Kansans Can Success Tour enters final week of 50-city tour

Posted Date: 09/08/2021

The Kansans Can Success Tour, a 50-city series of community meetings to review the state vision for K-12 education, entered its final week Tuesday. 

About 50 people turned out in Leavenworth Tuesday morning. Local USD 453 board member Mike Carney, a member of the KASB workers compensation program board of trustees, said he wished more could have attended. “The program was very informational. I think school board members understand a lot of this, but it would be helpful for community members to be more informed,” said Carney, who noted the district is participating in the State Board of Education’s school redesign program. “I think we are on the right track.” 

In Kansas City USD 500, board member Valdenia Winn, also a member of the Kansas House of Representatives and a member of the KASB Board of Directors, found the presentation positive, but had some concerns. “I was here six years ago when this effort began,” she said, referring to the a round of community focus groups and meetings with business leaders in 2015. A major theme of those meetings was more concerns that students were lacking personal and interpersonal skills like responsibility and teamwork than academic knowledge. 

“At the time, I was concerned about business saying that academics were not as important as other factors, because we are going to need those reading and math skills no matter what you do,” she said. “But I also see how you can teach someone anything … if they show up.” 

“Six years later, we are still hearing the same concerns,” said Winn. “We need to reflect on what we have been doing. What is working? What is holding us back? Still, at the end of the day, the improvements in postsecondary success and graduation rates are very positive, but we have to continue to address the gap.” 

Another KCK board member, Maxine Drew, who also serves on the KASB Legislative Committee, said, “One of the things I recognized from this presentation is how we have changed from the way things were in the past, tried looking at what our strengths are and how to make things better. If we can connect everything, we can bring about more student success, and I am very satisfied with the presentation that was made.” 

“It’s clear from the increases in graduation rates and success rates Dr. Watson shared that we are on the right track,” said Shannon Kimball, a member of the Lawrence USD 497 board of education, after the final meeting of the day Tuesday in Lawrence. “A couple of things his presentation brought to my mind are that we need to do a better job of sharing our successes across the state. In addition, we need to keep working really hard on how to crack the code to reach those kids who are not as successful as we want them to be.” Kimball is also currently serving as KASB Past President and chair of the KASB Legislative Committee. 

Here is a schedule for the remaining tour meetings.