By STEPHAN BISAHA

Wichita Public School teachers are receiving a more than a 3.5 percent increase in salary. In Topeka, the increase is nearly 8 percent, that district’s largest in 26 years.

School districts across Kansas are raising salaries, restoring cut positions and adding new jobs.

That follows the phasing in of $500 million in additional school funding approved by the Kansas Legislature in the spring under pressure from the Kansas Supreme Court to improve education funding.

In a survey conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education in 2017, districts said if they received $200 million in additional funding, about a third would go toward teacher salaries.

That mimics what happened last year when districts raised salaries after the Legislature allocated about $200 million to school funding. That helped improve Kansas’ rankings for teacher compensation to 40th out of the 50 states in 2018.

“Normally, you wouldn’t be excited about 40th except we are moving in the right direction,” said Craig Neuenswander, the school finance team director at KSDE.

The state’s teacher shortage has often been blamed on low pay. Districts are hoping to improve recruitment and retainment with the salary increases.

“We know that being able to recruit and retain teachers will lead to the best learning outcomes for students,” said Misty Kruger, the director of communications at Topeka Public Schools.

Districts have also been restoring previously cut positions. And some school districts have added new positions that better reflect their changing needs. Hays Public Schools, for instance, hired a business teacher to teach the classes the district wanted.

“Wherever they had to make cuts, they’re going to have to make decisions about if simply bringing back positions is as good as creating positions they want to,” said Mark Tallman, the associate director of the Kansas Association of School Boards.

Many districts have used the opportunity to hire more school counselors to address growing issues with student discipline and mental health. Those positions were some of the first to go when cuts had to be made, said Tracy Kaiser, the executive director of finance at Hays Public Schools.

“When we had to cut because everything was so tight, that was probably the easiest position to cut,” Kaiser said. “They’re also the most needed at this point.”

Stephan Bisaha reports on education for the Kansas News Service Follow him on @SteveBisaha.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge is blocking portions of a new state law on meat inspections from taking effect

Cole County Circuity Judge Jon Beetem temporarily blocked the law from being implemented. The order runs through Sept. 15.

Beetem issued the temporary ban in face of a lawsuit over which state department has the authority to inspect captive deer.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has been responsible for inspecting deer. Part of the new law would shift that authority to the Department of Agriculture.

The Conservation Commission and Department of Conservation sued in response, alleging that the law takes away from the agency’s constitutional authority over wildlife.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri artist is covering racist tattoos for free to try and give people who’ve had a change of heart a second chance.

Springfield tattoo artist Justin Fleetwood announced last month that he was offering the free service. Fleetwood said he’s been surprised by the amount of interest.

“I already feel more strongly about it just since I started talking to these people,” he said. “I was like, ‘Man, this is a bigger deal than I thought to these people.’”

Fleetwood said he believes he’ll only be able to cover one or two tattoos a week, but he hopes other tattoo artists will join him.

“I’m not an activist. I’m not going to storm Washington or anything like that. But this was kind of an opportunity for me to contribute to something I believe in,” he said. “If I can use my trade to make a difference in people’s lives, then I think that’s pretty cool.”

Jason Bland is among those seeking Fleetwood’s help. Bland got tattoos of a swastika and “1488 white pride” while he was in prison in 2007.

“In there, it tends to breed hate because you don’t have much hope,” he said. “I covered my body with racist tattoos because that is what I was about. I hated everything and everyone.”

But Bland said his feelings have changed since then, especially now that he has a biracial daughter. He said having the tattoos removed from his body will allow his daughter to appreciate who he is today, instead of seeing who he was in the past.

KANSAS CITY – Additional charges were filed last week against a Kansas City man for stalking two more victims.

Robert J. Gross, 66, of Kansas City, was charged in a 10-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City. The superseding indictment replaces an indictment returned on Jan. 10, 2018, and adds two counts of stalking.

The indictment charges Gross with two additional counts of stalking separate victims between Oct. 1 and Dec. 22, 2017. Gross allegedly traveled from Missouri to Kansas with the intent to harass and intimidate his victims, causing them to feel substantial emotional distress.

The indictment also contains the original eight counts, which includes two counts of stalking separate victims (for a total of four victims) between Oct. 1 and Dec. 22, 2017; three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and three counts of receiving a firearm while under indictment.

Gross allegedly was in possession of a 9mm Velocity “Uzi”-type firearm on Dec. 16, 2017. At that time, Gross was both a convicted felon and under indictment in the state of Kansas for aggravated sexual battery.

