Category: Education

Maxine Drew, candidate questionnaire

Maxine Drew

Name and office sought:

Maxine Drew, candidate for KCK USD 500 School Board

Age: 68

Occupation and experience:

KCK USD 500 board member – elected November, 2017, and serving January 2018, for a term of four years.
Secretary-clerk, Peace and Fellowship Community Church
Former church secretary at New Fellowship Baptist Church for 33 years
Social studies teacher USD 500 – 35 years

Education

Attended elementary schools in KCK: Abbott, Kealing, Stowe, Grant and Douglas
Attended Northeast Junior High
Graduated from Sumner High School, 1971
Bachelor of Art degree in history at Park University (1976)
M.A.T. (2005) at University of St. Mary (Curriculum and Instruction).

Reasons for running

My vision for Kansas City, Kansas USD 500 school district has been always to maintain the right leadership for guiding our students to be successful for reaching their fullest potential to graduate and be motivated to adapt to be successful in life. I want to help develop new and innovative ways to prioritize in helping our students to be educated. I want to be an advocate to look at the needs and concerns of all stakeholders: staff community parents and students.
Traditional education has drastically changed since January 2021. What we have to do is try to maintain consistency in education. I was reading an article and the comment was made that “My leadership is tested in a crisis and I can immediately deduce what kind of leader I am when I am faced with challenging situations that will stretch me beyond my comfort zone.” It is my desire to explore new avenues of success for all.
Along with that whenever our students stumble or fall keeping their eyes on the essential outcome will solidify their academic victory and their social-emotional growth. We have to learn to use our human capital to learn and grow.

What are the three most important issues facing this position and how would you handle them?

As a school board member, the fundamental processes for decision-making entails determination to incorporate significant ways for a favorable outcome. It is vital that the foundation is solid, grounded, and strengthened. We must stay the course providing for positive confirmation for progress. The most important issues I feel we need to be concerned with are: hiring of staff (bus drivers, cafeteria workers, substitute teacher}, trauma sensitive training for all, funding, and promoting athletic engagement for students. We must engage to:
Maintain open communication
Prioritize concerns for academic growth
Develop community and public involvement
Listen, learn and build partnerships


If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office.

After being elected in 2017 I did do the following:
Attend all school board meetings
Build positive relationships with staff and district personnel
Listen attentively
Trained through Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) workshop for learning
Served one year as USD 500 school board president
Attend several school functions for sports and educational events at schools
Attend and pass out materials at Welcome Event for new teachers @TIS for 2020-2021 school year
Attended virtual workshops for “Enough is Enough”
Attended end of the year retirement ceremonies for district staff members
Support superintendent selection through listening, learning and engaging
Attended community listening sessions for working to improve school procedures and decision-making ideas
Attended Foundation for Excellence Golf Tournament
Attended 2019 KASB Convention in Wichita, Kansas

For 2020, I attended:

Attended 2020 KASB Virtual Convention online

Attended KASB Advocacy in Action Conference in Topeka, Kansas January, 2020

Attended NASB Advocacy Institute and Equity Symposium in Washington, DC January, 2020

Attended Black History program at Rosedale Middle School, February, 2020

Attended “Souls to the Polls” at 8th Street Baptist Church, February, 2020

Support JAG K services at Wyandotte High School and F.L. Schlagle High School

Attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for:

Lowell Brune Elementary School

Gloria Willis Middle School

West Park Elementary School

Carl B. Bruce Middle School

Welborn Elementary School

Attended KCKPS 2019 College Fair held at F.L. Schlagle

Attended Math Stem Relays 2019 and 2020

Attended New Stanley Program and Science night

Received Trauma Sensitive Training, March, 2020

Attended Living Vine Women’s Luncheon, March, 2020 

Attended 2020 Graduation Recognition Services for all high schools at Boulevard Drive-in

Attended F.L. Schlagle Drive-through Retirement Celebration, June, 2020

In 2021, I have:

Attended KASB Virtual Legislative sessions

Attended KASB Lunch and Learn virtual sessions

Attend USD 500 Allovue training for district expenditures

Get vaccinated twice for COVID-19 pandemic

Virtual WYCO Spelling Bee

Saturday Academy Family Demonstration Day virtually

Women in Leadership Forum virtually

KCKCC Hall of Fame Inductee virtual program

Academic Committee Meeting virtually

Attended KCK Mayor David Alvey Mayoral Address

Attended and support KCK Public Library

Attended all high school graduations

Summer Reading Kick-off at Boulevard Drive-In

Library in the Park at 6th and Minnesota

Have you run for elected office previously? When, results?

