In Johnson County, school bonds are drugs for the power-Whigs who run the show…
Specifically, the Shawnee Mission School District and its boosters at the Kansas City Star are planning to ask voters for a cool $223 million in capital improvements, the rationale being that more than 60 percent of the district’s buildings are more than 30 years old.
Hell, when I lived in France we had a pissoir on our block older than the original Shawnee Mission, and it worked just fine. No need to tear five schools down and start over. As with the pissoir, all those schools really need is a fresh coat of paint and some gangsta’ air.
http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article5577645.html
Rich Steele is a voice of reason and objectivist thought in an unreasonable world.
Steve Rose thinks it is all about control and makes a pretty good argument for the tax.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/community/joco-913/joco-opinion/article5518662.html
This is about the underfunding of schools and the charter school push fever dream der guv Brownshirt probably masturbates himself to sleep every night with. A for profit charter school in every hamlet- climax!! ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz.
NO FREAKING WAY. CONSOLIDATE THE DISTRICTS….SAVE BILLIONS!
these administrators want nothing but cash to waste.
They’re building a new swim center at sm south. Are you serious? Why?
swim meets can be held at ymca at 79th or at private pools…..why spend all
this money?
then they redrew the lines to protect SME and their student core.
Then get those kids off the drugs….drug of choice…heroin!!!!!!
smsd needs a total revamping because its not the great schools they once
were and the demographics of their students is/has changed dramatically!
And we’re gonna take a hit from brownbacks
experiment….what do these people want? Blood??????????????????????
use your heads smsd. save money/consolidate/and improve the classrooms
not the athletic facilities! they’re fine.
Take a deep breath, put the bottle down, and step away from the bar. Someone will come to put you to bed soon.
I’m a Johnson County resident but my kids attend private school, so I have a conflict of interest, although the $70 a year or whatever I’ll pay won’t make a big ripple in my budget.
I don’t believe that more money is always the solution to better education, particularly for the middle and upper class. I think it comes down to parent involvement, not facilities. I think this bond is more about prestige and exceptionalism than anything. I don’t mean think that is inherently a bad thing, but here’s the problem.
Passing this makes it more difficult for Wyandotte to compete for good teachers. It increases the gulf between Johnson County and every other school district in the state and the Metro. And that gulf is already pretty big.
It seems like tax dollars that could be better spent. I’m voting no, but I have no doubt it will pass. Heck, my wife will probably cancel me out.
Excellent points in my opinion.
thanks chuck!
The spoils of victory are most available from school districts. And what better spoils than building? And building so the structures need replacing rather than for the long haul.
There is probably not a more important election than a school board election. Most people don’t give them much thought but there is a lot of money to be looted from their budgets.
Throwing money at a problem will solve nothing in and of itself.
Rich, welcome to KCC. Three offerings right out of the gate; Wow !! At first glance I thought that to be a big step but after a quick scan of the three ( and I do mean quick, you challenge Kelly Urich for brevity) I understood. You could combine all three pieces and still fall far short of the content offered by Dwight’s piece. Still, we relish fresh meat here. I haven’t seen David Whinery in a long time and even Professor Paul Wilson has been absent lately, so to have a new contributor, especially one that can generate a high volume of thoughtful commentary, is very much appreciated.
With specific regards to this piece, if you think that the value of what takes place in a pissoir equates with the value of what takes place in a school, then your credibility on this topic is nill. I am a parent that lives in the SMSD and both my children spent 12 years in public schools. It is the reason I moved to JoCo shortly before my oldest entered kindergarten. IMHO, there can be no more important target for our dollars than the education of our young people. Yes, the SMSD is a bit top heavy on $ directed to the administration of the district and money doesn’t solve all problems but this bond issue is a critical one and needs to pass. And it should quite easily. Strong schools bring so many benefits in tow ( educated professionals with kids, employers, jobs, higher property values, tax base for cities, etc., etc.) that it rightfully belongs at the top of the list.
Lots of good comments here already. “One Guy” hit the nail on the head when he mentioned parent involvement. Without that, education is an uphill battle, and usually a losing one. National standards and the Department of Education are important parts with a role to play but local control is most important. While I don’t completely agree here in JoCo, Harley’s point about consolidation is a topic worth discussion and a consolidation of some of the districts in the western part of the state is certainly worth a look. Money needs to go to the classroom and teacher salaries, not four principals in each high school, all taking down six figures.
Anyway, welcome Rich. Next let’s focus on some research and additional content. Try sitting next to Dwight or Paul in Hearne’s lavish writer’s lounge. In no time, you’ll be challenging for a Pulitzer.
My apologies, Rich. I mistakenly wrote Robert. Senility has been hard for me to adjust to. Sorry.
Johnson County is going through a very serious crime wave right now.
JoCo has long been a cesspool of crime. Oh wait…you must not be referring to the white collar variety. Elaborate please.
Shawnee Mission East smelled like B.O. *(no or overworked A/C) and needed to be torn down 20 years ago. The district is a joke compared to Blue Valley, Lees Summit, Raymore and even Olathe.
Spend money on your Schools or you will reap what you sow.
I can’t small, balbonis but…
I took a tour of SME four years ago with my daughter Liza and was shocked at its state of disrepair. It looked rundown, weatherbeaten and like you said, did not compare favorably to Blue Valley schools.
For some reason or other the’ve chosen not to keep it up. Kinda sad.
your buddy/and southy’s buddy hs cut back education funds…
and its worn down the older school districts ….particularly
sm north and west….but they will build a new
swimming pool at sm south.
terrible appropriation of funds.
sme was supposed to be saved for the rich joco folks to
stay in sm district.
haven’t been there in a few years…but its parking lot
is full of nicecars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why wouldn’t you vote for this bond? If it passes, it won’t raise taxes. If it doesn’t pass, your taxes won’t be lowered. Solid public schools are the cornerstone of an educated citizenry and therefore the key to a successful democracy. In less lofty, more Ayn Randian terms, solid public schools are the key to maintaining property values. Given that the Kansas state government is doing everything in its power to undermine public schools, SMSD voters need to step up and do what they can at the local level to keep schools strong. That’s not throwing money at anything, that is responsible citizenship. As for a previous commenter’s wondering why public schools can’t hold swim meets at private schools or the YMCA, well, the answer is that those facilities are PRIVATE. Vote yes!