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Area Briefs

Mulvane residents get tested for COVID-19

BY ANDREW LINNABARYandrew@derbyinformer.com

Sedgwick County’s Mobile Outreach Response team came to Mulvane last Thursday and offered COVID-19 testing to residents. The team tested 84 individuals in the three hours they were at the Pix Community Center. It was the second time mobile testing came to Mulvane.

John Lucero, the program’s coordinator, said his team looks for “transportation deserts” when determining

locations for testing. “There are certain ZIP

codes that have a lower population with access to transportation,” Lucero said. “Some are socio-economic issues. Some are age issues. So we started to look at areas outside of Wichita that had lower testing numbers. We said, ‘Why don’t we make the opportunity to go to these communities and offer a central location where people who want to get tested can get tested?’”

Lucero used Goddard as an example.

“We thought it would

be a good opportunity to say, ‘Hey Goddard, you’re 20 to 30 miles away from Wichita, so what if we came to you and tested you in your backyard?’”

The testing team offers testing twice a week, but that could increase based upon demand. In a three-hour testing period, the number of tests given averages between about 80 to 120, Lucero said.

Other testing locations have included Clearwater, Valley Center, Colwich, Goddard, and Haysville. The team will be in Derby in mid-August.

Rose Hill to start classes after Labor Day

Rose Hill’s board of education voted 4-2 in favor of starting the school year on September 8. The decision mirrors Derby, Mulvane, Wichita and other area and state school districts. Board members in favor of the decision said that starting in September would grant staff and teachers extra time to prepare for the year. As of late July, the district had not yet finalized the learning models that would be available for students.

COVID-19 cases in Mulvane doubled last week

The Sedgwick County Health Department reported 12 new coronavirus cases in Mulvane between July 20 and July 27, a 109% increase in total cases. That data is based on Mulvane’s 67110 ZIP code, which has a population of 8,891.

The number of tests adminis-tered in Mulvane is 461, which equals a testing rate of 519 tests per 10,000 residents. As of Friday, the total number of coro-navirus cases in Mulvane is 23. Coronavirus data by ZIP code can be found on the Sedgwick County COVID-19 dashboard.

Upcoming COVID-19 testing dates, locations

No appointment necessary. Tests are done using a nasal swab. Each date is from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The county will likely add additional dates and locations in August.

8/6/20: ColwichColwich Fire Department310 S. Second St8/18/20: DerbyMadison Avenue Central Park Pavilion512 E. Madison8/20/20: HaysvilleHaysville Community Center130 E. 2nd South

Mulvane library employee tests positive for COVID-19

The Mulvane Public Library recently closed after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. In a news release, the library said they decided to do a quarantine closure based on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s recommen-dations. The library tentatively plans to reopen on August 10.

Mulvane superintendent details district’s hybrid approachBY ANDREW LINNABARYandrew@derbyinformer.com

Mulvane Public Schools plans to start the school year using a hybrid model, the district recently announced. An entirely remote learning option will also be available for students.

“[Our priority is] keeping students and staff as safe as possible while also offering a meaningful, engaging and accountable education for our students,” Mulvane Superintendent Dr. Jay Ensley said in a video

statement shared with families. “That has been a challenge that we are addressing with this plan.”

Students will be in class Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week, but not for the whole school day. Half will be in class in the morning, and half will be in class during the afternoon. Everyone will learn from home on Wednesdays, which will allow for “some deep cleaning and

teacher instructional and planning time,” Ensley said.

The hybrid learning model – which was created by a task force of teachers, nurses, administrators, and board members and guided by parent and staff feedback – will be in effect from the start of school, which has been delayed to September 8, through the middle of October. At that time, the district’s learning model will be reevaluated, Ensley said.

“It could continue, or we could pivot and change at that point,” Ensley said.

The district’s plan has several different levels it can move between based upon the severity of COVID-19 in the area. The intent is to be able to quickly shift and move between levels if necessary.

“If we have to shut down as a state, community, or as a district, we will have the tools and planning needed to do that,” Ensley said.

The first two days of school will be a vir-tual orientation, and the first day of on-site learning will be September 10. Mulvane’s school calendar is otherwise unchanged. Holidays have remained the same.

Based upon current county and state requirements, staff and students will have their temperature taken before being allowed inside school buildings, Ensley said. Other details, including the protocol on masks, food service, technology, transportation and more, are still being ironed out. The district is at this point unable to offer shuttle busing.

