Author: Dave Trabert
USD 453 Leavenworth administration misleads school board on state assessment results
The administration at USD 453 Leavenworth consciously gave school board members and parents a false impression of high school state…
Kansas ACT scores and college readiness fall again, hitting new lows
The ACT results just released for the 2024 school year show further declines in both raw scores and college readiness.…
Dismal 2024 state assessment confirms outcomes won’t improve until adult behaviors change
Results and reactions to the 2024 state assessment could have been predicted more than a year ago, and the exact…
Districts approved pay hikes for school administrators in 2024 while outcomes remain tragically low
The 2024 school year was déjà vu all over again – nice pay increases for administrators and low proficiency levels.…
Lansing school board gets deceptive budget proposal from USD 469 Superintendent Marty Kobza
The August 26 budget hearing conducted by the USD 469 Lansing school board was loaded with deception and subterfuge, seemingly…
Shawnee Mission school district’s priority is not on improving outcomes
Shawnee Mission school board members are pondering whether it is equitable to allow community-funded employees since most of the money…
USD 453 should be honest about its proposed 5% property tax increase
At its July board meeting, the USD 453 Leavenworth school board was shown a revenue-neutral rate chart that appears to…
School-level ACT scores show frightening declines since 2015
ACT scores for individual high schools in Kansas show concerning declines since 2015 in most cases. The statewide composite in…
Tax hike coming for the middle class if Trump tax cuts aren’t extended in 2025
President Joe Biden has often said he would not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000. He said it…
Kansas judge blocks Title IX rule change
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach yesterday won a preliminary injunction halting the implementation of the Biden administration’s Title IX transgender…
Kansas Education Commissioner wants you to believe all students are at grade level
“Prairie Home Companion” on National Public Radio was about the fictional city Lake Wobegon, which host Garrison Keillor described as…
USD 497 Lawrence consciously deceives school board and parents about reading proficiency
According to the Lawrence Journal-World, USD 497 Chief Academic Officer Patrick Kelly announced at the June 10 board meeting that…
Federal court rules against Biden administration’s Title IX rules
Education Week reports the Biden administration’s new Title IX rule, which explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender…
AG Kobach: implementing Title IX policy now is”foolish and a waste of money”
The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) is telling school districts they must soon adopt policies — contrary to state…
Overland Park Council member Melissa Cheatham deceives residents on property tax hike
Overland Park City Council member Melissa Cheatham recently demonstrated why the Kansas Legislature passed the Truth in Taxation Act in…
Education officials at the top of the 2023 KPERS ‘millionaires’ list
Data provided by the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System shows that Kansas has 4,375 KPERS ‘millionaires’—state and local government retirees…
Some Kansas schools support Open Enrollment law, others seem hostile
The bipartisan Open Enrollment legislation signed into law in 2022 offered hope for students who are trapped by their zip…
Legislature passes less expensive tax plan in SB 37, Kelly vows another veto
The Kansas House and Senate came together late last night to pass SB 37 with slightly higher tax rates that…
IVE Part 4: The impact of integrated voter engagement and the blueing of Kansas
Note: This is the final article in a four-part series on “Integrated Voter Engagement” in Kansas by Earl F. Glynn. …
IVE Part 3: Nonprofits receiving Integrated Voter Engagement funding from Kansas healthcare foundations
Note: This is the third article in a four-part series on “Integrated Voter Engagement” in Kansas by Earl F. Glynn. …
IVE Part 2: Healthcare foundations involved in funding Integrated Voter Engagement in Kansas
Note: This is the second article in a four-part series on “Integrated Voter Engagement” in Kansas by Earl F. Glynn.…
Kelly veto of HB 2036 shows disdain for taxpayers and the state’s economy
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of HB 2036 was entirely predictable. We’ve heard the same excuses as she vetoed every…
Kansas Health Foundation spends big on “integrated voter engagement ” to change political landscape
Note: This is the first of a four-part series on “Integrated Voter Engagement” in Kansas. This article looks at the…
Kansas legislators should follow the principled lead of these three Democrats
“As I watch children in poverty, trapped in failing schools, who can hardly read, I’d be damned if I will…