All right, let’s quit wringing our hands about John Covington up and quitting as KCMO schools chief after two years on the job and two weeks into the new school year.
F___ him. (My wife suggested that I strike the full word.) Good riddance.
Sorry about the language, but this is really irritating.
Like many superintendents we have had in the past, he’s not really interested in giving the kids a good education; he’s looking out for No. 1.
He smells bigger money and a loftier post.
The afternoon, The Star reported on its website that Covington was being interviewed in Detroit today as the sole candidate to become chancellor of a new special school district in Michigan. Later, the Detroit Free Press reported that Covington had been named chancellor of the Education Achievement Authority, a statewide school system that will oversee the lowest-performing schools in the state.
Now we know what those “other opportunities” were that he talked about in explaining his resignation.
But enough about the crafty, opportunistic Covington. Now, let’s take a look at what direction the district might go from here to try to take the next step forward and possibly get some continuity in the super’s office.
As I look back at the list of superintendents since 1977 — eight acting or interim and 10 full-fledged — something jumps out: The Kansas City district has never had a woman as full-fledged superintendent.
Now, let’s take a look at the Kansas City, Kan., school district. According to its website, it has had 12 superintendents, including current superintendent Cynthia Lane, since 1886. Maybe that’s a misprint. Maybe it’s 12 since 1986, but I don’t think so.
Shackelford
In addition, the district has had a female superintendent since 2005. The first woman to head the district was Jill Shackelford, who served five years before retiring and moving back to her native Oklahoma. She was wildly popular.
At her going-away party, school board member Vicki Meyer said: “You brought true our hopes and our dreams. We couldn’t have asked for anyone to represent our heart and soul better.”
And where did the KCK school board find this diamond in the rough? Why, right in the district’s ranks. Shackelford had been with the district since 1995, and before that she had worked for the nearby Turner School District.
Last year, the KCK school board turned to another insider, Cynthia Lane, who has now been with the district 24 years.
Lane
Before becoming superintendent, Lane was a special education teacher, a principal, director of the Wyandotte Comprehensive Special Education Cooperative and assistant superintendent.
You see where I’m headed?
I think KCMO should turn to a woman. In general, I think, women are better grounded and more nurturing than men and they better understand the rhythms and needs of children.
Also, if at all possible, I think the school district should hire from within.
Surely, there are several fine, accomplished women down at 12th and McGee who have shown, over a period of years, that their first interest is, indeed, the children and that they have excellent managerial and communications skills.
That’s a recipe worth trying: A woman whose first interest is the children, knows the district and can communicate well.
By the way, Covington, for all his presence and dynamism, butchered the King’s English. He should have taken some English classes at Metropolitan Community College.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
I like the idea, big Jim! A few candidates come to mind including the capable KCK Super Dr. Lane; Dr. Susan Wally – PREP-KC; or former KCK/UG Mayor & retired Fleishman Hillard executive Carol Marinovich or maybe it is time yet again bring in designated hitter and your fav Susan Stanton . . .
– DM
Susan Stanton for queen. Yes, DM.
Right on, Fitz..screw Covington…He was another carpetbagger.
Fooled the DT Civic Community..but what else is new.
I am for breaking up the KC incompetent School District schools, and be rid of this lack-of-experience School Board. Glad dirt-bag Benson is resigning. He should have never been there.
Appointed is a better way to go! At least we might get some folks
to oversee it who know FINANCIALS.
Jim, I love this idea! Maybe if the school district hired from within, the new superintendent would understand the problems from day one and would be committed to staying put until they were solved. And, maybe KC students would finally get what they deserve — a great education. And, of course, I love the idea that the most capable candidate is a woman. Why haven’t any women had this job? Hail to the queen!
Two out of three commenters so far like the idea of a woman super. Let’s get the movement started!
I’ve repurposed a quote from Hunter S. Thompson for the benefit of the KCMOSD.
The teaching business in Kansas City is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the education industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason
All due respect to the KCKSD but it is no bastion of learning save the Sumner Academy.
Carol Marinovich has already done enough damage for one lifetime. Just ask anyone in KCK that lives east of 78th Street.
The problems in the KCMOSD can be solved with uniforms, Nuns, God, discipline and parents that care. You don’t need a School Board, the NEA or the government.
If arrogance and greed were crimes Arthur Benson and Airick West would be sitting on death row waiting for the needle.
Smartman kind of dealt a blow to our enthusiastic, nascent movement…But I have confidence in you, Smartman; you’ll come around to see the light. Come on, get on board, fella!
A Big KC BouYa to Jimmyc’s proposal. It’s about time someone had the balls to recommend a woman for the job. Given that some significant percentage of students are raised by single women, I’d say that it would be sweet to see a “her” succeed after all those “men” failed. And who better to get stakeholder buy-in. Feelin’ better already.
