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Old 03-11-2010, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
5,765 posts, read 10,956,798 times
Reputation: 2830

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Well, this is national news so I figured it was worthy to it's own thread for discussion.

A divided Kansas City board votes 5-4 to close 26 district schools - KansasCity.com (http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/10/1804197/kc-school-district-to-close-26.html - broken link)
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Old 03-11-2010, 02:22 PM
 
Location: Prairie Village, KS
476 posts, read 1,307,570 times
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Good move. I applaud John Covington for having the balls and the political know-how to get this approved. He's really doing some good work and bringing accountability to a district that needs it badly. This will hurt in the short-term, but in the long-term it will cut costs for an already shrinking district and maybe make them more efficient and a smaller, better school district.
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Old 03-11-2010, 03:14 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC area
11,108 posts, read 23,715,042 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OneKC View Post
Good move. I applaud John Covington for having the balls and the political know-how to get this approved. He's really doing some good work and bringing accountability to a district that needs it badly. This will hurt in the short-term, but in the long-term it will cut costs for an already shrinking district and maybe make them more efficient and a smaller, better school district.
Totally agree. It's funny watching how this is being portrayed in the national media though. It's been all over the local news out here that "Kansas City is closing half their schools!" like it's due to the economy and it's effecting the entire city when it really has little to due with the economy and is effecting only part of Kansas City and a very tiny part of the metropolitan area. This is long overdue and hopefully this is either one step closer to improving the district or one step closer to dissolving it. It's funny (actually sad) reading the comments in the local papers or on CNN though. Many people think KC is in Kansas and it seems that many people still associate Kansas City and Kansas with the debates over evolution and religion in schools. They just figure KC is a bunch of bible thumping hicks. Thanks Kansas! Anyway, I'm glad my wife no longer teaches in the KCMOSD, but I really hope this is the beginning of a new era for the district and KC.

If you have an hour, read the comments below this CNN story. Some get it. Some don't.
Kansas City superintendent defends plan to shutter schools - CNN.com
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Old 03-11-2010, 03:28 PM
 
Location: Kansas City MO
36 posts, read 113,806 times
Reputation: 15
About time someone put their foot down!
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Old 03-11-2010, 04:07 PM
 
6 posts, read 17,805 times
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I totally agree. Hopefully this move will actually move us closer to having a decent and functional school district. Maybe one day we will be able to send our kids to school in KCMO district again!

Last edited by patka2109; 03-11-2010 at 04:17 PM..
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Old 03-11-2010, 06:27 PM
 
29,981 posts, read 42,787,198 times
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Since all the teachers will have to re-apply for their jobs it may also be a way to thin the herd and keep the good teachers while sending those who lack on their way. All in all a move that was necessary. Nothing else this district has tried in the past 30 yrs. has worked so I'm not certain this can be anything but a step toward improving the situation.
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Old 03-11-2010, 08:21 PM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
448 posts, read 1,450,402 times
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Thank you for sharing. I don't think the district had any choice.

I have to agree with the Lincoln Prep parent who spoke about involvement of parents.

[LEFT]Lincoln parent Fred Hudgins took heart in the passion of the audience, which came on the heels of public forums last month that were attended by hundreds of parents and community members. The district will be stronger, he said, if the passion carries back into the homes and schools.
“We want to know these parents are fired up,” he said. “…But you have to channel that energy toward student achievement.”

[/LEFT]
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Old 03-11-2010, 08:31 PM
 
299 posts, read 901,273 times
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I live in the city where Covington was the superintendent before he went to Kansas City (Pueblo, Colorado). He made a lot of shakeups in our school district as well. He weeded out some of the bad administrators from some of the schools, and found ways to cut a lot of other fat within the district.

Covington wasn't very popular with many of the teachers or administrators, but over the last couple of years, there has been a lot of improvement in standardized testing scores. He didn't close any schools here, but he did turn a couple of the really bad schools into magnet schools.

I don't know anything about the KC school system, but from what I am reading in this thread, it sounds like he is doing the right thing. I've been to KC many times and its a great city, so hopefully he can help get the school district going in the right direction.
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Old 03-11-2010, 08:43 PM
 
Location: CasaMo
15,972 posts, read 9,337,730 times
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I think Sup. Covington did the right thing as well as the 5 school board members.

So many of the the former superintendents tried to bust the status quo only to get ousted.
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Old 03-11-2010, 09:08 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC area
11,108 posts, read 23,715,042 times
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Now they need to figure out how to get the residents (parents) more involved. It seems like many of them are loud right now with all the proposed closings, but will they be there later?
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