“Everything will be affected,” Ensley said.Ensley acknowledged that the plan will

not be perfect for every family or student. “We know this is going to create some

challenges for some families, and we apologize for that, but we have to consider that our team and teachers felt it was best to have our students in front of us and with us as much as possible,” Ensley said.

“No plan is perfect. We’re not going to be able to answer absolutely everyone’s needs or questions, and I apologize for that, but I assure much deliberation, thought and input was considered as we developed this plan.”

Enrollment and registration is open through August 7. Any questions can be addressed to individual building principals.

CARES funding approved for schools, bars on holdBY KELLY BRECKUNITCHkelly@derbyinformer.com

During a special meeting July 29, the Sedgwick County Commission strictly addressed potential uses of the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery and Economic Support (CARES) federal funding – totaling $99.6 million – it has been granted so far.

Given discussion swirling around the opening of schools across Kansas – with a number of local districts choosing to delay the start of the year until after Labor Day – distribution and allocation of CARES funds to schools was a focus of the meeting.

In a plan presented to the commission on July 8, county staff outlined $3.5 million in CARES funding to be dedicated to K-12 schools. Chief Financial Officer Lindsay Poe Rousseau brought forward options for allocating those funds at the July 29 meeting – including flat per student rates, flat rates with an additional stipend, a tiered approach based on size, etc.

“They’re trying to get schools open. So, the way that we do that is to get the money in their hands as soon as possible,” said Commissioner David Dennis.

Dennis was a proponent of the option that would dedicate $21.55 in per-pupil aid plus the $100,000 stipend to the 10 public school districts headquartered in the county (including Derby, Haysville and Mulvane) and the Catholic Diocese of Wichita Schools. Four local independent schools – including Derby’s Faith Lutheran – would also receive the per-pupil aid, but not the additional stipend.

While that option falls in line with the state’s Strengthening People and Revitaliz-ing Kansas (SPARK) plan in providing for those districts headquartered in the county, Poe Rousseau noted an inclination toward an option simply allocating funds through

a flat per-student rate. That is the method through which most CARES funding has been allocated so far and a plan with which Commissioner Lacey Cruse was on board.

“I don’t understand why we wouldn’t just make it equitable across a per-pupil basis,” Cruse said.

Pushing for the option with a stipend, Dennis noted concerns over differences among school districts – some operating a large number of school buildings, some just a few. Adding a stipend is something Dennis sees as getting smaller districts the funding they need to safely open doors – as a flat per-pupil rate puts smaller districts at a disadvantage.

A motion was made by Dennis to approve the option with a flat per-pupil aid rate with an additional $100,000 stipend for 11 local school districts, which was approved 4-1. It was also moved to distribute the funding 100 percent in advance.

“I think the sooner we verify what we’re going to do to provide help to them, the more usable this money is for them,” said Commissioner Jim Howell.

Through the approved allocation, Derby is set to receive $299,778 in CARES funding,

Haysville will receive $258,373, Mulvane will receive $149,217 and Faith Lutheran will receive $889.

Funding for bars and nightclubs shut down by the current revised emergency public health order was also readdressed at the July 29 meeting.

Still seeking input from local businesses on funding needs, Poe Rousseau said the county has received 140 responses requesting $10.6 million in assistance so far. While a number of funding avenues (federal and state) exist, she raised concerns about how providing assistance during a temporary shutdown could set precedent.

Meanwhile, Cruse put forth the idea that assistance during the current shutdown should focus on directing workers at bars and nightclubs to the temporary jobs available through the county at call centers.

“We are working as quickly as possible to try to help people who are out of work to understand this is temporary, and if you can become temporarily employed to help our health department, the jobs are there,” Cruse said.

Other commissioners were also leery about dedicating funds directly during a temporary shutdown, given situations and other requests that may come up in the future, with Howell stating that no one small business should be treated differently than any other when it comes to trying to secure CARES funding.

“Although I want them (bars/nightclubs) to survive, I don’t think we can single them out,” Howell said. “If this goes on for another year, it could get extremely difficult going forward. To give them money is not necessarily solving the problem. It’s a band-aid at best.”

Howell motioned to table discussion of funding allocations for bars and nightclubs permanently, which passed on a 3-2 vote.

Ensley

ANDREW LINNABARY/INFORMERA mobile outreach specialist uses a nasal swab to test for COVID-19 at a recent testing event in Mulvane.