The USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden school board approved the purchase of six new school buses totaling $811,497 during its meeting Wednesday at Robinson Education Center.

The board voted 5-0 to purchase three new 71-passenger school buses from Midwest Transit at an estimated cost of $159,400 each, or $478,200 total. The buses will be funded through the district’s capital outlay fund.

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The USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden school board moved toward a 2027 fiscal year budget that would mean an 8% property tax increase for the average homeowner.

The board also approved nearly $1 million in funding to keep after-school programs affordable following the loss of a federal grant.

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A Manhattan man was arrested Wednesday on a Riley County District Court warrant alleging child abuse.

Andrew Joseph Webb, 29, of Manhattan, was arrested at approximately 5:34 p.m. July 15 in the 1500 block of Highland Drive.

The warrant stems from a report originally filed in June 2026.

Webb was issued a total bond of $50,000 and is no longer confined in the Riley County Jail.

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The USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden school board voted Wednesday to notify Riley County that it intends to exceed the revenue-neutral property tax rate for the 2027 fiscal year budget while also approving nearly $1 million in funding to keep after-school programs affordable following the loss of a federal grant.

The board unanimously approved certifying its intent to exceed the revenue-neutral rate, a required procedural step before adopting a budget that would generate more property tax revenue than the previous year. District officials stressed that rising operating costs and statutory funding requirements make the revenue-neutral rate impractical for school districts.

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The USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to begin proceedings to terminate the employment contract of Marlatt Elementary School principal Sheila Henke.

The board cited alleged violations of board policy and failure to perform contractual duties.

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USD 383 school board member Katie Allen is seeking more than $6 million in compensation in her lawsuit against Kansas Department of Education officials, according to new court documents.

Allen filed a federal lawsuit against her former boss, Randy Watson, commissioner of education, for “demanding” she resign after she made a Facebook post in September. She said it was a violation of her First Amendment right to free speech. She has named Watson in his individual capacity and added Jake Steele, the new education commissioner, in his official capacity. The department itself is no longer listed as a defendant.

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USD 383 students will be without their phones from the beginning of the school day to the end under a new policy the school board approved Wednesday to align with Kansas law.

The Manhattan-Ogden school board at its meeting voted 6-1 to approve a policy prohibiting students from “using or accessing personal electronic communications devices during the school day while on district owned or operated property.” The school district had been developing its own cell phone policy, but officials decided they had to change tack after Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law a more stringent cell phone ban in March.

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USD 383 officials are projecting a decline in state funding for the 2026-27 school year as enrollment decreases, according to preliminary budget estimates.

Assistant superintendent for business Andy Sanchez told board members at Wednesday’s meeting that the district’s audited K-12 full-time equivalent enrollment for the current fiscal year was 6,698, while actual audited enrollment was 6,491. Using a three-year average, permitted because the district receives federal impact aid and experienced enrollment declines, officials are projecting a count of 6,613 for next year.

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The Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 Board of Education on Wednesday night approved the purchase of a district-based artificial intelligence server.

Board members said the technology is necessary for the future of education and emphasized privacy and security safeguards.

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