Kansas
As I step away from the classroom, please support Kansas public school teachers • Kansas Reflector
As classrooms close for the summer and families and teachers reflect on the experiences and the ways that their students have grown since August, I am preparing my classroom for a new, incoming teacher.
After 11 years of service to the profession, I am stepping away from my beloved role as a public school teacher.
In those 11 years, I’ve personally participated in and witnessed countless examples of educators and families collaborating for the success of their students. I’ve seen advocacy on behalf of greater educational equity. I’ve seen students’ lives changed through daily, incremental rhythms of continuity of care and the deliberate, skilled expertise of teaching teams focused on increasing students’ social, emotional and academic gains.
I, too, have watched the many ways that systemic structures shortcut the potential of teachers, and as such, their students. Striving for the utmost support of our teachers is paramount for a world in which each one of our students and local communities is better empowered to thrive.
Be leery of anything or anyone sugarcoating the privatization or commodification of education. Let’s recognize the role of Kansas public school teachers within our communities as cornerstones of our collective success. Our public school teachers are doing incredible work with what they are given. However, it is also true that teachers are systemically and rhetorically under-resourced.
The beauty of a public school is that the public, when informed by experts in the field, has the potential to be a part of exponentially powerful redesigns. We all benefit from public policy that supports public school teachers.
The beauty of a public school is that the public, when informed by experts in the field, has the potential to be a part of exponentially powerful redesigns. We all benefit from public policy that supports public school teachers.
Kansas is at a critical juncture, one in which we are poised to blaze the trail forward. It is time we lead the way with a teacher supportive agenda. The following proposals would strengthen both educators and our state.
- Demand higher salaries for public school teachers.
- Equitably staff our public schools, including specialized support staff in the buildings.
- Finance individualized teacher professional development and continuing education with opportunities for rotating sabbaticals.
- Provide robust benefits, including paid parental leave and child care options.
- Adjust all teachers’ retirement packages to KPERS 2.
- Reduce teacher-to-student ratios.
- Create opportunities for flexible instructional hours and schedules.
- Reserve an elected position in our legislative government (specifically in education committees) and local school boards for active teachers.
In the near future, I won’t serve in the classroom daily, but I will be sending my child to a public school. I will continuously raise my voice for the teachers and for the policies that elevate teacher voices, wellbeing and expertise. When teachers succeed, their students do, too. When teachers are supported, their students are.
May the heartland of our nation set the bar for unparalleled support of our public school teachers, our local public schools and our children. We know the way. It’s time to link arms, drown out the noise of distracting ploys from out-of-state demagogues, and remind the rest of the world just what Kansas is: a state that invests in its people.
For our people are our greatest asset, and the public school teacher teaches all.
Whitney Morgan is the 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year and taught ELA and ESOL at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
Kansas
Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph expands its veterans program with additional federal funding
KSHB 41 anchor/reporter JuYeon Kim covers agricultural issues and the fentanyl crisis. Share your story idea with JuYeon.
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Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph honored the sacrifice and dedication of veterans at a luncheon ceremony Monday morning.
Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph expands its veterans program
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CEO Karen Noel took a moment to pause and reflect on the success of the agency’s veterans program.
“We’re expanding our footprint, we’re expanding the number we serve,” said Noel. “They have tasked us to serve 430 families, which I envision will be well over 500 by the end of the year.”
JuYeon Kim
The federal Supportive Services for Veteran Families program focuses on rapid re-housing and homeless prevention.
This year, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph is taking on three more counties, expanding into Kansas. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded them $4.4 million to double their outreach.
“The increase for our grant has just been tied to our ability to assist our veterans and be able to get them housed,” said Supportive Services Coordinator, Ti Vaughn.
JuYeon Kim
The SSVF program has been a lifeline for veterans like Cheryl Frederick.
“I was almost this close from like being homeless,” said Frederick. “I went through the food pantry, so I’m not hungry anymore. I’m not homeless anymore. They are helping me with my rent, they are helping me with my finances — budgeting. So I’m just wholeheartedly like, so humble and grateful and thankful.”
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Veterans are offered other wrap-around services like employment assistance and one-on-one counseling. Last year alone, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph provided over $210,000 in rent and utility assistance.
“What do you need, what do you want, we’re getting it done. I need the address, phone number. I mean, she was on it like a military person,” said veteran Aaron Bean of a SSVF staff member. “I was about ready to lose my apartment. I had no heat.”
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Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph’s SSVF program paid for Bean’s energy, water and rent.
“Just those three were huge,” said Bean.
In order to meet the demand, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph is hiring 12 additional case workers. Half of those positions are already filled.
Any veteran hoping to serve other veterans are encouraged to apply.
JuYeon Kim
“I think it’s awesome and amazing. The more they can help, the better off these veterans so we won’t lose them after serving our country,” said Frederick. “I feel so whole now because they have really blessed me.”
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A “beloved” college student was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while jogging in Kansas and her body wasn’t discovered for nearly 10 hours, according to authorities.
Elsa McGrain, 20, was jogging near the Lawrence Regional Airport around 6 p.m. Thursday when she was hit by a truck, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
McGrain’s body was not found until 3:35 a.m. on Friday, after a passerby discovered her and called the police, cops said.
After processing the scene, authorities determined she had died while running in the area, police added.
The hit-and-run driver was behind the wheel of an all-white pickup truck when the fatal crash occurred, according to photos released by the department.
McGrain, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, was a pre-med student at the University of Kansas slated to graduate in 2026, police said.
“Our hearts go out to Elsa’s family and friends in this incredibly tragic situation,” cops wrote in a statement.
She was also a member of the Chi Omega sorority, where she served on the executive board as house manager, according to a heartbreaking tribute posted by her sorority sisters on Instagram.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved sister, Elsa McGrain,” the sorority wrote in a statement.
“Elsa was the kind of person everyone wanted to be: genuine, kind, and full of light. She noticed the quiet one in the room, checked in on you whether things were good or bad, and was the loyal friend we all strive to be,” the statement said.
“She had a gift for making everyone around her feel valued and loved.”
Authorities are still investigating the crash and have urged anyone who recognizes the vehicle of interest or was in the area of E. 1500 Road between 5:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Thursday to call detectives.
“Our deputies and detectives continue to work diligently to investigate this thoroughly, find the driver involved, and work appropriately through the justice system from there,” police wrote.
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