Coffey County commissioners to consider small grants for two student travel and STEM fundraising requests

Two student groups from Burlington High School asked the Coffey County Commission on Monday for financial support to attend national competitions and explained local fundraising efforts.

Members of the Burlington chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) requested county help to attend the FBLA National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, Calif., June 27–July 3. Students described hotel, airfare, registration and local transportation costs and said their total trip estimate was about $18,945; they listed specific cost items including $9,180 for hotel (four rooms for six nights), $4,500 for airfare and $195 in registration per competing student. The students described multiple local fundraisers already held or planned and said they had raised roughly $2,500–$3,000 so far but that final totals were not yet available.

Later in the meeting, the county’s KidWind renewable-energy team — students and their teacher, Brian Bruning — asked for $3,600 to cover travel, shipping and transport to KidWind Worlds, an international wind-turbine competition. Bruning said the team had already raised $2,550 and that total trip costs were roughly $6,125; the $3,600 request was to cover flights ($500 per student), on-site transportation, and shipping their home-built generator. Students described technical work they had done (3D-printed blades, custom-wound generators, gearing and microcontrollers) and said the competition helps some students move toward engineering study or jobs.

County commissioners did not vote on immediate grants at the meeting. Commissioners said the county’s general taxpayer funds were not typically used for such requests, but both Sheriff Tom Johnson and County Attorney Wade Buie told students about two discretionary funding sources that are separate from county general-tax revenues. Buie explained that the county attorney’s diversion fund (money paid by individuals who complete diversion programs instead of having convictions recorded) has been used in past years to support youth groups; Sheriff Johnson said the sheriff’s seized-asset fund (money from property forfeited in criminal cases) has also been used to support school and youth programs. Both officials said they and county staff would meet and try to assemble a recommendation and report back to the students “by the end of the week.”

Commissioners and staff pressed students for fundraising details. FBLA students said some final fundraising tallies were incomplete because expenses were still outstanding and because concessions and event fundraisers are tracked differently; one student estimated their net so far at “around $2,500–$3,000.” KidWind reported $2,550 raised and explained additional costs for shipping home-built generators (they said air carriers may dismantle or confiscate generators at security checkpoints). Both groups emphasized community service performed in exchange for past county support (senior luncheons, highway cleanup) and listed specific fundraisers planned.

Commissioners said they want to be fair to all requests from local youth groups and noted the county has received similar funding requests in prior years. The commissioners did not commit a specific dollar amount; instead, county leaders said they would review the diversion/seizure funding options with department heads and advise the students about a final contribution after internal review.

Students and staff were publicly thanked for their presentations and for describing program impacts on student learning and career pathways.