“We know that when we support our children, we support the future of our entire community,” Dimity Lowell told USD 257 board members at their Tuesday evening meeting. Representing Iola Senior Citizens Inc., Lowell presented the board with a check for $6,000 to go towards school supplies for students at Iola Elementary School.
“We’re proud to be a part of a community that believes in lifting each other up — especially our youngest learners,” said Lowell. “Our hope is to ease the financial burden on families by covering essential school supplies for preschool through sixth grade students.”
Lowell took the opportunity to encourage other local businesses and organizations to join in the effort. “Together, we can make a lasting difference in the lives of our students, teachers, and families,” she said.
Superintendent Stacey Fager extended his gratitude to the organization. “This will really help us. Thank you very much,” he said.
IN OTHER NEWS, the board also approved the renewal of USD 257’s membership with Schools For Fair Funding, Inc. (SFFF), a Kansas non-profit that advocates for equitable funding for public schools. Formed in 1997 by a coalition of superintendents, SFFF has played a prominent role in school finance litigation and reform in Kansas.
“We usually renew around this time of the school year,” said Fager. He pointed to the group’s efforts in monitoring the state’s evolving school finance formula, which is scheduled to be rewritten in 2027.
“It’s something I see as a priority,” he told the board.
The current school funding formula, as of the 2024-2025 school year, is based on a BASE aid amount set by the state legislature and adjusted for inflation, combined with a district’s weighted full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment. Additional weighting factors — such as for at-risk students or special education — further determine a district’s total state aid. SFFF represents 35 Kansas school districts and approximately 125,000 students, or one-third of the state’s total student population.
USD 257 Transportation Director Aaron Cole gave the board an overview of upcoming summer projects. These include work on the east-side parking lot at Iola Middle School, as well as completing bathroom partitions on the second and third floor of the school.
“Last year, we did new partitions in the first floor restrooms,” he said. “This year, we’d like to complete the project.” The additional partitions would cost $14,489. Cole noted that the parking lot project hasn’t been put out for bid yet.
Another project would include converting storage space at Iola Elementary School (IES) into office space.
Board member Tony Leavitt asked if landscaping at IES was going to be on the list of projects. “We’ve had two years of drought since we built that thing,” he noted.
Leavitt added that they had eliminated building an irrigation system on the school grounds when they were working on the budget for the construction. “It (landscaping) doesn’t look very good,” he said. “Is there anything we can do? It needs some additional attention, in my opinion.”
Cole said that more seed could be spread on the grounds and, hopefully, it will rain at the right time.
