Kansas City Playlist: What Have We Learned After 37 Years Of FAIL???

In 1985 a Kansas City desegregation verdict sparked one of the most "transformative" courtroom decisions in American history. 

Now . . .

Before you get the wrong idea about people who highlight this decision . . . It doesn't have much to do with desegregation at all. 

By the 80s KCMO was ALREADY a very diverse city and several Black leaders were well on their way to becoming nationwide power players. 

Instead . . .

The Kansas City Desegregation Experiment sought to spend EPIC money on inner city facilities in order to attract white students and create "magnet" schools that served as beacons of diversity, hope & change. Of course it failed miserably. 

The reasons were many . . . 

Mismanagement, corruption, graft and a silly idea the a Russian fencing instructor and his program would be anything but a HUGE WASTE OF TIME & MONEY. Let's also not forget an Olympic sized pool that might or might not still go mostly unused.

And all of that prologue us to tonight . . .

A note from this evening's discussion as Kansas City Public Schools work on closing more facilities in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic and online learning schemes that rendered years of students woefully ignorant . . . 

"KCPS explained its plan step-by-step and outlined what will happen in the next seven to eight years, including the closure of at least 10 schools. During meetings past, attendees have been emotional. Saturday was no different . . ."

A bright side . . .

Parents both Black, White, Latino & Asian have all given up hope for KCPS over the years. Most of the last remaining parents simply have no other options. What so many have in common is that they're unwilling to "experiment" with the education of their youngsters. 

An emphasis on diversity and, dare we say, "equity" totally overlooked quality . . . AND NOBODY really cared about managerial skill in any sense beyond press release hype. 

To be fair, a recent reinstatement of Missouri accreditation is a victory that inspires nobody but hack reporters & social media jerks.

It's really not so hard . . . Parents want quality and SAFE schools for their youngsters. KCPS hasn't been able to create that over the course of 37 years and that's why enrollment has dropped by at least 40% over the past 50 years and YET ANOTHER 7 PERCENT in the past three years.

And so we ask . . .

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM 37 YEARS OF FAILURE???

Other local media outlets claim you're racist for even asking the question. 

Meanwhile . . . We merely encourage locals to think about the topic critically and use this moment in time for tonight's TKC playlist on the topic of school . . .

It's best to stick with the classics . . .

This popular 80s music video DOES NOT hold up over time but the song is still solid and sometimes makes it on radio . . .

Something a bit more relevant that speaks to the current divisive school vibe . . .

Here's an Gen-X song that's pretending to be a millennial tune but the quiet desperation gives it away:

A final lesson in classics tonight . . .

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a SAFE & FUN Saturday night.