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LEADER&TIMES
THURSDAY July 21, 2016

TWIN KILLING

11 garage sales listed inside! PAGE 4B

Bee Jays take

series from Derby,
stay and race for
league title
PAGE 8A

WOODEN BARN

Quilts
By ROBERT PIERCE
Leader &Times
Quilting has been quite popular throughout
the course of history, and recently, barn quilting
has gained popularity.
Despite the name, barn quilts, two by two feet
pieces of wood painted with a quilt pattern, are
not just for barns, but also for fence and other
outdoor decorations as well as fair competitions.
On Aug. 4 and 5, Seward Countys K-State
Research and Extension office is hosting two
workshops, one for adults and one for youth, for
people who would like to get in on the art of
barn quilting.
Extension Agent Kathy Bloom said the hobby
has become a big craze in America.

All across the nation, people are making

these two by two foot squares, she said. They
paint them to resemble a quilt square. They have
them on their fence. Theres actually tours. You
can get a map and go and look at everybodys
barn quilts.
Bloom and her husband, Fred, visited Indiana
a few years ago, and the couple took one such
tour through that states Amish country.
Its kind of caught on, she said.
The work done by young people and adults on
Aug. 4 and 5 is eligible for entry in this years
Seward County Five State Fair, and state fairs
even have divisions where each county winner
can be represented.

art projects for

adults, children

N See QUILTS/Page 3A

SCCC board
publishes
2017 budget
Mill levy to remain level,
pending tax valuations appeal
Seward County Community College

Candidate
forum scheduled
for today
Special to the L&T

The U.S. House and Kansas Senate Candidate

Forum is slated for 6 to 8 p.m. today at Rock Island
Depot.
At 6 p.m., the U.S. House Forum with
Congressman
Tim
Huelskamp, Dr. Roger
Marshall and Alan LaPolice
will take place.
At 7 p.m., the Kansas
State Forum with Bud Estes
and Joyce Warshaw will be
conducted.
The Chamber will be taking questions prior to
the forum by telephone at 624-3855 and by email
at
brenda@liberalkschamber.com.
Written
questions will be accepted from the audience
during the forum.
Both forums will air on KSCB 1270AM and both
forums are sponsored by Liberal Chamber of
Commerce, KSCB Radio and the Leader & Times.

The Seward County Community

College board of trustees approved a first
publication of the 2016-17 budget that
leaves the local mill levy at 37 mills.
Trustees chose to work with the current
assessed valuation numbers for Seward
County tax revenue of $9.3 million,
though there is some concern that
pending tax appeals might change the
financial landscape.
The proposed budget totals $15.9
million for expenditures and transfers.
Vice President of Finance and Operations Dennis Sander told the board the
budget includes a projected increase of
$250,000 to the college for health care,
which will be supplemented by increased
employee contributions to insurance
premiums. The 2017 budget also incorporates $200,000 in expenditures for
retirements, raises and employee
compensation, and $70,000 in rising
costs for energy and institutional
insurance. Nonetheless, he said, the
College continues to strike a balance
between economizing and ensuring longterm growth.
Financially, Fiscal Year 2016 was a
positive one for SCCC, he said.
Faculty, staff, and administration
continued to be frugal and efficient. The
college is in a position to at least leverage
some of its reserves against the continued
specter of state appropriation and local
tax revenue drops in FY17.
There is concern about the outcome
of the current tax appeal, and its ultimate

Vol. 131 Iss. 85 12 Pa ges

effect on mill levy revenues, Sander said.

We will not know the outcome of the
appeal for some time.
With a motion by trustee Dustin
Ormiston and a second by vice-chair
Marvin Chance Jr., the board voted 5/0
(with Sharon Hobble absent and
President Ken Trzaska participating via
phone) to approve the release of the
budget. Detailed documents are on view
at the SCCC library for the public to
access. Final approval of the budget is
slated for the Aug. 1 meeting.
In other business, the board handled a
light agenda:
Trustees approved the personnel
report, which included hiring of four new
employees: Tanya Dowell as Director of
Human Resources; Manuel Bustillos as
HVAC instructor; and Tyler Mangels and
Jerad Noble as welding instructors.
Vice President of Student Services
Celeste Donovan and Director of Admissions Bert Luallen presented a report on
enrollment for the fall semester. Current
figures show a decrease of 16 percent,
but nearly 400 registrations are waiting to
be processed due to technology
upgrades. Dorm housing is nearly full for
the upcoming year, with 232 of 250 spots
reserved.
Trustees voted to appoint officers and
committee appointments for the coming
year: chair Ron Oliver, vice-chair Marvin
Chance Jr., clerk Dr. Ken Trzaska,
treasurer Tina Call and assistant treasurer
Mike Brond; KACCT delegates Chance,
and alternates John Engel and Rick
Brenneman, Seward County Council of
Governments representatives Oliver and
Ormiston; and appointment of Sander as
the compliance officer for Title VI, Title

N See SCCC/Page 3A

Liberal High School Science teacher Lindsay Diepenbrock helps a student

during a science class last fall. L&T file photo/Elly Grimm

USD 480, State of

Kansas experience
educator shortage
By ELLY GRIMM
Leader & Times
Education has been going through
a rough patch for the past few years,
with one of the major issues being a
shortage of teachers. A Blue Ribbon
Task Force was recently formed in
Topeka to address the issue.
This issue, unfortunately, has not
passed Liberals USD 480. USD 480
Superintendent Renae Hickert said
she feels there are several reasons the
issue has become so major, including
this areas geography.
Even though in Liberal theres
things to do and places to shop and
places to eat, it usually involves them
leaving their comfort base and
family, Hickert said. And when
were successful in getting them
here, a lot of times theyre here for
three or four years because they get
that experience and are ready to go
back home. I would say that is a big
reason why we lose them. I think

also, the number of students

entering education programs are on
the decline.
The overall decline of students
pursuing education as a major is a
leading part of the issue. In fact,
Hickert said, a university in
Michigan that works with USD 480
saw its numbers drop by nearly half.
Even with these factors, however,
Hickert said she believes there is also
an issue with overall respect for
teachers.
I dont feel, as educators, were
respected the way we should be,
Hickert said. And teaching in a
diverse district such as ours, where
we have language, we have poverty,
its not easy, and its a lot of work.
Weve got a lot of great staff who
take that on and rock at it, but its
not easy. It just takes someone whos
dedicated, and thats challenging,
because not every school has the

N See SHORTAGE/Page 3A

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