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Rural Kansas towns struggle as school consolidation deepens
The piece traces consolidation across Kansas where Hillcrest, Belleville, and Republic County USD 109 merged, shuttering Hillcrest’s Cuba school and affecting locals like Cuba secretary Marilyn Junek. It notes historic, ongoing debates, state studies from 1992 to 2010, and current worries that mergers threaten rural communities while some see potential in local economic development efforts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Milner
Hillcrest
Kansas
Nebraska
Republic
Jewell
Washington
Belleville
Republic County
USD 109
Cuba
Marilyn Junek
Junek
Roger Barker
University of Kansas
Ariel Sabar
Barker
Kansas Association of School Boards
Kansas State Board of Education
Sam Brownback
Brownback
Paul Davis
John Vratil
Davis
Wratil
Don Hineman
Dighton
Hineman
Ken Willard
Hutchinson
Willard
Denver
State Board
Wichita
Shawnee Mission
Legislative Auditors
Jenny Russell
Courtland
Russell
JenRus Freelance
Pike Valley
Jay
Jenny
Pike Valley Usd 426
Belleville-Hillcrest
Luke Mahin
Mahin
Fort Hays State University
Mahin and
U.S. Census Bureau
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