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Community calendar

The Wyandotte Daily News is interested in news of your community event in Wyandotte County. Send information to [email protected] and include your name and phone number.

Sign up for library’s reading program
The Kansas City, Kan., Public Library’s summer reading program has started signing up readers. The program runs from June 1 to July 31. Participate at any of the five library branches. After signing up, participants may start logging books on June 1. For more information, visit the website at www.kckpl.org.

Informational meeting planned on downtown healthy campus
An informational meeting on the new healthy campus is planned from 5:30 to 7 p.m. May 8 at the Commission Chambers, lobby level, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan. The downtown healthy campus will be at 10th and State, and plans are to have a grocery store and community center. The Unified Government is seeking opinions from the community about plans for the project, including opinions about green space and housing options.

Topic of seminar to be ‘Understanding Grief’
A seminar on “Understanding Grief” will be presented from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at the Rosedale Development Association, 1401 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kan. The seminar will be presented by Stella Ruiz of Crossroads Hospice. She will discuss reactions to loss, what grief is and how different people respond to it.

Program covers post-harvest handling
A program for gardeners and those who raise food on “Post-Harvest Handling” will take place on May 12 in Kansas City, Kan. The program is sponsored by K-State Research and Extension. For more information, visit www.growinggrocers.org.

Support group to meet May 12
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, Kansas City, Kan., Support and Education group, will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, May 12, at Trinity Community Church 5010 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. The program topic is bipolar disorders. The group is for consumers and families. For more information, call Gerald Ulrich at 913-299-8490.

Book club to meet
Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will serve as host of a monthly book club for women that meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The book for May 13 is “The Bird Sisters” by Rebecca Rasmussen. Call 913-906-8990 to register. A limited number of books are available for participants.

Programs for women offered in Spanish
Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., offers programs for Spanish-speaking women: Grupo de mujeres, dirigido por Mary Ellen Rodriguez y Ana Maria Sauer:10-11 a.m. Los martes, 13, y 20 de mayo. Grupo de salud emocional de la mujer, ofrecido por MOCSA, los martes, 1-2:30 p.m. Para registrarse contacte a Carol Vicuna, Llame 816-285-1328. Compartiendo nuestras vidas: Grupo de discusión para mujeres, dirigido por Teresa Kerbawy, lunes, 12 de mayo, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Women’s Chamber to meet May 14
The Kansas City, Kan., Women’s Chamber of Commerce will meet from 11:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 14, at Dave and Buster’s, Village West at The Legends Outlets. The program is “Damsel in Defense,” and Mary Riesberger will speak about equipping women with tools to keep them safe and give them confidence. Cost of the program is $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers. Reservations are required by emailing Barbara Newby at [email protected] or calling 913-485-1208.

Program offered on discipline
“Discipline without Screaming or Scolding,” part 2, will be presented from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 14, at Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. To register for the free class, call 913-906-8990. Also call to request child care; only a limited number of spaces are available for child care.

Armourdale group to meet May 15
The Armourdale community meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at the Armourdale Renewal Recreation Center, 730 Osage Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Deputy Chief Terry Ziegler will present a safety program, and there will be a summer recreation planning topic on the agenda. Free refreshments will be served.

UG Commission to meet May 15
The Unified Government Commission will meet at 7 p.m. May 15 at the Commission Chambers, City Hall, 701 N. 7th, Kansas City, Kan. An agenda may be posted online at www.wycokck.org.

Croquet tourney scheduled May 16
The fifth Downtown KCK Cork House croquet tournament will be held at 4 p.m. May 16 at 509 N. 6th St. The tourney could be held on the City Vision Champion Lawn and another course could be added to the south near St. Mary’s Church. The cost of the tournament is $10, including food and drinks. For more information, call 913-371-1944.

Democratic breakfast to be May 17
The Wyandotte County Third Saturday Democratic Breakfast will be May 17 at the Eisenhower Room in the Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Minnesota Ave. Breakfast is at 8:15 a.m.; the program starts at 9:15. Speakers will be State Sen. David Haley and State Reps. Kathy Wolfe Moore and Tom Burroughs. A precinct and campaign training workshop, led by Kansas Democratic Party political director Kerry Gooch, will take place immediately after the breakfast forum.

Free bike rodeo May 17 to provide bike helmets for kids
The free KCK Kiwanis West Bike Rodeo returns Saturday, May 17, to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, 9400 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Elementary-aged kids will have the opportunity to learn tips on cycling safety, participate in interactive activities that promote health and safety and to sneak a peek at attractions at Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark at the eighth annual bike event. Hours are from 9 a.m. to noon May 17. The event sponsors plan to distribute up to 300 free bike safety helmets and T-shirts to participants. Activities will take place in the parking lot and entrance area of Schlitterbahn, and a large turnout is anticipated. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Kids are encouraged to bring their bicycles. Helmets will be fitted, bikes will be inspected for safety, and kids may visit bike riding stations to earn a safety certificate. Those with questions on the day of the event may call 816-751-4227.

