It seems the session has hit cruise control. Everyone is settled into their committees, the routine seems to be flowing, etc. Committees have been back at work for a couple of weeks, reviewing the work of the Senate.
Unfortunately, for the Water Committee, the Senate didn’t address a lot of items that are headed our way.
There was a bit of action this past week as the House debated an education bill. It is a large bill that covers many areas, which is why I have chosen to highlight that this week.
As a reminder, there are a lot of ways you can follow the action during the session. The Legislature’s website www.kslegislature.org has all of the bills. You can also listen in to the audio of any committee. All legislative committees and our daily session (11 a.m.) are streamed to the Legislature’s YouTube channel.
If there is a particular committee or issue you are interested in, I encourage you to watch the action!
It’s an honor to serve you in the Kansas House. If there is anything I can do to be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Education Debate
There is a reason the legislative process is often akin to sausage making… it often gets messy. This past week was a prime example.
The House of Representatives debated H Sub for SB 83. The massive education bill covered several topics including special education funding, the establishment of Education Savings Accounts and mandated teacher salary increases. It is important to note this bill did not include the full education budget, which will be debated and voted on at a later time. First, I’d like to note that I strongly support fully funding special education and still hope to do that later this session in the education budget.
I was disappointed, but not surprised to see that those pushing the Education Savings Accounts (ESA) bill chose to tie the two issues together. The ESA bill creates education savings accounts for non-public school students. It is a massive new entitlement program with no checks and balances, leaving it ripe for waste, fraud, and abuse.
It further divides rural and urban schools by incentivizing rural students to attend schools in urban areas. For the majority of our district, this bill represents a false choice. Furthermore, this bill takes the decision-making power out of the hands of locally elected school boards, who know our communities and students the best and places the power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats in Topeka.
Lastly, the bill includes mandated teacher salaries. I strongly support our local teachers and additional resources for them. However, I support salary increases based on merit and provided by local school boards, who regularly manage staffing and budget decisions. The mandate may also force some of our smaller school districts, dealing with declining enrollment, to eliminate positions or cut other areas of their budget to meet this mandate.
Ultimately, I voted against H Sub SB 83 because it puts rural schools at a greater disadvantage. The bill passed the House 64-61 after a “Call of the House” where lawmakers are locked in the chamber and must remain in their seats until the call is raised. This is a political maneuver to buy time until enough arms have been twisted to get the votes to pass the legislation. The bill is almost guaranteed to be vetoed by the governor and there will certainly not be the votes to override the veto.
Those who access the paper through our website gcrnews.com have likely noticed a new look and layout to the space. A couple of changes will soon accompany this redesign. 1. We will occasionally post additional photos to the website. There is a limited amount of... [More]
The window on one of the team vans read “One town. One team. One dream.” This weekend at the KHSHAA 1A-Division II Championship at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, those words held exceptional meaning as a sea of red cheered on the Jackrabbits... [More]
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Two Greeley County sophomores traveled to Wichita last Friday and Saturday to take part in the KSHSAA State Championship Track meet held at Wichita State University. Jadyn Mangan qualified to compete in the long jump. Lincoln Shafer qualified to compete in the 300 hurdles. ... [More]
Lincoln Shafer and Kasen Felty traveled to Emporia for the 1A State Golf Tournament played on Monday and Tuesday, May 22nd and 23rd. The weather was excellent for the practice round and for the tournament itself. This was the first time that 1A was able to complete both days... [More]
Lincoln Shafer and Jadyn Mangan competed at the State Track Meet held in Wichita Friday and Saturday, May 26 and 27.
