New air quality standards required by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency could show Harvey County is now out of compliance.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Air and Radiation hosted a meeting Thursday morning at Wichita City Hall to discuss the stricter regulations and the effect they could have on the Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Harvey County.
Randy Riggs, Newton city manager, and Erin McDaniel, city public information officer, attended the meeting.
Those attending the meeting heard officials say it’s only a matter of time before the Wichita area will have to deal with air pollution regulations, Riggs said. If the levels aren’t below the standard now, it will happen in the future as the area continues to grow.
While Harvey County does not have a monitoring system located within its borders, because it is a part of the Wichita metropolitan area, the state will evaluate how it contributes to air pollution. The Wichita metro area includes four counties — Harvey, Butler, Sedgwick and Sumner.
“(During the meeting), we were told the Clean Air Act has no middle ground. You’re either in or you’re out,” Riggs said when asked how this affects Newton and Harvey County. “Because we are considered part of the Wichita metro area, we and the rest of Harvey County will be included in the report of either attaining standard or nonattaining.”
$245 to $270 per month. The family plan benefit increases $25 per month, from $295 to $320 per month.
The total package cost is $747,875 and represents a 4.3 percent increase in cost to the district.
The increase covers the base salary increase, movement on the salary schedule for years of service and additional education, an increase in the rate of summer school pay, an increase in the rate in the supplemental salary schedule, the insurance increase and an increase of three positions on the supplemental salary schedule.
Also included in the package are adjustments to the chargeable temporary leave pools, a contract waiver provision for teachers in charter schools, an educational provision concerning the use and planning of professional days, provisions to make permanent the pilot elementary collaboration time program, provisions for transfer of unused leave days to the leave pools, an increase in the amount of leave that may be accumulated and a conversion of one professional day to a teacher work day.
Provisions concerning placement on the salary schedule were clarified and a joint BOE-NEA committee was recommended to study improvement of the instructional coach program so that it better meets the needs of teachers and students.
The focus of the group will be to answer “What can we do to improve the instructional coach program to better meet the needs of both the students and teachers?”
