda Karleskint – 2nd grade
Shana Staton – Special Education
Amanda Johnson – Music
Kendal Bowles – Special Education
Eugene Ware Elementary:
Billie Marlow – 5th Grade
Angela Christy – 3rd Grade
Fort Scott Middle School:
D.J. Brown – Principal
Trey Brown – 7th Grade Social Studies
Kiel Simas – Physical Education
Fort Scott High School:
Jeff Johnson – Principal
Josh Regan – Assistant Principal
Drew Carney – Physical Education
Aleana Erie – English
Eliya Deckinger – Counselor
Marjorie Campbell – Special Education
Chloe Whitt – Drivers’ Education and Business
Jake Durossette – Business
Johnathon Stark – Physical Education
Jesse Turner – Special Education
Kansas Renewal Institute:
Christina Ellis – Elementary
New this year are textbooks and resources for middle and high school English Language Arts classes.
“We have also added a new curriculum for teaching Social and Emotional skills for Kindergarten through 12th grade called Satchel Pulse. The counselors will be using the curriculum to teach weekly lessons to our students throughout the district.”
On the horizon is a new preschool location.
“We are awaiting the architectural drawings for the new preschool building on Horton (at the intersection of 9th Street) to be approved by the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office. As soon as those are approved, we will go out to bid on the work inside the building. In the meantime, we will be having dirt work and waterproofing done on the outside of the building.”
Kannarr Eye Center Hosts Chamber Coffee on August 7
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The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports August 6
Death Notice of Stephanie Johnson
Stephanie H. Johnson, 82, of Fort Scott, Kansas, passed away August 5, 2025. Arrangements will be announced by the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.
Death Notice of Mildred Kesler
Mildred Lucille Kesler, 61, of Fort Scott, Kansas, passed away July 31, 2025. Arrangements will be announced by the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.
Housing and Urban Development Rules on Tenants Termination
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The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports August 5
Bourbon County Commission Employee Handbook Work Session Summary from Aug 4th, 2025
(Employee Handbook Review — Watch Full Video)
The Bourbon County Commissioners — Sam Tran, David Beerbower, and Mika — along with HR consultant Steve Cohen, met to review updates to the county employee handbook. Discussion centered on aligning policies with legal requirements, ensuring fairness for employees, and clarifying ambiguous language.
Major Decisions and Policy Updates
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Clarifying Promises by Officials
Commissioners agreed to specify that no promises or statements from supervisors, managers, or elected officials outside the commission constitute agreements with employees 06:56. -
Terminology Update
All references to “company” in the handbook will be replaced with “county” 08:51. -
Harassment and Bullying Policies
The harassment policy was kept with detailed procedures, and a new bullying policy was added 09:42. -
Standards of Conduct
Language was changed from “efforts to operate profitably” to “efforts to operate efficiently,” reflecting county priorities 10:35. -
Firearms Policy Flagged for Review
The section prohibiting firearms on county property was flagged for legal review due to questions about enforceability under Kansas law 11:02. -
Expanded Disciplinary Process
Commissioners voted to add a Personal Improvement Plan (PIP) and Corrective Action Plan between oral reminders and written warnings 14:13. -
One-Year Introductory Period
A 12-month probationary period for new employees was adopted, aligning with federal standards 18:18. -
Work Schedules Set by Department
Rather than standard hours, departments will set schedules, with a baseline of 40 hours per week 19:29. -
Holiday Policy Review
Holidays will be reviewed annually instead of guaranteeing specific days indefinitely. The list was expanded to include MLK Day, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, and Juneteenth 30:38. -
Vacation Blackout Days Removed
A proposed section restricting vacation around holidays and events (e.g., Thanksgiving, Valentine’s week, Super Bowl) was completely removed 31:54. -
Vacation and Sick Leave Maintained
The commission chose to retain current vacation and sick leave policies, with Steve tasked to incorporate the existing schedule 39:25. -
Maternity and Paternity Leave
The handbook will specify compliance with federal standards, allowing up to six weeks of unpaid leave 42:19. -
Workers’ Compensation Language Updated
References to Missouri law will be replaced with Kansas statutes, and OSHA applicability will be verified 44:01. -
Dress Code Review
Sam raised concerns that the dress code section was too vague 46:34. He noted the policy did not clearly address safety attire like steel-toed boots. Steve agreed to revise the section for greater clarity, ensuring workplace safety needs are explicitly covered. -
Social Media and Public Communication
Mika recommended replacing references to “county owners” with “county leaders” and “customers” with “taxpayers” to better reflect county operations and relationships with the public 47:29. -
EMS Vacation Concerns
EMS employees raised concerns that taking vacation reduces overtime pay. Commissioners discussed allowing the option to cash out unused vacation at year’s end to avoid financial loss 52:44.
