Please modify the following letters as you see fit to make your views known. Thank you!

Sample letter one:

To the Honorable TBD:

As a resident of Kansas City, I have watched with dismay as our school district has fallen farther and farther behind – and we are now faced — again — with loss of accreditation. While it is most certainly a major setback for the whole city, my main concern is the fact we are letting our children down and robbing them of the education they deserve.

I am aware there are a number of legislative initiatives introduced in Jefferson City. I am not writing you on behalf of any one of them at this time, I am simply writing to urge you to give serious attention to this problem and help ensure that there will be a solution during this legislative session. I know there are some from the Kansas City community who are urging the status quo, but the vast majority of us in KC know we must have major change, and a new organization in place to achieve what is needed. We simply cannot endure the current status quo any longer, so I urge you to galvanize your fellow legislators to take the necessary action.

Sincerely,

Sample letter two:

To the Honorable TBD:

I am concerned about the current emergency facing the Kansas City School District – one that has been 30 years in the making. We are failing the students in the district, and such a failure is unacceptable. Various school boards have tried and failed to remedy this sad situation, and I now believe it is time for a drastic change. I know there are various bills pending in the legislature now, and while I believe the best solutions are those that enable surrounding accredited districts to take on the job of educating the students, I am not writing on behalf of any particular one at this time. I am writing to urge you to recognize the dire circumstances here and ensure that action is taken in this legislative session. Though there are some members of the Kansas City community lobbying for the status quo, most of us recognize the need for immediate and major changes. We cannot endure the status quo any longer – we are wasting the lives of our students and this must not continue.

Sincerely,

• Creates a turnaround culture
• Brings about a new governance system
• Requires teachers and administrative staff to go through a rigorous screening process
• Assures accountability to the community

 
The problems go beyond the current board and administration.  The system is caught in a decades-old spiral of dysfunction and a culture of mediocrity. A bold turnaround initiative is required to equip the district’s children to function in a complex society. 
 
The solution must focus on providing children in this district a good education.

If you’re not sure which district you’re in, use the following links to Kansas City area maps:

Missouri State Senators

Missouri State Representatives (large file)

You can also find your Senators and Representatives by putting your zip code to the following tools:

Missouri State Senators

Missouri State Representatives (bottom right)

For your convenience, we’ve provided two sample letters to help get you started.

Missouri State Senators

Missouri State Representatives

Rather than attempting to grade the school board’s performance, we will be keeping our followers informed about developments inside and outside the organization that affect students.  The Kansas City school system is “in play.”  Its fate will impact students, families, economic development, community image and many other factors.  A number of proposals are on the table.  Mayor Sly James proposes to take over the school system and appoint a small board led by a CEO.  This idea has worked well in some cities and less well in others. (See Dave Helling’s article in the January 16, 2012 Kansas City Star.)  A proposal in the State Legislature, offered by Senator Victor Callahan, would allow surrounding accredited districts to annex portions of the Kansas City District.  An addendum to that might create a new small urban core district.  (See Barbara Shelly’s column in the January 6, 2012 Kansas City Star.)  A Missouri statute empowers the State Board of Education to take over an unaccredited district two years after it loses accreditation, and it is being proposed that the two-year waiting period be eliminated. The State takeover in St. Louis is commonly described as problematic, but there is now beginning to be progress.

Do the Right Thing for Kids has not yet endorsed any of these initiatives.  However, we have become convinced, sadly, that the current District is extremely unlikely to regain full accreditation, that the current dysfunctional culture at all levels would take many years to overcome, and that drastic steps are necessary to avoid wasting the lives of more young people.  A new organization is needed to achieve what is necessary.  We will let you know when and why we decide to support one of the current options or some combination.  In the meantime, we hope you will stay informed and let local and state officials know your views.

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The first Kansas City Public School Board meeting of the month is devoted to a workshop format in which the Board listens to staff members give progress reports and updates on important projects.  It is not a board meeting in the usual sense, and board performance can only be evaluated by the questions board members raise.

