“Teachers have been expected to give and give and give to our students,” Fortier said. “And we are told we should do it for the kids because we love the kids. We shouldn’t worry about the paycheck or the overtime or the time spent away from our own families and kids.”
Wichita Public Schools
Posted inEducation
How Wichita school safety plans address intruders
“Not too long ago we had the local police come in and train teachers,” said Nathan Washer, head of Wichita Collegiate School. “They were shown how to use whatever they could find to keep someone away from their students.”
Posted inDIY Democracy, Education, How To
Here is how to get involved with and understand your Wichita public school’s budget
“I hope that people don’t feel intimidated to get involved,” said Stan Reeser, president of the Wichita Board of Education. “It’s our job to listen to what they say, they’re the boss.”
Posted inEducation, How To
Universal free school lunch is gone in USD 259, but here’s how to find out if you still qualify
Before the pandemic, Wichita schools operated under a system that allowed parents to apply for free or reduced-cost meals. USD 259 will be using this same system once again, but this time it’s only for lunches.
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
Kansas lawmakers file bills about transgender athletes, remote learning, vaccines and parents’ rights
Proposals also include back-to-school tax holidays and benefits for retired teachers.
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
Vaccine mandates, teacher pay and scholarships: Kansas education bills to watch
Kansas legislators have introduced more than a dozen bills regarding K-12 and higher education in 2022, covering topics such as teacher pay, COVID vaccines and course materials. The Kansas Legislature went into session Jan. 10 and lawmakers will likely continue to add new legislation to the list. The mix of education-related legislation also includes some […]
Posted inEducation
This program is helping more Kansas students graduate, and it’s expanding
Tony Evans stands at the entrance to his Wichita Heights High School classroom each morning and greets each of the nearly 40 students in his Jobs for America’s Graduates – Kansas classes. He makes small talk with some or jokes to get the attention of others – especially when the students might not be fully […]
Posted inEducation
Cutting through ‘the chaos’: What happened at Wichita’s school board meeting on Monday
The Wichita Board of Education is off to a rough start for the new year. The board had been set to ceremonially swear in three new board members and one incumbent at its first meeting of 2022 on Monday at Wichita North High School. But that meeting never happened after the three new board members […]
Posted inEducation
Why Wichita USD 259 is fast-tracking repairs to this 99-year-old high school
Wichita East High School students and teachers are back to class for the spring semester, but some of them are returning to different classrooms. After discovering structural issues in the building’s science wing in the fall, school officials are shuttering the wing’s 18 classrooms until repairs can be completed. Teachers from those classrooms are continuing […]
Posted inEducation
School lunch is a food and people business. Wichita USD 259’s challenge is finding either.
Rows of racks in Wichita USD 259’s vast School Service Center on Hydraulic Street in northeast Wichita are the second-to-last stops before distribution to the district’s dozens of schools. In the adjacent industrial kitchen, pizzas roll through conveyor-belt ovens, while enormous mixers pipe mashed potatoes into a machine that seals the food into large plastic […]