Gross allegedly was in possession of a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun on Dec. 17, 2017. At that time, Gross was both a convicted felon and under indictment in the state of Kansas for aggravated sexual battery.

Gross allegedly was in possession of a Springfield 12-gauge shotgun and a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. At that time, Gross was both a convicted felon and under indictment in the state of Kansas for aggravated sexual battery.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony, or who is under indictment, to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Gross has prior felony convictions for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and making terroristic threats to a former girlfriend.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Gross was destroying property and stalking individuals associated with massage parlors in Kansas, which led to him being placed under surveillance by law enforcement. 

On Dec. 22, 2017, officers observed Gross allegedly purchase two shotguns from an unidentified individual in the parking lot of the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Liberty, Mo. According to the affidavit, Gross first drove to the Pizza Ranch parking lot, where he removed the license plate from the front of his car. The rear license plate had been removed as well. Then Gross drove to the nearby Lowe’s store, where he was met by an individual driving a white pickup truck. The unidentified individual allegedly sold Gross two shotguns, which he handed to Gross from his truck. As Gross was putting two shotguns in the trunk of his car, officers arrested him for being a felon in possession of firearms.

According to the affidavit, the individual who sold the shotguns to Gross told investigators that Gross called him the day before, after seeing the firearms advertised on a web site. Gross told him he wanted to buy two shotguns for $350 and they arranged to meet at Lowe’s to conduct the sale.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An attorney says that Kansas energy regulators continue to allow oil and gas drillers to apply for injection-well permits without providing adequate public notice despite complaints on the matter.

Robert Eye represents the Kansas Sierra Club, Douglas County and five individuals. Eye tells the Lawrence Journal-World that the Kansas Corporation Commission has issued more than 2,000 injection-well permits since 2008 after giving the public only 15 days to file protests instead of the federally required 30 days.

Injection wells have been linked to earthquakes many Kansas residents say have caused significant property damage.

The commission was expected Thursday to clear regulators of any wrongdoing. But commissioners announced they’d delay their final order after Eye asked them to acknowledge an oil company’s July public notices for permits with 15-day protest periods.

By STEPHEN KORANDA

President Donald Trump has reached a tentative trade deal with Mexico, and now the focus of tariff talks shifts to Canada.

It’s a high-stakes situation for Kansas industry because Canada is the top export market for the state.

Kansas exports totaled more than $11 billion in 2017, led by agricultural products, aircraft and airplane parts. Nearly $2.5 billion of those exports went to Canada. The other partner in the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico, was the second biggest market for Kansas exports, at nearly $2 billion.

There is no political necessity to keep Canada in the new NAFTA deal. If we don’t make a fair deal for the U.S. after decades of abuse, Canada will be out. Congress should not interfere w/ these negotiations or I will simply terminate NAFTA entirely & we will be far better off…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2018

When it comes to agriculture, Canada is generally the number three market for Kansas, behind Mexico and Japan.

Josh Roe, deputy secretary of agriculture in Kansas, stressed the importance of the NAFTA deal for Kansas farmers.

“I just can’t place enough emphasis on Canada and Mexico moving forward,” Roe said.

The deal with Mexico keeps tariffs on farm products at zero. Mexico buys around 30 percent of the state’s ag exports.

Roe hopes the same zero-tariff mindset continues in the talks with Canada. Between 8 and 10 percent of Kansas agriculture exports are sold to Canada, including meat from the state’s packing plants, flour and soybean products.

Roe said the top goal for the trade talks is simple: Keep the Canadian market open to Kansas farmers. Many of the state’s producers are already struggling.

“We’re still at a place with very depressed commodity prices, very low farm incomes,” Roe said. “Any additional shock that takes away those markets just has very detrimental impacts.”

However, NAFTA is nearly 25 years old, so Roe believes it could use some updating. Protections for intellectual property and updated definitions for technology could help boost high-tech products.

With the right changes, there could be a growth in the sales of animal pharmaceuticals, seed technology and software related to agriculture.

“A majority of our exports now really are those base ag commodities,” Roe said, “but in the digital era, it’s not always something concrete we can hold in our hands.”

In a letter to Trump this week, Republican Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran sent a similar message. Moran suggested Trump try to lower tariffs on dairy products going into Canada, but he urged the president not to move forward with a new trade deal unless Canada is on board.

“Any new agreement that excludes Canada would, unfortunately, be a significant step in the wrong direction,” Moran said in the letter to the president.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.