At the January 11, 2012 meeting the Superintendent and his staff reported on a proposed $45 million Truman Career Academy, a new website and the preliminary FY 13 budget.  Discussions were peppered with references to “accreditation” and “student achievement.”  We heard little about what is happening to improve teaching.  There was a rather surreal quality to the meeting as a badly failing district talked about spending $45 million on a facility that could serve 5% of the students by 2019, especially when there are so many empty buildings.  The first question from the board asked about protection of minority contractors rather than the efficacy of the project. As one observer pointed out, “As a taxpayer and volunteer in a district school, I am much more concerned with teaching the 4,000+ K-3 level children how to read well. This will take more quality teachers, smaller class sizes and dedication from administrators.  The children are there, they have the ability, and it is not happening.”

The rather expensive new website looks good and will improve communication with the various constituencies.  Again, we wonder about priorities at this stage of the district’s history.  Better communication is always helpful, but is it as helpful as more good reading teachers?

The DTRTFK observers felt that the budget draft discussed by the interim chief financial officer was well presented and understandable.  It may not have adequately accounted for the shrinkage in enrollment and funding that is likely to occur nor the costs that would be involved if the transition plan is fully implemented.

We will continue to observe the school board and administrators and report on evidence of concrete, measurable progress or the lack of it.    We would like to hear your views.

Background

The district has until 2014 to earn a minimum of six points (out of a possible 14) necessary to achieve provisional accreditation, with at least one being a state test performance standard. Do the Right Thing for Kids believes that simply achieving the bare minimum to gain provisional accreditation is not satisfactory. That would only put us back where we have been for many years—with a system that is not adequately preparing students for their and our community’s future. Full accreditation, which requires a minimum of nine points, would be a clear demonstration that the Kansas City schools have turned the corner and are doing their job of educating our students. (Most Missouri school districts are fully accredited including Independence, Center and North Kansas City. Kansas City, Kansas is also making significant progress according to a different set of state standards.)

What’s Happening Now

The current school board members contend the Transition Plan already in place will afford the district the necessary tools to regain accreditation.

The view of Do the Right Thing for Kids is that the Transition Plan is a useful framework for a reasonably funded and moderately successful district that can afford to take the time to work on programs to move to the next level. It is not a turnaround plan. It does not call for major change in administrative and teaching behavior. It does not assign tough timelines and accountability. It will not get us to accreditation. In a little over two years the state’s deadline will be reached. State law calls for the district to lapse at that point. Most likely marginal progress will have been achieved, and the district will again be pleading for “more time–we have a plan.” That is not good enough for Kansas City’s kids.

The report below of the December 7, 2011 Kansas City, Missouri School Board Meeting illustrates the problems surrounding the current board and the Transition Plan.

The board met in its “workshop” format for the first meeting of the month. After taking care of some routine business, the administrative leadership team described their efforts to gain points toward regaining accreditation. Do the Right Thing for Kids board watchers observed that current efforts are focused on gaining a couple of points not directly related to improving academic achievement with the hope of regaining provisional accreditation. These efforts include better records on college placement, a bonus point for some gains in scores as well as a stepped up effort to round up truants, and plans to add pre-tests to improve scores.

Elements in the Transition Plan that advocate improving teaching and principal leadership were discussed, and there was also talk of improving technology, better support of teachers, and a pilot program for pay for performance (merit pay).

While pleased to see that accreditation is now being discussed, we are disappointed to observe that efforts focused only on regaining provisional accreditation; there was no push for major change. The focus is on transition not turnaround. No one said, “What are we going to do to quickly turn this organization around—to regain full accreditation?”

What’s Next?

There is a widely shared perception that the district does not have the human and financial resources or the will to throw off decades of a dysfunctional culture to become a high achieving school system. Those vested in the current system, while voicing commitment to improvement, are pushing to maintain the status quo. It is too early to tell how much the political pushback will protect the current system or whether outside intervention will be able to institute a turnaround.

There has already been much community input regarding this challenge with more still to come. A number of choices have emerged that are now under consideration (outlined in The Kansas City Star, December 14, 2011).

