SALINE COUNTY — A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after noon Sunday in Saline County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a military vehicle driven by Caelan E. Simpson, 21, Wichita, was northbound on Interstate 135.

The driver attempted to exit onto Interstate 70, was traveling too fast and the vehicle rolled into the median.

Simpson was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center. A passenger Joshua R. Nicholson, 24, Grain Valley, MO., was not injured.  Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Despite an inquiry, the KHP did not release any additional details on the vehicle or those involved in the accident.

There is growing evidence that as Kansas has fallen behind in educational funding, we are also falling behind in student success outcomes,” said Mark Tallman, KASB associate executive director. “We are in danger of falling from a top achieving state to average or worse,” Tallman said. 

Full Report; Executive Summary; Supplemental Information

The analysis shows Kansas has maintained its 10th rank among states over numerous student academic measurements and every state that ranks higher than Kansas spends more per pupil.  

But the report also shows that Kansas student outcomes have started to fall as total funding per pupil in Kansas fell behind most states since 2008. 

The percent of Kansas students scoring at the basic and proficient level in NAEP tests have declined. In addition, the Kansas high school graduation rate, while 20th in the nation, has seen a lower rate of improvement over the past few years than the average of all states. 

Another trouble spot is in higher education achievement. 

Kansas exceeds the national average in the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds with some college or higher, but the state’s rate of increase in this area since 2005 ranks near the bottom of states. This comes at a time when studies show within three years seven out of 10 jobs will require some post-secondary achievement and states with the highest average incomes are generally those with the most educated population. 

Meanwhile, Kansas’ ranking for K-12 dollars fell from 29th to 31st between 2014 and 2015 and the percent increase in per pupil funding in between 2008 and 2015 ranked 39th and was much less than the states that outperform Kansas in education results.  

“This report validates the 2017 Legislature’s action to increase school funding significantly for the first time in almost a decade,” Tallman said. “It also supports the Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling that funding has not been adequate. Finally, it adds urgency to the State Board of Education’s Kansans Can vision and goals.”

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City, Kan., man who sold methamphetamine and guns to undercover investigators was sentenced this week to 11.5 years in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Eric Castillo, 28, who is citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of unlawful possession of firearms by a person who is not in the United States legally.

In a series of transactions monitored by investigators, Castillo sold methamphetamine for about $500 an ounce. Along with the drugs, he sold guns including rifles and handguns made by Beretta, Browning and Smith & Wesson. One of the handguns was a .380 pistol with a built-in laser.

The first transaction took place at a McDonald’s restaurant in Kansas City, Kan. Castillo offered guns for sale by asking undercover investigators if they were interested in buying some “toys.”

BY JIM MCLEAN

The head of the Kansas Department of Corrections says he sees no connection between a recent riot at a prison in Norton and disturbances earlier this summer at the state’s El Dorado prison.

But some lawmakers are charging that mismanagement of the state’s prison population is contributing to the unrest.

Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, said the department’s effort to clear the way for the demolition of a medium-security facility at Lansing has led to the “haphazard” movement of inmates throughout the system.

“I’m convinced that it’s been the unplanned, rapid rotation of inmates from one facility to another that has created this chaos that we’re having in our correctional system right now,” Kelly said.

The concerns are bipartisan. Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican, has criticized Corrections Secretary Joe Norwood for withholding information from lawmakers about the severity of incidents at the El Dorado prison.

In an interview  with The Associated Press, McGinn said it may be time “to change our management.”

Samir Arif, a spokesperson for the department, acknowledged that hundreds of prisoners had been moved over the course of the summer but said officials don’t believe that the mixing of inmate populations prompted the recent disturbances.

However, Norwood sees a connection between inmate unrest and the political tumult in the country, which has spawned massive demonstrations that in some cases have resulted in violent clashes.

“We have noticed a trend in how inmates seek to air their grievances mirroring what we have seen in society with group demonstrations,” Norwood said. “And sometimes those incidents can turn destructive, just as we have seen with protests across the country.”

Dismissing that explanation, Kelly said it showed “the department isn’t taking any responsibility” for the recent violence.

According to portions of the prison log obtained by KCUR, inmates at Norton set fires, smashed windows, commandeered prison vehicles and attempted to run over a guard. They also fashioned weapons out of chunks of broken glass before guards quelled the disturbance by threatening to use lethal force.

Similar to the incidents at El Dorado, Kelly said corrections officials attempted to downplay the severity of the Norton disturbance.  That, she said, is further eroding confidence in Norwood and his management team.

“I haven’t surveyed the bulk of my colleagues, but the ones I have talked to are concerned and do not have confidence in the current administration at the Department of Corrections,” Kelly said.

High turnover among corrections officers is also a factor in the disturbances. The annual turnover rate among uniformed officers across the system is 33 percent and nearly 50 percent at the El Dorado prison.

Last month, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback ordered an immediate pay raise for guards to help fill the vacancies.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.

JEFFERSON COUNTY — A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 6p.m. Saturday in Jefferson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Erik M. Runyan, 45, was eastbound on U.S. 24 just east of Williamstown.

The driver failed to maintain the lane of travel. The motorcycle drifted into the westbound lanes into oncoming traffic and struck a school bus driven by Diane E. Helm, 55, Tonganoxie.

Runyan was flown to a hospital in Topeka for treatment. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

Helm and twelve students on the bus were not injured.  The KHP did not release details on the school district involved in the accident early Sunday.