Time management class offered
Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Avenue, KCK, will present a workshop, “Time Management for Women,” from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Monday, May 19, presented by Chiquita Miller of K-State Extension. Call 913-906-8990 to register.

African-American Art Festival planned Aug. 9
The MoKan African-American Art Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at Quindaro Park, 35th and Sewell, Kansas City, Kan. Those attending the free event may bring a blanket, enjoy artwork, stilt walkers Gullah basket weathers, African drummers and dancers, food and vendors. For more information about having an art exhibit there or being a vendor, contact 913-788-7330.

Column: Educators stress importance of qualified workers

Views West

by Murrel Bland
There is a very important link between education and business. That was the message that five area school superintendents delivered Friday, May 2, at a membership meeting of the Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce at the Holiday Inn Express in Village West.
The superintendents and their districts were David Howard, Basehor-Linwood; Dan Brungardt, Bonner Springs; Cindy Lane, Kansas City, Kansas; Tim Conrad, Piper; and Michelle Hubbard, Turner.
All of the superintendents reported that their districts have shown slight increases in enrollment for the current school year.

Lane said that the Kansas City, Kan., District has more than 21,000 students and that Sumner Academy was ranked as the No. 1 high school in Kansas, based on a designation from U.S. News and World Report. She spoke of the challenges in the district with nearly 90 percent of the students considered “at-risk” (receiving reduced or free meals); students speak 65 languages.

She said that from the time that pre-kindergarten students (4-year-olds) enter the system, until the time that they graduate, careers are stressed. She said by the year 2021 everyone who graduates will have at least one year of college credits or a technical school certificate.

Hubbard said she considers the Turner schools as agencies of work force development. Brungardt said it is important for schools to determine what the future work forces will be, and act accordingly.

Conrad said that many Piper High School seniors will graduate with at least 20 hours of college credit. He said the district will have a special election June 3 to see if voters want to increase its local option budget 1 percent. He said, if approved, it would either result in a very small or no increase in property taxes. Conrad said that the district gained 135 new students this year, but lost 111—a net gain 24. He said most parents who left the district did so because of employment opportunities.

Lane said the recent Kansas Supreme Court decision should help the Kansas City, Kan., School District; the district was one of the lead plaintiffs in this suit that sought to restore equitable state funding. She said the district lost about $47 million in state funds during the past six years and that forced teacher layoffs.

Lane and Hubbard said their districts have difficulty in attracting and keeping qualified teachers—there are better paying jobs elsewhere. Hubbard said she believes recent legislation that will allow districts to increase their local budgets could result in rich districts getting richer and hurt poorer districts. Johnson County school districts favored that legislation.

The Kansas City, Kan., School District has faced some very serious challenges during the past 45 years when it lost about 10,000 students; that was a period when Wyandotte County lost more than 60,000 persons. It gained about 30,000 persons during that same period—so the net loss was 30,000. And most of those leaving were middle-class residents.

The good news is that in the last few years, Wyandotte County has seen small gains in population as reflected in student increases in all public school districts. Much of that gain is because of Hispanic immigrants.
Financing schools is big business. The Kansas City, Kan., School District has a current budget of more than $341 million—that amounts to more than $16,000 a year per student.

I look at my personal and business tax bills and one-third of it goes to the Kansas City, Kan., School District. I understand and appreciate that the district is facing severe challenges trying to educate students who are considered “at risk,” but I also know that small business owners continually struggle with high property taxes and a lack of qualified workers.

But hope springs eternal. Once a month I meet with fellow neighborhood business association executives at the Chamber of Commerce office downtown. We discuss mutual concerns including our members’ need for qualified workers. Last month, Lori Hewitt, the Kansas City, Kan., School District‘s business liaison specialist, met with us and pledged to help place interns in area businesses.

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

Heightened fire danger today; storms possible Thursday

Thursday: Severe weather outlook for Thursday. (National Weather Service graphic)

There will be a heightened fire danger for Wyandotte County and the region this afternoon, and thunderstorms are likely on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

After summer-like temperatures reaching 87 today, along with winds from 15 to 21 mph and gusts as high as 29 mph, there will be a 30 percent chance of showers tonight after 1 a.m.

Thunderstorms could arrive by late Wednesday night with thunderstorms likely Thursday into Thursday night.

According to the National Weather Service, some of the storms could become severe on Thursday. Hail and damaging winds will be the primary threats, with a very small risk of a tornado and localized flooding on Thursday.

Scattered thunderstorms are likely throughout Thursday morning. The storms have a low probability of being severe. Strong to severe thunderstorms may redevelop later in the afternoon over eastern Kansas along a cold front that will advance east through Missouri, the weather service said.

Depending how well the atmosphere recovers, or destabilizes, from the morning storms will determine the extent and strength of any severe storms.

The severe risk will likely diminish during the evening hours. At this time, the main hazards appear to be large hail and damaging winds.