The Lawrence school district has hired a new curriculum leader and elementary principal for the 2020-2021 school year. Superintendent Anthony Lewis on Monday announced Patrick Kelly, who is currently director of the Lawrence College and Career Center, will become the school district’s executive director of curriculum and instruction and Heather Renk, an elementary principal in Atchison, will become the new ...
The coronavirus pandemic has delayed much, but it appears it won’t delay the property tax collector. Home and business owners ought to be prepared to meet the quickly approaching May 10 deadline for property tax payments, as state and local officials told the Journal-World they were not considering delaying the deadline date. The decision to keep the deadline unchanged has some local governments that rely ...
The Lawrence school district is still hoping to hold graduation ceremonies for seniors, despite the coronavirus pandemic that led to the cancellation of most school events. But Julie Boyle, a spokeswoman for the school district, said the district doesn’t yet know when those ceremonies may be. She said the district formed a committee to discuss options but no decisions have been made. “(Superintendent ...
Despite school buildings being closed because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Lawrence school district is preparing for its classrooms to be full of students next fall. But Julie Boyle, a spokeswoman for the school district, said the district has faced challenges to get the word out that it is currently registering new students for the 2020-2021 school year. Part of the reason is that the school ...
An attorney for a local activist group is arguing that Douglas County’s use of a 1994 sales tax referendum to expand the county jail without a public vote would give the county the ability to debt-finance projects whenever it wants. William Skepnek, an attorney for Justice Matters, said in a court filing Tuesday that the county's belief in that authority is "frankly fantastical." Skepnek made the argument in ...
Douglas County will see an increase in costs for its employee health care plan, but the county administrator says it's a better situation than what the county has experienced in the recent past. The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday approved a health care plan with a 6.9% increase in county funding, about $580,000, bringing the county’s total contribution to just under $9 million. County employees' ...