Rural Kansas districts debate closures amid flat aid and falling enrollment
Western Kansas districts struggle as state aid remains flat while enrollment declines push some schools toward closure or consolidation. Supts from Hoxie Oberlin and Mankato warn of shrinking student counts and stressed budgets as drought and out-migration hit rural towns, threatening regional education levels and community viability.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jim McDaniel
Kansas
Kelly Gladt
Oberlin
State education in Kansas faces funding, enrollment pressure
In the Calling it Quits series the Journal-World surveys Kansas education as districts cut or consolidate due to declining funding rising costs and fewer students. Today examines statewide trends, with Monday focusing on Lawrence schools and Tuesday on the politics of school funding.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kansas
Hoxie
Journal-World
Lawrence
Kansas lawmaker faces shifted stance on school funding
Historical quotes show a former Kansas Senate president recalling a time when officials prioritized school funding, contrasting with current behavior. Voters and legislators have increasingly funded districts, reflecting evolving attitudes toward education spending and political risk.
Crypto scare closes pool in Lawrence
Lawrence officials closed the Lawrence Aquatic Center after a child had diarrhea, with hyperchlorination as a precaution. The city will reopen after health officials assess safety. The crypto outbreak earlier last year caused hundreds of cases in northeast Kansas but no deaths.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kansas
Lawrence Aquatic Center
Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department
Fred DeVictor
Noeante High
Roger Hill
DeVictor
Lawrence
Kansas University
Douglas County
E-government ready to take next step
Jeff Spink of J S Abstracting travels 150 miles daily to access real estate records, drainage easements, tax liens, foreclosures, and divorce filings. He worries data errors in online records mean he still must verify hard copies. Yet a new survey nudges municipalities, including Douglas County, to expand online services and payments. County IT director Jim Lawson says basic online capabilities exist and more improvements follow.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jeff Spink
Spink
J.S. Abstracting
Douglas County
Jim Lawson
Also Mentioned on This Page
The
State of
Education
Bill Snead
Journal-W
Nestre
Dean Schultz
Mankato
Kworld
Glee Smith
Kansas Senate
Senate Education
Smith
Larned
Journal-World Photo
Emery Hart
Utica High School
eBay
Aquatic Center
Ig.com
City Parks and Recreation
By Mark Fagan
Ljworld.com
Scott McClurg
Travel
Goming
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!