I’m glad you’re inspired, Jay…But, really, it didn’t take a lot of courage to recommend a woman. It’s just obvious that following tradition has not been working.
Fitz, I did offer up NUNS as a suggestion. You don’t get more female than that.
And I mean old school, high habit nuns with pointers, rulers, paddles and mean left hooks.
Knowdedge is POWER. Discipline is POWERFUL.
Off the track. I feel sorry for those 4000+ Cerner employees who will be working in Western WyCo making an average of $54K per year. If they choose to live in that area where in the hell are they gonna feel safe sending their kids to get an education?
You know why they teach ESL, English as a Second Language in the KCKSD? ‘Cause English is the SECOND LANGUAGE in the KCKSD!
You’re not softening up like I hoped you would, Smartman…but I do like the image of those high-habit nuns. My favorite grade-school nun is still alive, I think, and working as a masseuse at a Louisville hospital…I didn’t sign up for a massage, though.
Smartman….KCK also has the Piper School District, which is doing very well test score wise. It is one of the few school districts that have had EVERY school make AYP since No Child Left Behind began.
It’s a growing district with beautiful facilities. It’s located in Western Wyandotte County.
Piper is a darn good option for those people “stuck with children” in KCK.
You’re getting smacked down, Smartman. The writer is a proud ‘Dotte and chief writer for the Kansas City Kansan, which went from print to online-only status a few years ago. Welcome to the Comments Dept., Nick.
I’m actually the Web publisher and owner now, through some strange events. But yeah, KCKPS is not the only district in KCK and Wyandotte County.
I think your point about promoting from within the district is an important one. Whether it be a woman or a man, that doesn’t matter to me. Just seems like these national candidates backfire all the time.
Covington’s reasoning seems juvenile and bizarre. I would vote for Stanton.
Fitz — With all due respect to your wife, put the F BOMB back. There are times, even in polite and civilized journalistic discourse that it is required to drive home a point. This is one of those times.
As a still recovering Dotte I’m familiar with Mr. Sloan’s work. For the record I was a Kansan paperboy in my youth.
I don’t think the Piper School District will be sexy enough for the above average Cerner “techie.” It’s too “rural.” Same could be said of Bonner Springs. With Bishop Ward High School going down the tubes,(trust me it is), not to mention being on the other side of the city, like Sumner Academy, it will be interesting to see if a more ambitious private school pops up in western Wyco. That’s an essential future component if KCK is to shed its lunch-bucket image.
For the time being I think those future Cerner parents will be living in the Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley, Park Hill or Lawrence School Districts.
You’re absolutely right, Smartman (thus your nom de plume), about where the vast majority of those Cerner employees will live and send their kids to school. They will swell the rolls of the Wyandotte “sundowners,” those who go there to work but get the hell out at 5 p.m.
…I’m really torn on whether to restore the F-BOMB. With my wife, I made the same point you did about the need to drive a point home occasionally. She stood her ground. And, after all, in the text, you’ll recall, I said that women are generally are “better grounded than men,” and she’s given me so much good advice over the years that I’m leaning her way….Maybe when I publish my book — “JimmyCsays: And Keeps on Saying” — I’ll restore the bomb in all its splendor.
Maybe the KCMO School District should attempt to hire the right PERSON for the position and stop making its decisions based on race, sex, background, etc.
But who’s the right person? You can never be sure. Like choosing a spouse, there’s a lot of luck involved. Everyone was convinced we had the right person in Covington. Wrong!
welcome to the public school merry-go-round..we’ve been taken over by the state..had two school boards at one time..and a system that no one will send their kids to on a dare..why should KC be any different than STL…
You evaded john’s question. Until the district makes informed rational decisions, chaos will prevail. All this pandering to community frauds who use race as a tool to gain and hold power must stop. The star has to shoulder some blame in all this as it has never told the public the truth about the board. Ever.
In this instance, there was only one fraud — the super.
It is extremely rare for a school board member of a successful school district to have name recognition by more than a very small percentage of the public. The KC school district (one of 14 in Kansas City MO) seems to have photo ops on a regular basis.
No one has mentioned the board members in the KCK district, not to mention others, Shawnee Mission, Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, etc. They are supposed to set policy and get out of the way.
The STAR could help by letting the board members be anonymous in the quotes the reporters apparently think are necessary.
Repeating,
Most districts let the superintendent be the spokesman, not the geniuses on the board.
Nice idea, Fitz.
Bad news, though.
Sigourney Weaver, in full combat gear outta Aliens II won’t fix the KC School District.
Fixin the people that are IN the KC School District is the actual task. That task, onerous and probably Sisyphean, is accomplished only by those same people that are IN the KC School District.