Category: Education

Parents voice questions at KCK school board listening tour meeting

Parents had a lot of questions for the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education at a listening tour on Saturday at Washington High School.

Some parents talked about a student fight at Washington High School that had been posted on social media on Friday. Other parents mentioned that tasers had been at school. “How does a taser get through a metal detector?” one person asked. Parents had questions about whether metal detectors were working. One staff member assured them the detectors were working.

Parents were concerned about topics such as student safety, discipline, posting of fights on social media, and policies on suspension.

The board also heard comments about staffing levels in certain areas, such as special education, as well as the need for parents to become involved. One person said there needs to be an alternative education classroom, such as a room within the school building, to send children who are disrupting classes.

One person who was active in a parent-teacher association urged parents to take care of students’ behavior problems at home.

Other speakers talked about a need for more staffing and more services, including counseling services inside the school, for certain students. Former or retired special education teachers could be asked to help the district, one suggested.

A local clergy member asked how churches could get involved. “How do we get back to the basics?” he asked, pointing to a sign that encouraged self-respect, respect for others and respect for the school. “What are we doing to address the moral issues?” he asked.

One school staff member said at the listening tour meeting that they are doing all they can, and sometimes they are not aware of the problems until after they happen. Sometimes there are more problems with the girls than with the boys, he said, including fighting and bad language.

The listening tour meeting was only one day after the Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman sent out a two-sentence statement that search warrants were used at three school district locations on Friday, March 30. Because the cases may have involved juveniles, very little information was released by the police, and school officials also said they could not mention specific cases. There was no information that connected this police statement to the fighting that occurred recently at Washington.

The police statement on Friday: “Today Officers conducted several search warrants on the Kansas City, KS public School District in relation to a student victim. This is an ongoing investigation and is the only information available at this time.”

One parent suggested that a group should be formed for parents, teachers and staff to discuss the problem of school fighting and what to do about it.

The parent said if her children call with a concern about violence, she is going to “snatch them up” out of harm’s way. She wanted to have meetings with the school teachers and staff to discuss what can be done about it.

A Kansas City, Kansas, resident, Lou Braswell, who does not currently have children attending the schools, attended the meeting and said afterward that it reminded her of parents who formed a group about 40 years ago to address fighting at a local middle school. Those parents started a “phone tree” to notify each other of what was going on, she recalled. Braswell said she saw the video of the Washington High School fight on social media on Friday afternoon.

School board members explained at the listening tour meeting that they do not always know the details about each student’s suspension, or about each case of fighting. Those incidents are handled by administrators and teachers, and because of student privacy rules, they do not always hear about it. Sometimes the school board hears about the incidents if they are appealed, but mostly, the school board sets policy on suspensions and rules, they said. Currently, the school board is revising some of the policies on some of the issues discussed. Some of the parents with questions were asked to meet with administrators and staff after the meeting.

The next Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education listening tour meeting will be from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 3, at the Central Office and Training Center, 2010 N. 59th St.

For those who were not able to attend the listening tour meetings, the school district has a survey online at http://www.kckps.org/.

To see the entire two hour-listening session from today, visit YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7fZ-F33_tM.

Kansas Republicans advance school spending bill, but not $2 billion consultant recommended

by Stephen Koranda, Kansas News Service

Republicans in the Kansas House have unveiled a school funding proposal to send an added half billion dollars local districts in the next five years. A committee advanced the plan Wednesday night to the full House for consideration.

The plan was released a little over a week before lawmakers hope to have a bill approved.

Legislators are working to respond to a state Supreme Court ruling that says schools are underfunded. The court in the past has threatened to close schools if the funding system continues to fail constitutional tests.

Republican Rep. Steven Johnson’s plan would boost school spending about $100 million per year for five years. He contends that could satisfy the court and is the most the state could afford without a tax increase.

“Our goal is to keep schools open and give them the resources they need,” he said.

Johnson said the funding plan may prove tough for lawmakers to swallow and it will face criticism that it’s either too much money or too little.

“The discussion isn’t over yet,” he said, “but hopefully we have it started.”

Republican Rep. Steve Huebert said he isn’t sure the state can afford the spending increase. He said any economic slowdown over the five years could hurt state tax collections and push the budget into a deficit.

“We’re pushing the envelope right now without tax increases,” Huebert said.

Democratic Rep. Ed Trimmer noted it’s less money than the up to $2 billion recommended earlier this month in a legislature-commissioned consultant’s report — if lawmakers want to deliver the improved student performance many have pushed to achieve.

“We have to talk about the elephant in the room,” Trimmer said. “That’s a long way from what the study indicated that we need to put into education.”

Republican Rep. Melissa Rooker has pushed for increases in school spending. Yet she said Johnson’s plan appears to comply with some past rulings on school funding, creating a solid “legal underpinning.”

“This represents a good-faith effort to try and get our state education system back on track,” Rooker said.

The consultant’s study based recommendations on several factors, including a high school graduation rate of 95 percent. Some lawmakers have said no state has achieved that and they could respond to the court ruling without hitting the targets in the funding study.

Both Republicans and Democrats want to avoid a tax hike. They reversed many of the state’s 2012 tax cuts during a budget fight last year.

Before Johnson floated his plan, Republican House Speaker Ron Ryckman said he wants a bill that can be funded without a tax increase or significant cuts to other state services.

“We are looking at it to balance out with the rest of the state budget,” he said. “We’re definitely concerned about other core functions of government, especially those that aren’t constitutionally protected.”

The struggle to find a school spending compromise comes after years-long litigation over the issue.

In response to a previous court order, lawmakers voted last year for a multi-year spending hike. It boosted spending by about $200 million in the current fiscal year. Another $100 million is slated to be added in the next fiscal year. In the future, funding increases would be tied to the federal Consumer Price Index.

Lawmakers are scheduled to leave for their spring break at the end of next week. Leaders want to have a plan approved before they hit the road.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/kansas-republicans-advance-school-spending-bill-not-2-billion-consultant-recommended

Piper senior selected for urban leadership scholarship at K-State

Daijah Jones

Daijah Jones, a senior at Piper High School in Kansas City, Kansas, has been named a recipient of the Edgerley-Franklin Urban Leadership Scholarship at Kansas State University.

The scholarship recognizes outstanding high school seniors who have made contributions to the urban communities in which they live.

Four high school students were chosen to be recipients of the scholarship. Other recipients are from Overland Park, Kansas, Wichita, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. They will receive the $5,000 scholarship for the 2018-2019 school year.

The university received 151 applications for the scholarship, and a selection committee chose seven finalists to interview. Finalists participated in an on-campus interview and recognition day.

Scholarships are renewable for up to three years with a 3.25 Kansas State University GPA. All finalists also will participate in undergraduate research through the university’s Developing Scholars Program.

This scholarship is made possible by the Edgerley and Franklin families who continuously demonstrate leadership and support of service to individuals from urban areas. It was created in memory of Bernard Franklin’s wife, Elsia, who was committed to helping better the lives of young girls in urban Alabama.

The Edgerleys have been longtime supporters of Kansas State University, contributing to a number of scholarships, funds and faculty chairs in the past 12 years, including the Paul B. and Sandra M. Edgerley Business Administration Scholarship, the Paul B. Edgerley Chair in Business Administration, the Robert M. Edgerley Chair in International Business; the Edgerley Family Dean in the College of Business Administration; and the President Wefald Leadership Chair in the College of Business Administration.