This newshound doesn’t envy the Kansas City, Mo., School District board members today. The board is set to vote tonight on the “Right-Sizing the District” plan, otherwise known as the school closing plan.
It’s obviously something that has to happen. There just aren’t enough students left in the district to justify having 60 schools. However, no matter how you rearrange the list of schools set to close, reasons will pop up — along with angry citizens — not to close any given building.
As a Northeast advocate, this pooch was jumping for joy to see Northeast High, James Elementary and Whittier Elementary schools taken off the chopping block in the revised Right-sizing plan. However, with McCoy Elementary’s academic excellence, Woodland Elementary’s leadership in outstanding physical education, Northeast Elementary’s central location on Independence Avenue and Scarritt Early Learning Center’s strong community support, it won’t be a happy day for Northeast on Thursday no matter what happens Wednesday night.
Good luck to everyone out there who is crossing their fingers for their neighborhood school tonight.
Sick of dodging the myriad potholes that are opening up on almost every block? If that’s the case, call the city’s 311 Action Center for some relief. You may be on the phone for close to an hour, and if you’re lucky, your pothole will be fixed post haste and all will be right with the world.
Maybe that scenario exists in some alternative universe, but not for a bevy of Northeast residents, as they will tell you when they’ve tried getting any kind of live body at the Action Center. Seems the only action going on at City Hall is in the job preservation department … and that department doesn’t get a whole lot done for the irate taxpayer, other than elevated blood pressure.
This ‘lil pooch would like to thank Senator Kit Bond’s office for being the only elected official who wanted to have anything to do with our issue of the Census marginalizing community newspapers by eliminating them from their sizable national ad buy.
The bottom line is some high-brow ad agency in New York made the decision to go with radio and TV for their census campaigns, essentially eliminating the thousands of community newspapers across the country from any kind of revenue. Like Walmart, they’ll want all kinds of free press when it comes to spreading the word. Don’t bother knockin on this newshound’s door for free ink.