Next Steps
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Dr. Steve Cohen (HR Consultant) will integrate all approved edits into a revised draft of the handbook.
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The current vacation and sick leave policy from the existing handbook will be imported directly into the new version.
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Legal counsel (Bob) will review:
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The enforceability of firearms restrictions on county property.
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Whether OSHA documentation rules apply to the county.
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The dress code section will be rewritten to clarify expectations, especially for roles requiring safety gear.
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Social media policy will be updated to reflect language that acknowledges public service (e.g., changing “customers” to “taxpayers”).
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The revised handbook draft will be shared with the commission and possibly the public, with changes clearly marked for comparison (Steve mentioned using a Google Docs revision format 48:08).
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A future benefits committee may be formed or expanded to review leave, holidays, and compensation structure more broadly.
U.S. Representative Derek Schmidt Weekly Newsletter
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Friends,
After a busy first half of the legislative year, Congress recently began our annual extended district work period. It has been a productive few months. While we certainly have much more work to do, I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish to date. We’ve had a great first quarter of the 119th Congress, and we’re just getting started. |
Lowering Drug Prices |
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An overwhelming majority of Kansans agree drug prices are too high. For years, foreign countries have benefitted from American ingenuity, capitalizing on our domestic innovation without paying the cost of research & development (R&D). The statistics are staggering: though American patients account for less than 5% of the global population, we fund nearly 75% of global pharmaceutical profits around the world. In 2023 alone, manufacturers invested over $96 billion in R&D, with more than $71 billion coming from the United States.
Encouraging continued pharmaceutical R&D investment is critical to achieving medical breakthroughs; however, Kansans shouldn’t have to bear an unfair share of the cost. That why I recently joined my colleagues to encourage United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer to take further action to address foreign policies that force the American health care system to subsidize an unfair share of pharmaceutical R&D. We wrote the letter following the establishment of USTR’s commonsense Request for Comments Regarding Foreign Nations Freeloading on American-Financed Innovation initiative, which aims to end years-long practices by foreign nations who benefit from American ingenuity without paying their fair share.
President Trump and Ambassador Greer have done an excellent job securing trade deals that protect our domestic industries from foreign competitors while leveling the playing field for American producers and manufacturers in global markets. Foreign countries’ price controls have negatively affected American patients for far too long; I’m optimistic we can finally address this glaring problem and lower prices for patients in Kansas and across the country. |
Assisting Kansas Veterans |
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Last week, President Trump signed the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act into law. I proudly supported this legislation in the House. |
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Originally introduced by my colleague Rep. Derrick Van Orden from Wisconsin, the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act will provide a critical lifeline to help many veterans facing financial difficulties avoid losing their homes.
Kansas is home to nearly 150,000 of our nation’s heroes. Many veterans carry visible and invisible wounds with them for their entire lives, which can make stable employment and income difficult to maintain. This lack of stability unfortunately often leads to a host of problems, including bankruptcy and loss of housing. In fact, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that 40,056 veterans are homeless on any given night. That number represents 13% of our country’s adult homeless population.
This legislation provides a safety net to our veterans by creating a partial claim program that is in-line with current Federal Housing Administration loan relief programs, with the goal of assisting veterans in avoiding foreclosure on their homes. 3.7 million veterans currently using the VA Home Loan program could benefit from having the safety net created by this bill, should they need it.
This legislation is an important step toward achieving President Trump’s goal of ending veteran homelessness. In June, the House took another step toward achieving this goal when we advanced the annual appropriations bill that provides funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects. Our legislation makes historic investments in veterans’ care by increasing funding levels from fiscal year 2025, ensuring those who have served have access to the full scope of benefits they’ve earned.
Providing adequate benefits for current and former servicemembers in Kansas and across the country will always be one of my top priorities in Congress. I’m proud my colleagues and I were able to pass this legislation, and I look forward to supporting similar legislation in the future. |
A Kansas Visitor and Another Telephone Town Hall |
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Thank you to State Senator Rick and Pennie Kloos for visiting me in Washington recently! Staying connected with our local and state officials is critical to ensuring the federal government remains a good partner to Kansas. |
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Thank you also to all the Kansans who joined our recent telephone town hall! Speaking directly with Second District residents is critical to ensuring I’m representing you to the best of my ability. If you weren’t able to join us, be sure to keep an eye out for our next one. |
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Though Congress won’t be in session in August, I’ll still be working every day for the people of our Second District. I look forward to being back home with the people I’m blessed to represent! |
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As always, my office is here to serve you. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. Be sure to also follow me on social media at the links below for timely updates from my office.
It’s an incredible honor to represent our Second Congressional District in Congress! |
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Sincerely, |
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Washington D.C. Office House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 |
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Topeka Office 3550 SW 5th St. Suite B Topeka, KS 66606 |
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Pittsburg Office 402 North Broadway St. Suite B Pittsburg, KS 66762 |