January 21, 2025

Keeping Media and Government Accountable.

Author: Dave Trabert

Shawnee Mission school district thinks Thanksgiving, Christmas are racist

Shawnee Mission Superintendent Dr. Michelle Hubbard tells parents the district is “pausing” their Thanksgiving and winter holiday meal celebrations because…

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Having 21% of HS students college-ready isn’t “pretty darn good”

Leavenworth teacher Ginger Riddle’s recent Letter to the Editor described student achievement as being ‘pretty darn good,’ citing the 2020…

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KC Star denies CRT in schools, OK with shaming children

Parents across Kansas are furious that schools are teaching children things like ‘white people are inherently racist and oppress students…

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Olathe parents outraged over gender identity questionnaire

Olathe parents might think that a school district falling far short of it’s “Students Prepared for Their Future” vision would…

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Video exposes Deep Equity critical race theory indoctrination

The Shawnee Mission school district insists that it doesn’t use critical race theory training, but a new video provides a…

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2021 ACT scores fall as schools de-emphasize academics

The average 2021 ACT scores in Kansas declined for the fifth consecutive year, to 19.9, and the decline in college…

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Make no mistake: local elections aren’t nonpartisan

All across Kansas, people who never thought they would run for office are seeking election in nonpartisan races for local…

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Schools won’t talk about getting 135,000 students to grade level

There were about 135,000 students reading and writing below grade level in Kansas in 2019, with about 17,000 of them…

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Mayoral candidate Skoog makes false accusations of KPI

Curt Skoog, a candidate for Overland Park mayor, made some false claims about Kansas Policy Institute and me personally at…

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Leavenworth city officials: raise property tax or defund police

When Leavenworth residents asked city commissioners to hold property tax flat next year – like roughly 250 local jurisdictions are…

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Kansas tries to reduce standards to make achievement look better

The Kansas Department of Education dumbed down achievement standards about 20 years ago under No Child Left Behind, and now…

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More student achievement deception in Gardner-Edgerton

Parents in the Gardner-Edgerton school district in Johnson County are being horribly misled about student achievement.  The only question is…

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KU researchers mislead (again) on mask mandate efficacy

The University of Kansas issued a press release on Monday, quoting a study in the Journal of the American Medical…

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Overland Park’s lower mill rate doesn’t equate to efficiency

Several Overland Park city council members last week justified voting for a 10% property tax increase by noting that their…

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Prairie Village officials cause housing to be less affordable

Every time a government entity creates or contributes to a problem, the proposed solution is inevitably more government.  The City…

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Hypocritical hissy fits from SUBV, Game On over 1776 Project endorsements

They didn’t object when Democrats Laura Kelly, Sharice Davids, and Barbara Bollier got financial backing from out-of-state donors.  But Stand…

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Overland Park city council won’t be honest with citizens

Last night’s Overland Park revenue neutral hearing showed why Kansans support the new Truth in Taxation law.  Taxpayers are fed…

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Stand Up Blue Valley stands for mediocrity and bureaucracy

Stand Up Blue Valley likes to portray its leaders as “concerned parents” but their actions show they exist to support…

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Olathe proposes 9% property tax hike despite $97 million in reserve

The Olathe proposed 2022 budget includes $97 million remaining in reserves in funds that receive property tax, a 9% increase…

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Some local officials won’t be honest about property tax

Local officials not being honest about property tax was the impetus for the new Truth in Taxation Act, and some…

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Blue Valley asks students to declare preferred pronouns

Under the guise of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), teachers in Blue Valley are asking students to declare their preferred…

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JoCo school boards request political ‘cover’ from commissioners

“Legal department had not made final review,” wrote Johnson County Commission Chair Ed Eilert , explaining why the school district…

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Go to RNR hearings and demand lower property tax

There will be a lot of RNR hearings coming in the next four weeks where local officials will try to…

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Truth in Taxation is already saving millions in property tax

Now that local officials have to be honest about the entire property tax increase they impose on residents and businesses,…

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