A USD 383 school board member is suing her former employer, the state department of education, in federal court for forcing her to resign, saying it was a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech.

Katie Allen, who is on the Manhattan-Ogden Board of Education, drew criticism earlier this month after commenting “well deserved” in response to a Facebook post with a quote from political influencer Charlie Kirk following his killing.

On Sept. 15, the Kansas Department of Education said Allen, who had been a research analyst, was no longer employed there. Allen on Sept. 16 gave up her position as vice president of the school board but declined to leave the board.

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By Emma Loura and Megan Moser

The USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden school board voted to ask member Katie Allen’s to resign Wednesday night following a social media post she made about the death of conservative political influencer Charlie Kirk.

Allen said she would not resign but would step down as board vice president.

The other six board members admonished Allen for her actions and passed a resolution requesting that she submit her resignation, which passed 5-1. Board member Jayme Morris-Hardeman voted no.

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Katie Allen no longer with Kansas Dept. of Education

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USD 383 board member Katie Allen on Thursday apologized after replying to a post about the Charlie Kirk death “Well deserved.”

Allen was replying to a repost on Facebook by Courtney Jane Hochman, a school board candidate. The original post, from People magazine, reported the death of the influential right-wing speaker and author Kirk, who was killed Wednesday during an event at a Utah college. The post included a quote from Kirk, who once said, “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”

Allen, who works for the Kansas Department of Education, was elected to the Manhattan-Ogden school board in 2023.

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Allen says “well deserved” remark on Kirk post was mistake

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By Emma Loura

To fill the district’s need for occupational therapists, USD 383 is contracting with the company Sunbelt Staffing LLC. At Wednesday night’s meeting, the school board gave final approval to a contract for occupational therapy services to fill the IEP needs for the 2025-2026 school year.

“As a reminder, the reason we’re having to do this contract is that we were unable to recruit an O.T. to work for the district for this year,” school board president Kristin Brighton said. “I’m assuming those efforts to find someone are still ongoing and will continue.”

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By Emma Loura

The proposed USD 383 budget for fiscal year 2025 would raise taxes by 5% for the average homeowner in the Manhattan-Ogden school district.

The USD 383 school board on Wednesday unanimously authorized a mill levy of 59.184 for fiscal year 2026, a 0.725 mill decrease from the 59.909 mill levy in fiscal year 2025. The budget is projected to exceed the revenue-neutral rate.

The revenue-neutral rate is the mill levy rate that would generate the same amount of tax dollars as the year before.

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By Cole Bertelsen

Manhattan residents may be surveyed this fall about their interest in improvements and additions to CiCo Park.

Deputy city manager Jason Hilgers sought the USD 383 school board’s input Wednesday night on the city of Manhattan’s interest in making changes to the park.

One potential addition to the park which received notable interest from the community is indoor aquatic facilities.

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By Emma Loura

Retired educator and director of business services for USD 383, Lew Faust, has registered to run for the Manhattan-Ogden school board Tuesday.

Faust worked for USD 383 from 2009 until he retired in 2023.

“My entire career was in education for 43 years,” Faust said. “I started as a teacher and coach and was a building-level administrator, then ended up the last 12 years of my career as the director of business for 383. Education was a good career for me, it was good to me over the years and now I’m at a point in my life where I want to give back and stay involved.”

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USD 383 school board members want individuals and groups in the community to participate in a series of meetings later this spring to discuss the effects of smart phone use and screen time on students.

In a joint letter to The Mercury Thursday, Manhattan-Ogden school board members called on “families, teachers, coaches, youth organizations, faith-based groups, and all who support young people to join us in tackling this issue.”

“The rise of smartphones and increased screen time among children and teens has contributed to alarming levels of anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges in our population — most significantly in our children, teens and young adults,” the letter read. ” … Reducing screen dependence will take a shared commitment to educate families, promote healthier habits, and provide kids with engaging, real-world alternatives to digital entertainment and socialization. Meaningful change will require a community-wide effort.”

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