KASB hits new low, trying to explain away achievement declines
A new flyer from the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) would be right at home as satire at The Babylon Bee, the Onion, or Saturday Night Live. But their latest attempt to spin…
KASB celebrates low achievement
It’s hard for some people to fathom that education officials go out of their way to cover up low achievement results, but it is almost a daily occurrence for the…
Some districts still pay dues to Schools for Fair Funding
More than four years after the Kansas Supreme Court compelled school funding to be increased by more than $1 billion, 32 school districts in the state are still dues-paying members of Schools For…
Governing article suggests school board members add “lobbyist” to their skillsets
As school board campaigns head into the fall, the online newsletter Governing is offering candidates and incumbents a “How-To” in representing their districts before state and federal legislators, effectively adding “lobbyist” to…
Dueling news releases show rift widening in aftermath of Wetmore closing
The ongoing financial dispute stemming from the closure of the Wetmore Academic Center (WAC) between USD 113 Prairie Hills and those districts integrating WAC students shows no signs of settlement as the…
Wichita superintendent Kelly Bielefeld covers up poor student achievement
USD 259 superintendent Kelly Bielefeld spoke to the Wichita Pachyderm Club recently, and like his predecessors, he went out of his way to hide poor student achievement for the district and the state overall….
USD 453 budget video makes deceptive property tax claims
New Leavenworth Superintendent Dr. Kellen Adams posted a recent video to justify the proposal for USD 453 to exceed the Revenue Neutral Rate (RNR) for the 2023-24 school year, but was Adams…
Shawnee Mission School District must pay $400K to family in special education dispute
A federal court in Kansas ordered the Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) to pay a Westwood family $400,000 for legal fees following three years’ litigation over their child’s special education program. In…
New data: Kansas is #9 in spending, #42 ‘bang for the education buck’
Some things never change – spending increases, achievement remains low, and Kansas has one of the nation’s worst productivity rankings (bang for the education buck). A dollar spent in Kansas buys…
KASB pushes modern-day Emperor’s New Clothes deception
The latest social media video from the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) weaves a similar tale to The Emperor’s New Clothes. In Hans Christian Andersen’s fable, two swindlers arrive at the capital…
Homeschool, private school students begin applying to play public school sports
Applications for non-public school students to participate in public school activities began on Aug. 1 and so far, concerns schools would face a flood of homeschool or private school players…
2023 state assessment results reflect Einstein’s definition of insanity
The preliminary 2023 state assessment results once again demonstrate that student achievement will remain stubbornly low until the Legislature steps in to give kids a fighting chance. Despite record-setting funding…