Author: David Hicks
House Speaker Hawkins plans to reduce property tax next year
Vowing that “we’re going to give tax relief”, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins floated a property tax cut proposal to…
Kansans show micro schools and hybrids offer innovations in learning
Micro schools are the reimagining of the one-room schoolhouse, where class sizes are usually fewer than 15 students of varying…
Principal silent on alleged drag queen discussion in Shawnee middle school
A Trailridge Middle School parent is outraged, but the school principal is mum about allegations that their child was subjected…
LVCO commissioners reject ICE proposal to house deportees
Two weeks after narrowly voting to consider the proposal, the Leavenworth County Commission unanimously dismissed an overture from U.S. Immigration…
Bonner Springs superintendent defends gender pronoun instruction poster in middle school
Students at Clark Middle School in Bonner Springs can familiarize themselves with the issues involving gender identity pronouns with this…
Hybrid and micro school summit: One size doesn’t fit all in education
Ten years ago, MIT engineer Kelly Smith began volunteering at his local library teaching computer programming to neighborhood kids along…
LVCO detention center considered for housing illegal aliens awaiting deportation
In a recent discussion with Leavenworth County commissioners, County Administrator Mark Loughry sought to address what he called “misinformation circulated…
Some districts still pay dues to Schools for Fair Funding
More than four years after the Kansas Supreme Court compelled school funding to be increased by more than $1 billion,…
Governing article suggests school board members add “lobbyist” to their skillsets
As school board campaigns head into the fall, the online newsletter Governing is offering candidates and incumbents a “How-To” in…
Switched vote insures Lansing school district patrons won’t see tax increase
The USD 469 Board of Education in Lansing has approved a budget for the 2023-2024 school year that will not…
Dueling news releases show rift widening in aftermath of Wetmore closing
The ongoing financial dispute stemming from the closure of the Wetmore Academic Center (WAC) between USD 113 Prairie Hills and…
USD 453 budget video makes deceptive property tax claims
New Leavenworth Superintendent Dr. Kellen Adams posted a recent video to justify the proposal for USD 453 to exceed the…
Family fights city’s red tape seeking to separate boy from emotional support animal
A two-year-old Vietnamese potbellied pig name Ginger and the nine-year-old boy who relies on her for emotional support are in…
Shawnee Mission School District must pay $400K to family in special education dispute
A federal court in Kansas ordered the Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) to pay a Westwood family $400,000 for legal…
Ethics Commission: No conflict of interest if school board member also works for KNEA
Shawnee Heights School Board Member Lauren Tice Miller’s additional responsibility as Director of Legislative and Political Advocacy for the Kansas…
Controversy continues following closing of Wetmore Academic Center
The Wetmore Academic Center (WAC) buildings are vacant as its former students prepare to return to classes elsewhere this fall,…
County Attorney Joel Ensey: “insufficient evidence” for raid on Marion County Record
Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey issued a stunning press release, saying yesterday he reviewed the warrant application for the raid…
Police raid on Marion County newspaper raises First and Fourth Amendment concerns
The August 11th raid on the newsroom of the Marion County Record and its publisher’s home and confiscation of computers,…
Revenue-Neutral hearing dates set across Kansas…here’s where you can attend
Your chance to tell elected officials what you think of property tax increases is coming up soon, and history indicates…
$1,000 KEEP grants available to Kansas students to combat pandemic learning loss
The Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP), using $50 million in federal Covid-19 relief funds, offers $1,000 grants to eligible Kansas…
Federal judge hobbles “Kansas Two-Step”
Writing that the Kansas Highway Patrol “waged war on motorists,” U.S. District of Kansas Senior Judge Kathryn H. Vratil ordered…
Recall of Leavenworth School Board Member Vanessa Reid fails
Supporters of a campaign to oust USD 453 board member Vanessa Reid failed to gather the required number of signatures…
Overland Park officials blow off residents’ requests for help with storm cleanup
You might think an elected offical of city that hiked property tax more than three times the combined rates of…
BCBS Kansas hides Pride Parade participation from policyholders
Blue Cross/Blue Shield Kansas (BCBSKS), headquartered in Topeka, will not answer questions about the company’s role in the Pride Parade…