Report cards, parent-teacher conferences, handbooks, permission slips. If parents and guardians don’t speak the same languages as their child’s teachers and staff, those routine school communications get more complex. But language shouldn’t become a barrier to families understanding nuances of their children’s education. Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights as […]
K-12
Posted inDIY Democracy, Education, Elections
Trans rights, mental health and student safety: USD 259 school board at-large candidates answer your questions
Last month, The Wichita Beacon surveyed our readers to find out what they most want to know about candidates running for local office. Questions for Wichita school board candidates centered on these themes: transgender protections in schools, student safety, mental health and curriculum decisions. Only one school board seat, the at-large seat, drew enough Wichita […]
Posted inEducation
Can new teachers sustain enthusiasm amid Wichita teacher shortage? One educator’s story
Wichita Public Schools started the 2022-23 school year 100 teachers short — a trend that matched many school districts across the country. Many teachers reported burnout and dissatisfaction with their jobs. Older teachers retired early while stressed, early-career teachers sought new professions, leading to the Wichita teacher shortage. The state of Kansas started to pass […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Education
DIY Democracy: How to run for school board in Wichita
When you want to run for a spot on the Wichita Unified School District 259 Board of Education, there is a lot to dissect, understand and complete.
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
How Kansas lawmakers want to change K-12 education in 2023
Among dozens of Kansas education bills filed in 2023 are proposals to adjust how public schools are funded or make it easier for families to send their children to private school.
Posted inEducation
Safety, teacher retention and ‘school choice’ are on the minds of Wichita teachers in 2023
The Wichita Beacon asked the vice president of United Teachers of Wichita, Mike Harris, to talk about what changes teachers want to see. School choice, safety, teacher retention and staff shortages were all brought up as concerns at the forefront of teachers’ minds.
Posted inEducation
Who should be the next superintendent of Wichita schools? You get a say.
Dr. Alicia Thompson will officially retire at the end of the 2022-23 school year as superintendent of Wichita Public Schools. The search for her replacement is in its early stages and there is still time to provide input.
Posted inEducation, Elections
Historic change comes to Wichita school board representation, and more may be coming still
After decades of push, USD 259 is changing their school board elections after two-thirds of voters voted to do so.
Now, each of six districts will vote on their own representative. A seventh board member will still be elected at-large.
However, more change may be on the way.
Posted inCivic Engagement, Education, Elections
How did we get here? School board ballot initiative has roots in century-old fight
On Nov. 8, Wichita voters will get another pass at an issue they last voted on 28 years ago – how Wichita school board members are elected in USD 259. The central issue, however, goes back a century.
The concern is the same now as then: Does allowing the entire city to elect school board members from each part of the city disenfranchise certain groups? Would it be better to allow voters from a smaller geographic district to choose their own representative?
Posted inCivic Engagement, Education
Wichita NAACP, teachers union and other leaders team up to support ballot initiative
A coalition calling itself Vote Local USD259 has organized in support of the school board election reform ballot initiative coming before Wichita voters on Nov. 8. The coalition is urging the public to vote “yes” on the proposed change to how school board members are elected.