Do the Right Thing for Kids

What if the School Board put an end to petty agendas?

DTRTFK-Admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:22:01 +0000

Barb Shelly of the Kansas City Star suggests that a new form of leadership for our School District could redirect the priorities of the School Board. Our community should insist that the School Board stick to a single agenda: the education of our children. For decades, our Board has put the interests of adults before those of the students. The 9 member board elected by sub-districts has perpetuated the advancement of personal agendas; all at the expense of the children. Break the cycle now!

Is the School Board To Blame?

DTRTFK-Admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:59:27 +0000

Following the Kansas City School Board’s vote to accept Superintendent John Covington’s plan to address a $50 million budget deficit and decreased student enrollment by closing 28 Kansas City schools and eliminating 700 jobs, an article in the New York Times cites education experts who suggest that the School Board is responsible for years of inaction and dysfunction leading the district to the brink of bankruptcy.

Right Sizing Plan Passes by a Narrow Margin

DTRTFK-Admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:13:26 +0000

Tonight, the KCMSD School Board narrowly approved the Right Sizing Plan proposed by Dr. Covington. 26 buildings will be closed in an effort to redirect the District’s resources to improving the education of its 17,000 students. The Board voted 5–4 to move forward with the plan to transform the KCMSD. Sadly, Dr. Covington’s victory may be short-lived. After voting unanimously to bring Dr Covington to town to reform the District, four board members proved that they weren’t willing to support him as he makes the tough decisions. The fractious board now places the implementation of the Right Sizing plan in jeopardy. The community cannot take for granted that Dr Covington will be allowed to dismiss teachers, introduce new curriculum, implement performance standards and revolutionize the quality of education in our District. The administration’s proposals may even be challenged in the coming months by board members who will be elected to serve on April 6^th. The fate of our District depends on whether the new board will support the superintendent and his staff as they transform the district. As you attend the school board candidate forums and debates, ask each candidate if they plan to stand by this administration and the Right Sizing Plan that the community endorsed. Can the community afford a school board that is not unified in its vision? Ask each candidate if they intend to Do The Right Thing For Kids.

Closing 26 Schools: How Did It Come To This?

DTRTFK-Admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:52:07 +0000

Urban school districts have all faced challenges over the past few decades. An article from the Boston Globe relates the sad story of Kansas City’s history as one of the worst failures, where adults have abused the system to the detriment of students.

Right Sizing Plan Receives Support from Sources Far and Wide

DTRTFK-Admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:38:35 +0000

Missouri’s Commissioner of Education, Chris Nicastro, commends Dr. Covington and his leadership team on their aggressive plan to address the District’s financial woes in her statement of support. She notes that the District is on the right track by proposing a “sound and fiscally responsible plan” that redirects resources to delivering quality education for our students. Mike Casserly, Executive Director of The Council of the Great City Schools, issued his statement of support for the superintendent’s efforts to reallocate scarce resources to the academic achievement of our students. Numerous local civic and labor organizations issued a collective statement of support for the District’s thoughtful and comprehensive plan to right size our district. This overwhelming public support for Dr. Covington’s Right Sizing plan should send a clear message to the School Board. A vote to approve the plan is a vote to move our district forward.

District Submits Final Right Sizing Plan to the Board

DTRTFK-Admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:11:22 +0000

As promised, Dr. Covington and his leadership team revised the Right Sizing Plan to reflect the concerns and feedback from hundreds of district patrons. The final plan was issued on March 1st and will be discussed by the School Board members at a public meeting on March 3. The School Board will vote on the superintendent’s recommendation on March 10.

Do Multiple Candidates for School Board = Effective School Board?

DTRTFK-Admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:37:23 +0000

KCUR’s Sylvia Maria Gross spent some time with candidates running for KCMSD’s School Board. She broadcast her discussion on the KC Currents program on February 22nd. Five seats are up for election on April 6th. Two seats will be filled with incumbents who are running unopposed. Nine candidates will compete for the three remaining seats. Do The Right Thing For Kids continues to question whether bringing new faces to the School Board can break the 40 year cycle of dysfunction that has plagued Kansas City’s public schools? Lots of new faces with energy and commitment have sat in those nine seats; yet our students continue to struggle academically. Will playing musical chairs truly result in a paradigm shift that will allow a culture of professionalism and academic excellence to prosper? Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

KCMSD subject of State Audit

DTRTFK-Admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:52:29 +0000

Susan Montee, Missouri State Auditor, took advantage of a recent state law allowing her to initiate an audit of a Missouri School District without a formal request from its residents. On February 24, her audit team began a comprehensive audit of KCMSD’s operations that is expected to take a year. All aspects of the District from June 2008 to June 2010 including finances, policies and compliance will be subject to her review. According to a Kansas City Star article, the auditor’s office is even seeking input from Kansas City taxpayers. If you should have any information concerning District operations that would aid the investigation, please contact the Missouri Taxpayer hot line at 800–347-8597 or email moaudit@auditor.mo.gov Your confidentiality is guaranteed.

KCMSD unveils comprehensive school closing plan

DTRTFK-Admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:39:56 +0000

KCMSD’s plan to close and consolidate almost half of its facilities and eliminate over 700 positions was presented to a standing-room-only crowd on Saturday, February 13th. Every aspect of the District’s plan is data– driven and well-researched. Each school’s age, efficiency, costs and location was considered. Each program’s enrollment, academic success and stability was a factor. Dr. Covington’s administration should be commended for their thoughtful and thorough analysis of what needed to be done to bring our District’s diminishing resources and declining enrollment back into alignment. The Kansas City Star notes,

“It is imperative that the school closings and staff cuts are done right. The best buildings must be kept open and the top-performing principals, other administrators and teachers must be retained.

Covington’s proposed changes will give the district the best opportunity it has had in decades to improve students’ academic performance and win more much-needed community support.”

Click here to view the District’s proposal

Rewarding Good Teachers: The Time Has Come

DTRTFK-Admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:40:37 +0000

Currently, teachers are compensated not according to how well they educate their students, but where they fall on a predetermined pay scale which rewards seniority. Thanks to the education reform agenda of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, paying teachers for performance is a concept that is gaining ground. For states wishing to earn millions of federal dollars to turn around failing schools, they must begin to distinguish between effective and ineffective teachers—and consider that information when deciding whether to grant tenure, give raises, or fire a teacher or principal. Other states fighting for the same federal funding have adopted pay for performance measures for their teachers. Even the national AFT Union Chief, Randi Weingarten, acknowledges that the existing system for evaluating teachers has never been adequate. In a recent announcement she called for sweeping changes in how school districts evaluate teachers and work with teachers’ unions. Joe Robertson with the Kansas City Star notes that Missouri has pledged to develop a teacher evaluation process as part of its bid for the Race To The Top Funds. What impact might this have on the KCMSD? If successful in its pilot program of developing universal teaching standards, the District could begin to implement programs to reward its highly effective teachers and work to retain them. We must continue to ask Andrea Flinders of the local AFT how she is collaborating with the District to ensure that we recognize and reward our best teachers while making it easier and faster to remove poorly performing teachers.