Author: Dave Trabert
Really, KSDE? Bragging about a record grade inflation rate?
The Kansas Department of Education conducted a fifty-city “Kansans Can Success Tour” in 2021 that felt like high school pep…
Rose Hill superintendent’s student achievement deception is all too typical
Frustrated with district officials’ refusal to acknowledge a student achievement crisis, a group of Rose Hill parents mailed a postcard…
Haysville school official’s wife was paid $41,000 in overtime
Last week, the Sentinel reported that Beth Schutte, a school nurse in USD 261 Haysville, was paid $126,000 last year. …
Haysville school nurse married to district official made $126,000 last year
A school nurse in USD 261 Haysville was the fifth-highest-paid employee in the district last year, paid over $126,000. That…
Superintendent’s SEL thesis premise conflicts with district actions
Morris County Superintendent Aron Dody’s doctoral thesis is built on the premise that implementing social-emotional learning (SEL) is necessary to…
Reading, math proficiency plummet on 2022 NAEP assessment
Reading and math proficiency fell to historic lows on the 2022 NAEP test, with just a third of 4th-grade proficient…
2022 pay increases for some school administrators dwarf teacher pay
The average teacher pay increased by 4.3% (contracted base salary) in the 2022 school year, but some administrators received much…
2022 ACT: Only 21% of Kansas graduates are college-ready in four core subjects
The 2022 ACT results are largely a repeat of the previous year. Only 21% of Kansas graduates are college-ready in…
KSDE, state board cover up disappointing 2022 state assessment results
You might expect that Kansas Commissioner of Education Randy Watson would give the Kansas Board of Education a detailed analysis…
Kansas lost $295 million AGI from people leaving in 2020; even Johnson County lost
Domestic migration data from the IRS shows Kansas lost $295 million in adjusted gross income (AGI) in 2020 because more…
Kansas is #37 in GDP growth over the last three years
The negative economic news for Kansas keeps rolling in, with real (inflation-adjusted) GDP growth at negative 0.6% for the second…
Reps. Miller and Amyx propose $700 million property tax hike
At a press conference earlier this week, Reps. Vic Miller (D-Topeka) and Mike Amyx (D-Lawrence) announced a plan to save…
Kansans give the public school system a ‘C’
Not quite a year ago, Kansans gave the public school system in their district a pre-pandemic grade of ‘B’ (GPA…
Kansas lost 3,400 jobs in August
The August jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Kansas lost 3,400 jobs between July and August, while…
Sen. Hensley isn’t telling the truth about school funding
Sir Winston Churchill once said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get…
McNiece insists schools are safe, experts disagree
Kansas State Board of Education Member Jim McNiece, whose district includes Wichita, took issue with a school safety report by…
Most elected officials in Sedgwick County propose big property tax hikes
Sedgwick County residents are being hammered by government-spending-induced inflation. U.S. Census data show the county lost population last year, and…
Douglas County officials compete to see who can raise property tax the most
Douglas County residents are being hammered by government-spending-induced inflation. U.S. Census data show the county has almost 3,000 fewer residents…
Revenue-Neutral property tax hearings start August 20
Be on the lookout for your notice of revenue-neutral property tax hearings that start on August 20 and run through…
Elected officials use residential valuation spike to hide property tax increases
The Wyandotte County 2023 budget presentation touts a half-mill reduction as property tax “savings” and “tax relief,” but in reality,…
IRS targeting amendment designed to protect free speech
The proposed Schumer-Manchin $433 billion spending extravaganza includes $46 billion for the IRS, which the Wall Street Journal says will…
KSDE shirks responsibility to school districts, promotes KASB membership
The Kansas Department of Education purports to be a “dedicated service agency” that provides leadership, resources, and support. But like…
2nd Quarter jobs: Gov’t. jumps, private sector flat in Kansas
The tax-and-spend mindset of many state and local officials produced predictable results in the second quarter — government jobs increased…
KASB report is a modern-day Emperor’s New Clothes tale
In Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes, two swindlers arrive at the capital city of an emperor who spends…