Tag: Wichita and Kansas schools
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The Wichita School Bond Yard Sign Never Used
Wichitans may remember that the upcoming election on November 4 regarding a bond issue for USD 259, the Wichita school district bond issue, isn’t the first time this year that this matter was to be voted on. Originally the Wichita school board passed a resolution setting May 6 as the date for the election. But…
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Wichita Eagle Political Contributions: This Year?
A Wichita Eagle editorial argues for voluntary disclosure of ballot issue campaign donations, stating: “The groups on both sides of USD 259’s bond election should voluntarily disclose their donations before Nov. 4, rather than hide behind the state’s ridiculous disclosure laws applying to ballot questions.” (“Bond groups should declare donors,” August 28, 2008.) If the…
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Final Wichita School Bond Issue Cartoon
Helen Cochran of Citizens for Better Education has released the final political cartoon whose topic is the Wichita school bond issue. Click here to go to CBE’s website and see this cartoon. The others are there, too, including the one that the Wichita Eagle would not accept as a paid political advertisement.
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Credit Card Records Give Insight to Wichita School District Management and Priorities
If you were leading a school district that’s always pleading for more money “for the kids,” would you spend $439.70 for meals at the Capital Grille, a swanky and expensive steakhouse? Would you stay at expensive hotels like the Raphael in Kansas City, described on its website as “Kansas City?s Original Boutique Hotel”? Would you…
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The Facts the Wichita Eagle’s Mark McCormick Overlooks — Or Twists
In a recent column (Facts hurt bond issue opponents’ arguments), the Wichita Eagle’s Mark McCormick shows that he’s as adept at overlooking facts and reason and twisting an argument as is anyone. For example, McCormick takes some bond opponents to task because they admitted they haven’t been to schools to observe overcrowding. But if opponents…
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Reasons for businesses to oppose Wichita school bond abound
By Helen Cochran. Support for the Wichita school district’s proposed $370 million school bond issue from the business community has been lukewarm. There are valid reasons why this support has not been forthcoming. First and foremost is academic accountability. Nationally, bond proposals have been trimmed or postponed as communities wrestle with priorities and the lack…
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Wichita school district spends $7,642 on logo kerfuffle
Recently USD 259, the Wichita school district, asked a school bond issue opposition group to stop using its logo, on the grounds that it was too similar to the logo the Wichita school district itself uses. Newspaper coverage revealed that the district had engaged in a multi-year legal battle with the Washington Apple Commission over…
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Wichita School Bond Issue: Informing or Advocating? CARE Seems to Know.
Kansas law places restrictions on the activities that government officials may undertake with regard to ballot measures such as the Wichita school bond issue question on the November 4, 2008 ballot. A page at the USD 259 website titled “Educate, Don’t Advocate” explains the behavior that USD 259 personnel may, and may not, undertake with…
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The Cartoon The Wichita Eagle Wouldn’t Print
Helen Cochran of Citizens for Better Education commissioned a series of political cartoons concerning the Wichita school bond issue. She’s paid to have them printed in the Wichita Eagle each Monday for the past month or so. They’re also carried on her group’s web site. But the Wichita Eagle refused to run this week’s cartoon.…
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Wichita School Bond: Causation, or Merely Correlation?
As part of its argument for the need for a bond issue, USD 259, the Wichita school district, makes the case that students who are involved in arts and athletics do better in school. Recently, perhaps as the result of a request I made, the district’s website added evidence of this. As the USD 259…
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Raising Wichitans’ Taxes in a Recession is Not A Good Idea
“Democrat Barack Obama says he would delay rescinding President Bush’s tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.” (Associated Press, September 7, 2008) Contrary to assertions by Wichita school interim superintendent Martin Libhart and school board…
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A Different Kind of Hero, A Different Kind of Weapon
Every action film has a hero who saves the day. In the movie “Flunked,” the heroes are teachers and principals who are fighting the bad guys of declining test scores, failing grades and inferior schools. Their weapons? Creativity and determination. The happy ending? Improved test scores, passing grades and schools so desirable parents are waiting…