• Maintain the current elected school board structure, with the current elected board in place, perhaps with an oversight panel or commission being appointed by the state. Elections are currently scheduled for April, and candidates are currently being recruited by many segments of the community.
• Give the mayor control of the district with an appointed board.
• Give the state control with an appointed board.
• Create a board with a combination of locally elected and appointed members.
• Contract with neighboring districts to manage the district’s schools.
• Dissolve the district totally (or partially) and divide the schools and students among neighboring districts.

Since current state law gives the district and its board two full school years to regain accreditation before the state can intervene, all of the options except the first one will require legislative action in Jefferson City. While not impossible, past history indicates that is a tremendous hurdle; and meanwhile, the kids are still missing out on their deserved educational opportunities. The Commissioner of Education has called for a period of public discussion of the alternatives after which she will recommend a course of action to the State Board of Education.

Summing It Up
It is obvious this is a very fluid situation, as evidenced by the most recent plan outlined by Interim Superintendent Dr. Stephen Green regarding student transfers. Do the Right Thing for Kids is studying the alternatives and tracking the thinking. We will continue to post reports and information on our site. We will probably put our support behind one of the alternatives at a later time. We emphatically reject supporting the status quo.

We welcome citizens’ comments about the district’s efforts and solicit your suggestions about how Do the Right Thing for Kids can respond to your concerns. Contact us at any time.

Do the Right Thing for Kids participated with other civic organizations in developing the following letter to Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Chris Nicastro. It follows the format of the feedback form she provided.

Download a .pdf version of letter.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/27/3041538/renovation-cost-doubles-at-new.html#storylink=misearch

Will Academie Lafayette be able to purchase Longan School in time to start the new school year?

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/27/3041539/academie-lafayette-has-only-a.html

Missouri and Kansas deal with rising bar of the federal No Child left Behind Act.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/03/3055747/map-scores-disappoint-kc-district.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/09/3067415/the-stars-editorial-missouri-needs.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/09/3067584/shawnee-mission-kck-school-districts.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/09/3067689/theyre-watching-for-cheaters.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/03/v-print/2992189/a-school-for-just-one-sex-boys.html

It will take patience and another year to see advancement in student performance levels due to the student-center learning system which is being implemented in the Kansas City Schools.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/03/v-print/2991979/kc-academic-reformers-look-ahead.html

The students are the ultimate losers in the Atlanta standardized test cheating scandal.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/11/v-print/3007999/tampering-with-tests-rob-student.html

The French-immersion Academie Lafayette is awaiting word this week as to whether it will be the first charter school to move into a repurposed Kansas City school building. Time is of the essence if the charter school is going to have time to move in this school year. Two other charter schools, Alta Vista and The Academy for Integrated Arts, are also progressing through the repurposing process hoping to open for the 2012–2013 school year.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/11/v-print/3008509/eyes-are-on-academie-lafayette.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/30/2986698/tell-them-to-come-and-see-good.html

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/01/2988716/covingtons-bold-plan-to-boost.html

Photo of John Covington from the K.C. Star

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/21/2966376/kc-elementary-students-to-receive.html

ACE, the African-centered contract school, is renegotiating its contract with the Kansas City School District.

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/education/ace-school-battle-for-more-money-from-district

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/21/2966375/kc-district-african-centered-program.html

The school board addressed difficult issues at its June 22, 2011 meeting.  The board approved a plan to close Delano School, a school which serves students with severe disabilities; a contract was approved for ACE, the African-centered contract school, with details yet to be worked out; and a policy change was approved to affirm the power of the superintendent to determine contract schools.

http://www.kctv5.com/story/14962010/parents-concerned-decision-to-close-special-needs-school

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/22/2968938/delano-school-closing-approved.html

Bell times for Kansas City School District students are changing for Fall 2011.

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/missouri/kcmo-schools-change-start-times-for-fall-2011

As a part of a national effort to improve lowest performing schools, Principal Linda Taylor is rallying her faculty to transform Central High School into a turnaround school.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/26/2976819/ambitious-school-reform-relies.html