The wheels were set in motion Monday night for a judge to revisit the will of local benefactor Thomas H. Bowlus, whose estate was dedicated to create the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, and whose operation depends on the school district.
USD 257 board of education members approved two changes to the petition at their meeting Monday night. From here it will be submitted to Allen County District Court.
The changes include who will pay for the costs incurred by filing the petition. Wording in the previous petition read that the Bowlus estate would be asked to carry the load.
New language asks that the Court consider costs according to how they pertain to the two parties: The school district and the Bowlus estate, which will most likely be represented by a Guardian ad Litem and appointed by a district judge.
The two areas that could apply specifically to the Bowlus estate are, in fact, the fee to cover the costs for its legal representation, and whether trustees violated Mr. Bowlus’s will when they moved his assets from Allen County State Bank after an initial 15-year period.
When the will was reviewed in 1966, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled all legal expenses were to be paid from the Bowlus estate.
However, today’s petition reads: “Trustees recognize that the facts and circumstances surrounding this petition are unique and the fees may not be taxed to only one entity.”
Although it is not known who the judge will be to review the case, the only certainty is that it will not be Allen County District Judge Daniel D. Creitz, grandson of Dale P. Creitz, a former Bowlus director.
“That, we know for sure,” said Jack Koehn, superintendent of schools.
IN OTHER news, enrollment for 2016 is up slightly from the previous year. Numbers for grades kindergarten through 12th grade total 1,347, compared to 1,332 for 2015.
“When you dig into the numbers, we’re really pretty flat,” Koehn said, explaining that 12 additional students, including five adults, have enrolled in the district’s virtual education program. It now has 41 students.
The tech center is up and running, Koehn said, with a picnic table to prove it. Koehn said the 15 students had to first endure lots of safety training before they could get their hands dirty.
“That was a little frustrating for them,” he said.
Two more picnic tables are in the making.
Trustees agreed to purchase three “sails” to replace a valuable shade tree now gone outside of the cafeteria because of a plumbing issue. The structures, priced altogether at $3,000, will provide immediate relief for the popular gathering site for students.
Teachers Jeff Fehr and Bill Peeper gave trustees a slideshow of their trip to Europe this summer, courtesy of a $5,000 Global Teacher Fellowship.
The two are headed to North Carolina on Thursday at a gathering of other educators to show how they are using their experiences in the classroom.
