Here's what has been lost in a recent citywide propaganda blast disguised as news . . .
IS STATEWIDE CONTROL FOR FAILING KANSAS CITY SCHOOLS BETTER THAN WAITING ON A NEVER-ENDING LITANY OF PROMISES REGARDING THE KCPS?!?!
Of course proponents, Administrators, teachers and sexually harassing employees of the district are going to sing praises of the KCPS and buy the line about "stabilization" but there really aren't many advocates with the best interests of students in mind.
Maybe "conspiring" against the KCPS isn't such a bad thing.
So, like it or not . . . This blog is the best place to get an accurate view of Kansas City opinion on the future of public education in Missouri. Natch.
The question:
SHOULD WE WAIT ANOTHER 25 YEARS FOR A KCPS TURNAROUND OR ALLOW MISSOURI REPUBLICANS TO TAKEOVER KANSAS CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS MIRED IN FAILURE?!?!
While this political debate rages . . . It's important to understand that the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF KANSAS CITY RESIDENTS have voted with their feet in the long term and have abandoned the district and surrounding neighborhoods to find better options for their children given enrollment stats over the past generation. Currently, there's hope that THE UNACCREDITED STATUS OF THE KCPS will allow more students to transfer out without having to leave the city.
Developing . . .
TKC, I would rather have the teacher's union teaching than making blog comments thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteNo, it is not better to let the state of Missouri come in and take over our schools. Has it been a long slide down? Yes. Has the state of Missouri fixed St. Louis Public Schools by taking over? No. Nicastro gave SLPC provisional accreditation two years ago in order to avoid the transfer law going into effect there, but the sad truth is that there has been no progress since the state of Missouri took over. There have been dramatic improvements at KCPS. Can it be sustained? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure, the stability will be lost if the State takes over, and it will be 5-7 years before there is enough time to see if the State's plan was successful. My guess? There will be a much smaller KCPS serving those children that charter schools and their ilk refuse to serve. Tax payer money to fund what are really private schools. Solve poverty and much of the problems in education are solved. Ignore poverty, there will be little if any real progress in public education.
ReplyDeleteYep Airick 5 more years right. And what will you say when Dr. Green leaves for a higher paying job like Covington and Amato? We'll rinse and repeat the cycle of BS promises that never take shape. You've had 30 years to fix the problem, it only gets worse. Give the State a chance for the sake of the "Scholars" and not your own personal agendas!
ReplyDeleteFirst off this is not Airick. But Airick has not had 30 years to fix the problem, he has had 4? or so. That said, the Board is less intrusive than it has been in the last 30 plus years. If the State and Nicastro takes over you can be assured that what is going on in St. Louis will happen here. There will be no increases in scores. They will fall back to 21% or so, and for all intents and purposes, the children of KCPS will be forgotten. Aaron North and his buddy's are intent on gutting the school system and privatizing it with public funds. Follow the money. Ask about the tax credits available to the fat cats who invest in charter schools. Are you so naive to think this is done for some altruistic reason? Follow the money.
ReplyDeleteAnything would beat this political, agenda ridden school board.
ReplyDeleteNot anything. Not state takeover, the results in STL have been tragic. However, I will agree that most of this board needs to go. There may be one or two worth salvaging. Next spring (spring 2015) wipe the slate clean, make everyone run from scratch. Run complete background checks and disqualify anyone with any non traffic related convictions, anyone with warrants and if they plan to drive while conducting school board business they must maintain a valid driver's license and insurance. While we are at it, let's get really ambitious and require everyone to have a degree and no further political aspirations. Children and their education should not be a political stepping stone as it has been for Airick, Crispin, Gunnar and what's his face.
DeleteMr. Tony,
ReplyDeleteAin't this just a damn big mess? Ms. Nicastro should be removed from her job. Now! Good grief! her sausage finger prints are all over the "winning" contract for that over paid consultant.
I am deeply ashamed for the crude maneuverings of the Hall Family Foundation.
AND... Kauffman Foundation just what are you doing?
Mr. Tony, what connection does Kiki Curls have in this hot mess? She did sponsor a bill regarding some of this screw up.
And Mayor James just hired a Kauffman staff member as his Education Guru. WTF?
Here we have a story in today's paper about sending home food to hungry school kids, then we see these bureaucratic fat cats stealing money from the Missouri Education System under the guise of burnishing Gov. Jay Nixon's state legacy. I am sure the kids who are under educated and locked into poverty are glad that Nicastro is so concerned about Gov. Nixon's political image.
That woman is a terribly troubled sub human.
For decades the Kansas City School District has been a trough for make-believe contractors and consultants and an employment agency for totally unqualified family and friends. It's never been about the young people..just about the money and even as marginal improvements have been made, these recent events show that that focus hasn't changed.
ReplyDeleteMillions of dollars spent on adults and their ideas, products, programs, and all the rest, and the kids are way down on the list.
My kids are getting an excellent education in KCPS. The majority of problems with the district come from how to manage the problems that some students bring from home. The district has a reputation for being bad because it's easier to run away and criticize rather than stay and work on a solution.
ReplyDeleteTar and feather the conservatives!
ReplyDeleteThis is simple. Shitty parent(s) that were drop-outs themselves have kids that are shitty students no matter how much money is thrown at the problem. This is nothing other than special interest groups trying to grease their own palms. Hasn't worked in the past and won't work in the future. Change has to come from the parent/student and we all no that isn't going to happen without a seismic attitude shift in the black community concerning education and personal responsibility. I won't get my hopes up.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we need alternatives to schools. Consider a recent conversation that I had.
ReplyDelete"At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, ... it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."
"Are there no prisons?"
"Plenty of prisons..."
"And the Union workhouses." demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"
"Both very busy, sir..."
"Those who are badly off must go there."
"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."
"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."
I think tony's LAZY EYE is the solution...
ReplyDeleteWhite boys are pussies.
ReplyDeleteDumb population on TKC 44,000,121,000,111. Copy and paste clowns 333,000,556,877.
DeleteYou can see where the KCPS is when the criteria suggested for qualification for board positions consist of having a valid driver's license and no warrants. Could the qualifications possibly be any LOWER?
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that the last school board election had a voter turnout of around 4%.
But you still have the same consulting firms, nonprofits, contractors, and politicians fighting over the oney in what can only be described as a corpse of an organization.
And the "turnaround" is always just around the corner.
How many generations of young people dumped into the world barely able to cope, much less succeed, does it take?