Category: Wichita and Kansas schools
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Still more Kansas National Education Association candidate questions
The “Kansas Political Action Committee,” a group associated with the Kansas National Education Association (KNEA, the teachers union) has a questionnaire it asks candidates for the Kansas legislature to complete. After reading a few of these questions, it became clear to me that the questions are formulated to advance the interests of the teachers union…
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Wichita School Bond: Information Request
In support of the proposed Wichita school bond issue, USD 259 officials and their supporting campaign group make a lot of claims. Unfortunately, Wichita news outlets, for whatever reason, don’t spend a lot of time investigating these claims. It’s left to citizens to make inquiries. So I do. Here’s one sent to Wendy Johnson, Division…
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Wichita School Bond: Was Safety Important in 2000 at College Hill Elementary?
Today, three College Hill Elementary School staff members (Casey McConnell, Kathleen Endsley, and Jacqueline Henning) write to the Wichita Eagle with this complaint about their school, and a question too: But like many schools in the district, it does not have a safe room for use in a tornado warning. … It has been stated…
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Wichita School Bond Man-on-the-Street Video
At the Wichita School Bond channel on YouTube, there are some new man-on-the-street video interviews available.
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Do We Know if Enrollment Numbers Support Wichita School Bond Issue?
Writing in the Wichita Eagle Editorial Blog, Phillip Brownlee writes “Some opponents of the USD 259 bond issue have argued that the district shouldn?t need more classroom space because its enrollment has been fairly flat since the 2000 bond issue.” He then goes on to make the case for the district needing more schools and…
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Wichita School Bond Not Alone in Kansas
Besides the proposed school bond issue in Wichita, several other communities are planning elections for their own bond issues. In Girard, a proposed school bond issue of $24.4 million would have 47% paid for by the state of Kansas (Board sets scope of proposed bond issue). In Baldwin City, a $22.9 million bond issue will…
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Another Wichita School Bond Cartoon
Helen Cochran of Citizens For Better Education has released another cartoon about the Wichita school bond issue. Click here to view this commentary about Wichita’s taxpayer check list.
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KSN News Reports on Wichita School Bond
KSN News reports on the Wichita school bond issue. I’m in the story. Click here for the news story. Click here for the Wichita school bond channel on YouTube. I wonder: Do people pass out bottled water with custom printed stickers urging people to register and vote out of a sense of civic duty, or…
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First Wichita School Bond Advertisement
Wichitans for Effective Education has released the first in a series of Wichita school bond issue advertisements. More will follow. Visit the Wichita School Bond Channel at YouTube for more videos.
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At Wichita Chisholm Trail Elementary School, Why is Increased Enrollment a Problem?
Today’s Wichita Eagle reports Wichita area schools’ enrollment increases. Featured in this story is Chisholm Trail Elementary School, which added 112 students. The enrollment there is now 576. Interim superintendent Martin Libhart and other officials held a press conference there, presumably to emphasize the plight of this school. Someone has already mentioned to me today…
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Wichita School District: Is Another Bond Proposal the Best Idea?
The Flint Hills Center for Public Policy in Wichita has a report titled USD 259: Is Another Bond Proposal the Best Idea? The Wichita School Board is pushing a $370 million bond and Wichita taxpayers should contemplate whether or not this is really going to improve student performance in Wichita. While spending has more than…
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Wichita School District: Accountability is on Our Terms
USD 259, the Wichita public school district, wants to be held accountable. They say so. It’s a theme of the proposed bond issue, as recently stated by celebrity spokesman George Fahnestock: “…the district?s accountability is strong…” (See CARE launches Yes For Kids campaign) But what happens when citizens seek information from USD 259 that will…