BARTON COUNTY — Congressional gridlock over the U.S. budget is trickling down to Barton County with the automatic spending cuts that went into effect March 1, called the sequester. Area schools received notification from the Kansas Department of Education this week that preliminary cuts have been made to Title 1 allocations for the 2013-14 school year. The Title 1 program is for students who are below the reading or math standards and state academic assessments for their grade.Schools with students in Barton County facing reductions are USD 112 Central Plains, USD 355 Ellinwood, USD 403 Otis-Bison, USD 428 Great Bend, and USD 431 Hoisington.According to the KDE, a 5 percent cut was enacted on each state due to the federal sequestration.