November 24, 2024

Keeping Media and Government Accountable.

Category: News

Oregon teachers quit union, Kansas teachers need legislative relief

Oregon school districts added about 2,100 teachers in the last school year, but union membership in the Oregon Education Association…

Read More

Taxpayer, KJI say USD 348 violated revenue-neutral property tax law

When the Baldwin City USD 348 Board of Education raised property taxes a whopping 17.8% this year, the board also…

Read More

Prairie Hills USD 113 to close Wetmore school for financial windfall

The Prairie Hills School Board meets December 12th  to consider closing the Wetmore Academic Center, and is expected to schedule…

Read More

Grandparent’s complaint on “Jacob’s New Dress” is resolved successfully

When Kansas City, Kansas grandparent Jim Clay looked over Jacob’s New Dress, a book his 4-year-old preschooler brought home, he…

Read More

KS Supreme Court Justice Caleb Stegall resigns teaching position over free speech issues

Just over a month after an associate dean at the University of Kansas School of Law labeled a speech that…

Read More

Olathe focuses on equity audit, DEI while achievement plummets

Student achievement is precipitously dropping in Olathe USD 233, but district administration and the board majority seem more concerned about…

Read More

Special education formula doesn’t count all the funding

School funding advocates met at the Capitol in Topeka recently to make the case that special education in Kansas is…

Read More

New Shawnee TIF: no developer but less money for schools

The Shawnee City Council has approved a new approach to Tax Increment Financing (TIF), one that doesn’t come with a…

Read More

Haysville school official’s wife was paid $41,000 in overtime

Last week, the Sentinel reported that Beth Schutte, a school nurse in USD 261 Haysville, was paid $126,000 last year. …

Read More

Kansas Open Records exemption allows elected officials to avoid scrutiny

Changes to the Kansas Open Records Act intended to close a loophole preventing the use of private emails to circumvent…

Read More

KS K-12 spending ranked #11, but ‘bang for the buck’ falls to #38

Public school spending and student achievement in Kansas resemble an escalator; one side (spending) goes up, and the other (achievement)…

Read More

KS education establishment out of touch with parents, student needs

The education establishment in Kansas appears to remain remarkably out of step with parents’ and students’ needs. While polling in…

Read More

Lansing parent addresses BOE with content, curriculum concerns

Kirsten Workman, who withdrew her daughter from high school English class over her concerns its content focused more on Critical…

Read More

State BOE recommends districts shed Native American mascots

The Kansas State Board of Education (BOE) issued a “strong recommendation” to districts to discontinue their use of Native American…

Read More

Kansas parents explain the homeschooling surge

K-12 schools in Kansas have lost more than 10,000 students since the beginning of the pandemic, and homeschooling registrations have…

Read More

A culture emphasizing academic improvement drives scores higher in USD 329 Wabaunsee

Optimism, determination, accountability, respect. Those are integral elements of the culture at the Wabaunsee school district, and it shows in…

Read More

Gardner-Edgerton BOE approves transgender policy

After months of contentious debate and with emotional testimony from the public in front of standing-room-only crowds, the Gardner-Edgerton Board…

Read More

Senator calls for removal of DCF chief after second child dies in custody

Following the second death this year of a child in the custody of the Department for Children and Families, Johnson…

Read More

Soros contributions run counter to governor’s middle-of-the-road claims

Governor Laura Kelly’s acceptance of the maximum contribution from George Soros family members may have voters questioning her oft-repeated phrase…

Read More

Cowley Co. couple in property rights showdown with State of Kansas

A Cowley County bird dog trainer and handler has filed a property rights suit against Kansas Animal Health Commissioner Justin…

Read More

Lansing school board member: CRT is taught in Kansas

Education officials insist that the tenets of critical race theory are not being taught in Kansas and other states, but…

Read More

Panel discussion to explore achievement gains in Wabaunsee school district

The Wabaunsee school district has consistently outperformed surrounding districts and the state average on math and reading state assessments tests…

Read More

Candidate invitation to speak at Derby school may be election law violation

A Derby High School instructor potentially ran afoul of state election law last week when she invited the Democrat challenger…

Read More

Lansing parent challenges curriculum pushing Marxism, other political opinions

A Lansing parent has removed her high school senior from an English Composition class, contending the materials in the curriculum…

Read More