Accelerated Reader is an educational tool — and like any tool, it’s useful only when used properly. That was a recurring theme in comments from parents and retired and current educators who shared their concerns…

Iola Elementary School is ending a reading program after more than two decades, sparking criticism from some members of the staff and community. The school will no longer use the Accelerated Reader (AR) program and…

PITTSBURG — A day filled with competition, inclusion and lots of fun greeted members of the Iola Special Olympics and unified sports teams as they took part in the Southeast Kansas Regional Track Meet. Several…

Iola school board members are so confident the Kansas Chiefs will win a third consecutive Super Bowl, they’re already planning to give everyone the next day off. OK, so the Chiefs may not win every…

Iola Elementary School Principal Andy Gottlob, left, and USD 257 Superintendent Stacey Fager grill hamburgers for students at lunch Monday. Administrators at Iola middle and high schools will offer a cookout for lunch on Thursday.

The party is on. The Bowlus Fine Arts Center will commemorate its 60th anniversary on Sept. 14 with a fundraising gala that features a tribute to the 70s and multiple options to keep the celebration…

The Iola school district will enter a lottery to see if they can get two electric school buses for about half the price of one diesel bus. Board members, though, still have questions about the…

Iola’s school board members want a couple weeks to consider whether to upgrade to electric buses.  If they can actually buy one, though, will be a matter of chance. Aaron Cole, transportation director, asked the…

The biggest question facing USD 257 in 2024 will be what happens to its three former elementary schools. The district has agreed to a plan by BNIM, Kansas City-based developers, that will convert the three…

Stacey Fager, superintendent for Iola schools, is concerned lawmakers will bring back several educational bills that narrowly failed the last legislative session. The 2024 Kansas Legislature convened Monday.  Two issues in particular — commonly known…