I ran for this current position in 2017 and was elected to serve for four years on the KCK USD 500 school board

Piper district prepares for future jobs

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by Murrel Bland

In 2033, half of the jobs that are available aren’t in existence today. It will be most important for students to be prepared to meet the challenge of these jobs.

That was the message from Dr. Jessica Dain, superintendent of the Piper School District, who was the keynote speaker at the Annual Membership Meeting of Business West Wednesday, Oct. 13 at Rowe Ridge Vineyard and Winery in the Piper community. A voluntary committee from the Piper community created a strategic plan so that students would have a competitive edge.

Dr. Dain said this plan has an emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving, cross-cultural skills, self-reliance, communication skills, social and emotional well-being and creativity and innovation.

Dr. Dain said a program of academies starts in the eighth grade. Students are exposed to various areas of business including design, production and repair, entrepreneurship, fine arts, aeronautics, digital communication and graphic design, animal and plant science, health and life sciences, public services and information technology. Internships at area businesses are an important part of this program. A plurality of students has expressed an interest in entrepreneurship.

Dr. Dain came to the Piper School District about two years ago from the Olathe School District where she was an assistant superintendent. She received her bachelor and master’s degrees from Emporia State University and a doctorate from St. Louis University. She and her husband, Dr. Todd Dain, are the parents of two daughters and a son.

The Piper District can trace its history to 1920 when it opened with 65 students. Today it has more than 2,500 students. The district plans to seek a bond issue next January to meet growing student enrollment.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

Health care advocates tie decrease in school COVID-19 clusters to increase in masking

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — With flu season fast approaching, a panel of education and health care advocates are touting the effect school masking policies have had on an apparent decrease in outbreaks in the classroom.

Despite adding 10 new school clusters, the number of active outbreaks has dropped from 68 last week to 56 this week. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is reporting 546 cases connected to these ongoing clusters.

Circle Towanda Intermediate School in Butler County currently has the most COVID-19 cases within the last 14 days, with 20. Hillsboro Elementary School in Marion County and Yates Center Middle School in Woodson County both reported 12 cases in the past two weeks.

Marci Nielsen, chief adviser to the governor for COVID-19 coordination, pointed to an increase in the number of school districts implementing masking policies.

“It is important for us to understand whether masks, at the end of the day, prevent outbreaks in schools,” Nielsen said. “These trends continue to show that in Kansas, when we require masks, we see fewer outbreaks impacting fewer students.”

Nielsen shared Wednesday with the governor’s Safer Classroom Workgroup that of those districts with an active outbreak, 37% had a mask requirement. Those with no mandate or unknown policies had triple the number of cases per capita.

Nielsen reported Kansas has made many strides in the last month, as case numbers across the state tail off. Since Monday, KDHE has recorded 2,121 new cases, nine new deaths and 91 hospitalizations.

Pediatric numbers appear to be improving but school-aged children remain at the highest risk of contracting COVID-19, Nielsen said.

As the weather gets colder, panel members such as state education commissioner Randy Watson are on guard for another surge this fall or winter. Watson praised KDHE’s testing protocol, which continues to attract participating districts.

However, 22% of public and private schools have expressed no interest. Watson said improving this number could prove pivotal to keeping children in school during the winter.

“Last winter was a brutal winter, and we’re hoping that that doesn’t occur again,” he said. “We have less resistance to voluntary testing because people want to be in school and they want to participate in those activities.”

Kimber Kasitz, the head nurse for Wichita Public Schools, said being back in schools is improving not only academic success but students’ social-emotional well-being. During the pandemic, she saw an increase in the number of students coping with mental health issues — from depression to anxiety to suicidal thoughts.

Returning to in-person learning has alleviated some of these concerns, Kasitz said, while endorsing school participation in the state-funded testing strategies. Any mitigation effort that reduces the amount of time students must spend isolated from one another goes a long way, she said.

“It’s been huge to see the numbers of kids that are able to be back at in-school learning but also being able to get those peer relationships back that they missed out on over the last couple of years,” Kasitz said.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/15/health-care-advocates-tie-decrease-in-school-covid-19-clusters-to-increase-in-masking/