Donnelly College has announced a partnership with American Public Square on a series of programs beginning this fall.
American Public Square and Donnelly will partner to produce three events that will be recognized in the community as American Public Square at Jewell—The Donnelly Series.
The first event in the series will take place at 2 p.m. Sept. 20 on the Donnelly College campus at 608 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas.
Ken Ilgunas, environmentalist and author of the 2019-2020 Donnelly College “Common Read” “Trespassing Across America: One Man’s Epic, Never Done Before (and Sort of Illegal) Hike Across the Heartland,” will present a lecture on the Keystone XL pipeline and environmental ethics in an event that is free and open to the public. Registration is required at www.donnelly.edu/ken.
Donnelly’s Common Read program is a campus-wide initiative to include one common, thought provoking book on the reading list for all students and faculty at the school.
The second event, “Affordable Housing: Making the Numbers Work,” will be an American Public Square panel discussion held at Old Mission United Methodist Church on Oct. 24.
The third event in the series will take place in spring 2020.
“As we look to expand our relationships with academic institutions in the region to bring civility tools, curriculum and thoughtful topics to students where they are, we are very pleased to be returning to the Donnelly College campus,” APS founder Ambassador Allan Katz said. “The diversity of Donnelly’s student body and their commitment to respectful dialogue on important issues make them an ideal partner for American Public Square as we expand our work with students in the Kansas City metro area.”
“We are tremendously excited for this partnership with American Public Square, said Monsignor Stuart Swetland, president of Donnelly College. “APS has a well-earned reputation for encouraging civic dialogue among all parties, and given Donnelly’s emphasis on seeking the truth, celebrating diversity, building community, and pursuing excellence. Donnelly College is a natural fit for this effort.”
Val Winn, left, and Wanda Paige, right, members of the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education, answered questions at a community meeting about an audit of the school district’s recruiting and hiring practices. (Photo by Mary Rupert)
by Mary Rupert
An outside audit report is the continuing focus of some controversy at the Kansas City, Kansas, school board.
The audit and the reaction of some board members and candidates to it was one of the topics discussed at a community meeting sponsored by Unity with Purpose on Thursday, Aug. 29, at the former Manor House, at 5237 Parallel Parkway.
Another community meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at the same location by Unity with Purpose. This organization will be endorsing candidates in the election, according to Cardelia Walker, president.
She said the community meeting on Sept. 12 will discuss why some local qualified job candidates are not getting hired by the school district, including those qualified candidates who applied but never got an interview. Individuals who want to talk about their recruiting or hiring experiences with the school district but who cannot attend the meeting were given a dial-in number, 913-231-0091. Walker has been interested in the schools partly because of her job in real estate; last year Walker questioned the district’s expenditure of more than $600,000 for land for a new school.
With school board elections in November, the Aug. 29 community meeting was attended by several candidates running for the Kansas City, Kansas, school board, and other community members.
The school board approved an $84,000 outside audit last year of the administration’s compliance with board policies regarding human resources, hiring and pay for administrative positions. Corporate Integrity Systems was hired to do the audit.
The audit in essence found that superintendents, past and present, had complied with the board’s policies. However, the audit recommended revising the district’s policies. The policies allowed wide latitude by the superintendent to hire and recruit, according to the audit report. “The Board’s authority to govem KCKPS must be taken from the superintendent and given back to the Board,” the audit stated.
The school board then deadlocked, 3-3, on a motion to change the board’s human resources policies at the Aug. 27 board meeting. Board member Brenda Jones could not attend the meeting, and resigned from the board on Sept. 10 for reasons of health and having to move.
The audit report sparked a story in The Pitch that had questions about the audit, and there was another opinion expressed in The Call by Chester Owens, former city councilman, supporting the board members who had backed it.
Audit was undertaken because of residents’ complaints
At the Aug. 29 community meeting, Val Winn, the former board president of the school board, told the audience that they initiated the outside audit because board members kept getting calls from local residents who had applied for jobs at the district and could not get an interview, although they were qualified.
She explained that she asks a lot of questions at the board meetings, and she was trying to find the answers. Also appearing with Winn at the meeting was school board member Wanda Paige.
In the past, Winn, also a state legislator, has challenged policies at the state level that are possible examples of “institutional racism.”
