In This Corner...

John Covington, the School Superintendent of the Kansas City, Missouri School District, has proposed the closure of approximately 30 of the school buildings in the KCMOSD, to try to save money. Last night was the first of five public forums on the topic. I am sure that the School Board and the several organizations that have influence over the KCMO schools are also in Covington's ears about this idea. I have always strongly felt that the KCMO schools are a hotbed of patronage jobs, ass kissing and dead administrative weight. The KCMO school board has always been a bunch of weenie yes-people, and organizations such as ACORN and Freedom Inc have had undue influence on the decisions made on behalf of KCMO schools. I think many a superintendent has run head long into this entrenched system and been unable to move it. The system then follows up by working to run the erstwhile reformer out of town. Anyone who is willing to take aim at the bloated system is considered a threat of the highest order. This vision of what is happening came to mind yesterday...

The stage is set, the fighters are in their corners, jumping up and down, chewing on their mouth pieces. The corner men are yelling last minute instructions. The buzz from the crowd is full of anticipation; they've seen this champion before and know that it will be a very difficult fight for the challenger...

Out comes the tuxedo-clad ring announcer--

Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to tonight's championship fight! Tonight we have a classic encounter between a traditional power house--the patronage system of the Kansas City, Missouri school system and John Covington, School Superintendent. Let's meet the fighters!

In this corner, weighing in with a strong reputation and "no patience for foolishness" with victories in Colorado and Alabama in improving school performance and efficiency we have the Kansas City Missouri's new school superintendent John Covvington!

The superintendent emerges from his corner, pounds his gloves, shadow boxes a bit, bounces on his toes...

And in this corner, with a record of victory against 19 superintendents over a 30 year period, awash in desegregation money, rich in jobs for family and friends, well entrenched in a school board that will say "yes" to anything that will increase power and funds, we have the KCMOSD Patronage System!!

The big beast lumbers out of the corner, looks around, looks at John Covington with beady little eyes. The corner men, ACORN and Freedom Inc, also stare at Covington...

It's going to be an interesting fight, folks. As painful as it is, it is the right thing to do. In the 1960s, the KCMO School District enrolled 75,000 students. Today, the enrollment is 17,000. Already 40 schools have closed over the years. For this year, the budget is $40 million in the red. Closing schools will result in the loss of jobs, including 250+ teacher jobs. It will be important to make sure the right schools are closed, but decreasing the size of this school district must be done.

While the KCMO school district serves areas north of 85th street, its progress or not is important to all of Kansas City, since an attractive school district is part of the package that makes people want to live in a given place...