Friday, May 19, Greeley County Schools hosted the 1A Regional Track meet for 1A Schools in the western third of the state. Twenty-nine schools took part in the day’s event, which began at 1 p.m. MT. Greeley County athletes placing in the top 10 in their respective... [More]
The Greeley County High School Golf team hosted one of the four regional tournaments on Monday, May 15. It was a cold and windy day, but all of the teams still posted some of their best scores of the season. We had a stacked regional, featuring five of the top 10 teams... [More]
The Greeley County High School track athletes took part in the Northwest Kansas League meet on Friday, May 12. The meet had been scheduled for Thursday, May 11, but was moved to Friday due to predicted storms and rainy weather. Reagan Crotinger placed eighth in the 1600-meter... [More]
The Greeley County High School Golf Team played three varsity tournaments and one JV tournament this past week. On Tuesday, May 2, the varsity played at Oakley. Aaron Vestal played up on varsity and led the team in scoring with a 46-43-89 and placed 13th overall at the... [More]
Junior High students participating in track at Greeley County Schools traveled to Quinter last Friday, April 28, to take part in Junior High Invitational there. Sixteen schools took part in the meet. Girls Junior High girls placing in the top ten in their respective... [More]
Monday, May 22, 2023, Greeley County Courthouse: Regular Session Present: Supervisors Monty Moritz (entered at 5:05 pm), Kirby Kleymann, Justin Phillips, Scott Steele, Steve Mangan; Gina Bond, Utility Administrator (entered at 5:20pm); County Clerk Jerri Young, and County Treasurer... [More]
Local veterans and VFW Auxiliary members hosted a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Greeley County Cemetery on Monday, May 29. From left to right are Joyce Huddleston, Pamela Forbes, Hudson Louderbaugh, Daryl Miller, and Luther Keith.
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Saturday, May 20, 2023, City Hall: Adjourned Session Present: Kirby Kleymann, Monty Moritz, Justin Phillips, Steve Mangan, and Scott Steele, Supervisors; Gina Bond, Utility Administrator, were present. The meeting was called to order at 8:00 a.m. Executive Session:... [More]
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Greeley County Seniors graduated in a commencement ceremony held Saturday, May 13, 2023 in the Greeley County Schools gymnasium. After an opening invocation by Titus Sherer, Trinity Albers and Karlyn Woelk, and Josh Houston, Greeley County Schools 6-12th grade principal,... [More]
Greeley County Elementary School students presented their spring concert on Tuesday, May 3 in the Greeley County High School Gymnasium for family and friends. The event was also live-streamed for those who could not attend in person. The fifth-grade band, under the direction... [More]
The Greeley County High School Track team traveled to Leoti on Monday, April 24, to take part in the Wichita County Invitational alongside Wichita County High School, Scott Community High School, Dighton High School, Hoxie High School, and Lakin High School. rn Athletes placing... [More]
A life well lived It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Leroy Sons, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and friend. Leroy was born on January 8, 1933, in Sullivan, Missouri, and passed away on April 25, 2023, at the age of 90... [More]
John S. Barker, 96, died May 17, 2023, at Marjorie’s Home in Kingman. He was born July 16, 1926, at Pratt the son of Cecil E. and Olive Cook Barker. A resident of Kingman County most of his life, he was a farmer and stockman. John was a member of the United Methodist... [More]
Dale Eugene Appl, age 90, passed away on April 29, 2023, at his home in Leoti. He was born on May 3, 1932, to Martinus and Violet (Elder) Appl in Leoti. He was a farmer and rancher as well as a past member of the Leoti Lions Club and the Antique Car Club. He loved farming as... [More]
Danny “Dan” Neil Donovan, age 75, passed away on April 15, 2023, at the Adara Living Nursing Home in Broomfield, Colorado. He was born to Claude Oren & Beulah Rebecca Hagstrom Donovan in Syracuse, Kansas on October 2, 1947. He was a graduate of Greeley... [More]
Randy Harris, age 67, passed away on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. He was born on August 20, 1955, in Tribune to Gail and Pearl Koestal Harris. He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Tribune. He served his... [More]
William “Pug” Eugene Mitchell passed away at Logan County Senior Center in Oakley on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at the age of 83. He was born April 10, 1939 in Beloit. He was the son of William Arthur Mitchell and Edna Sophronia (Colby) Mitchell. Pug began... [More]
Denis James Weber was born at the family farm in Sheridan Lake, Colorado on September 15, 1933 to Frank and Agatha Weber. He was the eighth of eight children. After struggling with complications of COPD, he passed away at his home on Monday, March 7, 2023. Denis loved... [More]
Joyce L. Nemechek, 92, passed away at the Greeley County Long Term Care on Thursday, March 2, 2023, in Tribune. She was born on February 5, 1931, in Horace, Kansas, to parents Herman and Iva Rhea Smith, who preceded her in death. She married Bernard (Bernie) Nemechek... [More]
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