Chester Owens, left, addressed the audience at a community meeting on hiring and recruiting in the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools. (Photo by Mary Rupert)
Owens: School board members have an ‘obligation’ to ask questions
At the Aug. 29 meeting, Chester Owens recalled talking with a school district superintendent in the 1960s who said, “You will never live long enough to see a Negro working in the administration.”
Owens’ letter to The Call stated, in part: “Board critics and district staff have been critical of the board’s interest in the internal workings of the district and the need for an audit. Recent articles critical of the board’s actions have been written by administration supporters. During the board approved audit, the superintendents and Board attorney refused to fully cooperate with the contractor and prolonged the completion of the audit. The reasons for resistance and criticism are becoming clear. The audit has revealed circumstances which clearly are not tied to the best interests of the students or community.”
His letter praised the activist school board members, saying that if board members vote on issues without full knowledge, they were being irresponsible.
“If the questions are not asked and compliance not assured, board members are a rubber stamp to whatever the administration does,” Owens wrote. “It is the obligation of board members to continuously assess what is going on in the district to assure that all actions taken by USD 500 are in the best interest of the students and the community. It is the obligation of the board to educate the community on what the audit report means and how the findings really impact our future. We must continue to support current board members in their effort to understand why our children are performing so poorly and realistically consider the long-term implications of being dead last in statewide student performance.”
Janet Waugh, state Board of Education member, attended a recent community meeting and discussed her view of a board member’s role. (Photo by Mary Rupert)
Micromanaging or rubber stamp?
There has been a continued debate at the school board about whether the board was “micromanaging” or if it was a more involved board, “not a rubber stamp board.”
Janet Waugh, who serves on the state Board of Education, 1st District, said she attended the Aug. 29 community meeting because she received a lot of phone calls about it and wanted to see what was going on. The school district is in her state board district.
Waugh said at the Aug. 29 meeting she and the state board will not be getting involved in the local district matters, as the district and community will have to resolve them without the state getting involved. She is a former Turner Board of Education member.
She also described her view of a school board member’s role as making policy but not deciding on all the details of how the district is run. The superintendent runs the district, selecting the details, while the board makes policies that the superintendent then implements, she said. As she understands the roles, if the board doesn’t like the way the district is run, it has the option to fire the superintendent, she added.
Waugh also praised the district’s teachers and said they are not paid enough.
Several other topics were discussed at the community meeting Aug. 29, including low student test scores. Some of the audience cited a high level of learning disabilities and a language barrier as factors.
The audit contains more detailed information and is online at https://kckps.org/wp-content/uploads/board/79C8047-Policy-Compliance-Audit-Findings-and-Recommendations-redacted.pdf.
Residents asked questions at a community meeting on the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools. Also attending the meeting were District Attorney Mark Dupree Sr., center, and 2020 mayoral candidate Janice Witt, right. (Photo by Mary Rupert)
The Learning Commons at Kansas City Kansas Community College is holding its fall 2019 MakerSpace event series starting Sept. 12.
The theme this year is Campus Collaboration, and events will be held at all KCKCC locations, led by a master-maker-in-residence who represents the culture of each campus.
The 2019-2020 MakerSpace series will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, on the patio outside the Learning Commons at 7250 State Ave.
The first master-maker-in-residence is KCKCC President Greg Mosier. During “Painting with the Prez,” Dr. Mosier will be demonstrating the art of poured painting and the various techniques required to make unique designs. Participants will leave with a painted canvas.
Space is limited for this event, so reservations are requested to 913-288-7659 or visit https://kckcc.libguides.com/Learning_Commons/makerspace.
Other events this semester will focus on using the Cricut Design Studio to create designs for window decals, T-shirts, bags, cups and more. At each event, participants are able to leave with a tangible creation along with the confidence to continue building upon their new skill set.
The mobile MakerSpace provides students, faculty and staff with resources, guided practice and opportunities for partnership across multiple campus locations. Using innovative tools to transform concepts into reality and serving as a hub for collaborative design and interdisciplinary skills, the MakerSpace builds confidence in making.
What happens at a Maker Event?
Materials, tools and guidance are provided for each attendee to “make” a project. Examples include:
• Blueprint, build and plant a raised neighborhood/campus garden • Design and create lighted LED circuit holidays cards, jewelry or art • Use design software to create marketing materials such as T-shirts, mugs or stickers for clubs, organizations or class projects • Tiny, little libraries around campus • Make paper, construct and illustrate a book for poetry collection
The mobile MakerSpace cart is available for use at the Learning Commons and is located on the main floor in the Digital Access Studio.
