A recent column by The Washington Post columnist George Will summarized the history of the Kansas City Missouri School District and the turnaround plan of Superintendent John Covington since 2009. In the second article, Dr. Covington clarifies the district’s relationship with the teacher’s union, “The district, teachers and unions all share responsibility for improving schools.” […]
The Kansas City Missouri School District’s planned changes for its special education program which includes closing the Delano School could be voted by the school board as early as Wednesday, May 17. This article relates concerns of the parents, elements of the district’s plan, and statistics which show that Kansas City students with disabilities spend […]
The Pitch reports on this school year at the Southwest Early College Campus from the viewpoints of some of the students, teachers and some members of the neighborhood. http://www.pitch.com/2011–04–14/news/southwest-early-college-campus-right-sizing-covington/
Wednesday Feb 9, 2011 — By Joe Robertson After a mostly contentious decade between charter schools and the Kansas City School District, at least one charter school — and possibly more — wants to be the district’s partner. Read the full article on KansasCity.com.
This Kansas City Star editorial (To promote learning in KC, reward the best teachers) reviews some of the recommendations from the National Council on Teacher Quality. Among the recommendations are: make teacher evaluations more meaningful, move to performance based compensation, extend the number of school days per year and more. It is well worth your […]
December 30, 2010 The year 2010 was a time of reckoning for the struggling Kansas City School District. It shuttered nearly half of its 61 schools and eliminated 1,000 jobs. The steps were draconian but necessary, and they have the potential to make the district much stronger. But leaders, staff and students must work quickly in 2011 to […]
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 6th. 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.
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. Click on the link above to see the supporting organizations.
Should teacher pay scales reward experience or effectiveness? Has tenure contributed to the decline of our public schools by rewarding longevity rather than results? The time has come to evaluate our teachers and reward them accordingly. Click on the link above to read more
February 8th is the deadline to submit your application to participate in KCMSD’s strategic planning process. Click on the link above to complete your application.
