kansas
Opinion
Kansas school district ignores financial realities while blaming legislators for lack of support

(The Sentinel) – School board members of Shawnee Mission, Kansas, are pondering whether it is equitable to allow community-funded employees since most of the money comes from parents in wealthier… Read More

September 4, 2024
Homeschools
Kansas homeschool parents now eligible for a sales tax exemption

(The Sentinel) – A lawsuit seems to have led to the Kansas Department of Revenue’s reversal of policy on sales tax exemptions for homeschool parents. Until recently, homeschools were ineligible… Read More

September 3, 2024
Public Education
Kansas school board to debate budget with a 24% property tax hike

(The Sentinel) – Taxpayers in Lansing, Kansas, will likely seek answers when they gather to hear a presentation on the local school district’s 2024-2025 budget that calls for a 24%… Read More

August 28, 2024
Public Education
Kansas school district sponsors scholarship fundraiser featuring mock drag show, lap dance

(The Sentinel) – The Lansing, Kansas school district raised eyebrows and money for scholarships at a recent “Lip Sync Battle 2024” fundraiser, which featured a simulated drag show with volunteers… Read More

August 23, 2024
Public Education
Kansas mom warns State Board of Education about effects of Second Step middle school curriculum

(The Sentinel) – Kirsten Workman of Lansing says her research shows the Second Step Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program for middle schoolers is ineffective in improving student outcomes or… Read More

August 22, 2024
Christian Schools
Second annual ‘Heartland Hybrid and Microschool Summit’ to highlight importance of new education models

(The Sentinel) – An event scheduled for late September — the second annual “Heartland Hybrid and Microschool Summit” — will highlight the growing importance of this new model… Read More

August 21, 2024
Public Education
School board member who belittled mom’s battle against obscene books now seeking ways to spam his critics

One of two Kansas school board members whose belittling of a mom concerned with obscene books in schools went viral has now suggested spamming his detractors. Noting that he’s… Read More

August 20, 2024
Public Education
Kansas school choice program shows remarkable progress for low-income students

(The Sentinel) – ACE Scholarships, a Kansas program that provides partial funding for lower-income families to send their children to a private school of their choice, is… Read More

August 19, 2024
Public Education
Kansas school employee made $631,000 last year but no one will explain his duties

(The Sentinel) – David Wild was paid over $631,071.87 for the 2023-24 school year, according to salary figures from the Geary County School District (USD 475) in Kansas. Mr. Read More

August 19, 2024
Courts
Student with Down syndrome abused, neglected and actually caged in Kansas school, lawsuit alleges

A paraprofessional in a Kansas school district hit, abused, neglected and locked a student with Down syndrome in a metal cage, a stunning new federal lawsuit alleges. Kaw Valley Unified… Read More

August 19, 2024
Public Education
School board members belittle mother concerned about sexually explicit books in Kansas City-area district

Shocking video of male board members at a Kansas City school district silencing and ridiculing a mother concerned about obscene books in school libraries has gone viral. Gardner… Read More

August 16, 2024
Opinion
Kansas school district tries to ‘hide’ 5% property tax increase

(The Sentinel) – It was presented as a 0.2% tax increase, but the Leavenworth, Kansas, school district is really proposing a 4.9% property tax increase, according to information from its … Read More

August 13, 2024
Public Education
Kansas district gives taxpayers a win with revenue-neutral budget in upcoming school year

(The Sentinel) – Despite ever-increasing property assessments statewide, school patrons in Leavenworth County’s Easton School District will not pay additional property taxes in the 2024-2025 school year. The… Read More

August 7, 2024
Courts
Former Emporia State professor suing for religious discrimination

(The Sentinel) – A pair of lawsuits against Emporia State University for religious discrimination in 2022 is moving forward, with a trial scheduled for March 2025. Dr. Dusti Howell, his wife Deanne,… Read More

August 6, 2024
Public Education
School-level ACT scores show frightening declines since 2015 in Kansas

(The Sentinel) – ACT scores for individual high schools in Kansas show concerning declines since 2015 in most cases. The statewide composite in 2015 was 21.9 but fell steadily to… Read More

August 5, 2024
Public Education
Kansas Association of School Boards refuses to provide agenda for upcoming Title IX workshop

(The Sentinel) – Weeks after a federal court placed a hold on implementing a new federal Department of Education (DOE) rule in Kansas, expanding Title… Read More

August 1, 2024
Homeschools
Kansas Department of Education changes online form for homeschool registration, adding fields not required by state law 

Homeschool families are questioning changes to the Kansas Department of Education’s online registration form, which now demands more information than is required under state law. “A school custodian must submit… Read More

July 31, 2024
Homeschools
Kansas school district refuses to allow homeschool athletes to participate in sports recognition

(The Sentinel) – Homeschool students who played for Wallace County High School were unfairly neglected and discriminated against during athletic recognitions earlier this year, according to parents and… Read More

July 29, 2024
Public Education
Kansas State Board of Education to ‘take a serious look’ at cellphone ban

Restricting cellphone use in Kansas public schools is on the table now that the state board of education is forming a “blue-ribbon task force” to examine the issue. The Kansas State… Read More

July 18, 2024
Public Education
Employment of non-teachers rose since 2015 in Kansas while outcomes and enrollment decline

(The Sentinel) – The hiring of non-teachers (administrators and all other employees who are not teachers) has continued an upward trend in Kansas for the past decade in spite of… Read More

July 15, 2024