Author: David Hicks
KSBRC Summit discusses ways to reverse declining student achievement with “Results Now”
The Kansas School Board Resource Center (KSBRC), like The Sentinel, part of the Kansas Policy Institute (KPI), brought together dozens…
Gardner-Edgerton Mom alleges coverup after email confirms school hid from her 2024 transgender female incident in girls’ locker room
For a month beginning in mid-September, Carrie Schmidt, mother of a Gardner-Edgerton High School junior, sought information from the USD…
Kansas legislators get an earful from taxpayers over runaway property tax hikes
A trio of presenters testifying before the Kansas Special Committee on Taxation had a common theme: property tax reform has…
“Financial boondoggle and environmental disaster”: Lessons for Kansas on the failure of California’s Ivanpah Solar Project
When it went online in 2014, the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in California’s Mojave Desert was the largest solar facility…
Gardner-Edgerton School Board candidate vows to stay in the race despite filing in one district, moving to another
Business owner and USD 231 School Board candidate Keith Davenport finds himself in a unique position just weeks before voters…
Dr. Alveda King to headline “Living the American Dream” event in Kansas City
Dr. Alveda C. King, niece of Rev. Martin Luther King, will be the featured speaker at the next installment of…
Gardner-Edgerton officials silent on status of suspended teacher Leslie Hanzelka
USD 231 Gardner-Edgerton administrators and school board members refused repeated requests from The Sentinel for the status of high school…
USD 365 Garnett: a study in how better budgeting can prevent property tax increases
Government entities are prohibited from spending more than the budget they publish, so they routinely budget more than they will…
Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee show NAEP reading & math gains; Kansas faulted for lowering standards
The 2024 test results from the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” show…
Legislators hear property tax issues: land value manipulation, businesses fleeing Kansas and voter demands for reform
The Kansas Constitution (Article 11, Section 1) stipulates that “the legislature shall provide for a uniform and equal basis of…
Katie Allen defiant, won’t agree to USD 383 BOE’s resolution demanding her resignation
Embattled Manhattan-Ogden School Board Member Dr. Katie Allen refused her colleagues’ demand that she resign her position, days after losing…
Pearson Eby Liberty Academy seeks to improve understanding, application of Constitutional principles
Can you name the three branches of our federal government? Only about a third of adults can. How about defining federalism? Which…
KSDE staffer Katie Allen terminated over her “well deserved” post on Charlie Kirk assassination
Kansas Department of Education staffer Katie Allen has been fired over her social media post that the assassination of conservative…
Easton stands alone as other Leavenworth County school districts exceed revenue-neutral
USD 449 in Easton is the only school district in Leavenworth County that will not impose a tax increase on…
Former Leavenworth Elementary teacher pleads no contest to charges of taking indecent liberties with a child
Jerome Riscovallez, 55, a former Henry Leavenworth Elementary School teacher, avoided trial later this month by entering two pleas of…
Overland Park City Council rubber stamps city staff’s 2026 budget, 6% property tax increase on residents
The Overland Park City Council overwhelmingly approved a nearly $500 million staff-proposed budget for next year. The vote was 12-1,…
Prairie Village resident pens objection to Mayor Eric Mikkelson criticizing opponents in city newsletter
Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson deviated from an upbeat newsletter message to constituents to deliver a scathing rebuke to opponents…
More than half the states will limit or ban cellphone use in schools by 2027; Kansas isn’t one of them
Education Week reports 31 states have policies that either limit or outright ban cellphone use in schools that are in…
“We are cutting back, why aren’t you?” Johnson County Commission ignores taxpayer concerns, approves 6% tax hike for 2026
Despite a raucous audience alternating between boos and cheers, and so large the venue had to be moved to another…
Texas takeover of failing Houston school district results in student achievement gains after just two years
In 2023, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) saw over 40% of its districts receive a grade of “D” or…
Leavenworth County Commissioners will raise property tax 5%, blaming it on state, federal government
The Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to raise property tax by 5%, or about $2 million, for the…
Seven members of Kansas Board of Education vote to reduce proficiency standards
Last year, 22% of 8th-graders were proficient in English Language Arts (reading) on the Kansas state assessment. This year, 46%…
War of words between Leavenworth County commissioners Culbertson and Reid over property tax increase
Even approving the date of a county budget hearing was ensnared in the contentious issues of property tax increases and…
Lawrence School District issues transgender policy, testing state law that banned males from female sports
In a challenge to Kansas state law, Lawrence USD 497 has issued a policy for the new school year on…