Amy for Wichita Kids

26/08/2026

I was there when Dolly was named the 2022 NEA Friend of Education. Thank you, Dolly, for encouraging reading in our little people. ❤️📚

25/08/2026

Our collective hearts are broken today. If you know a baby on the way or a kiddo who needs books, please sign them up for Dolly’s Imagination Library.
https://imaginationlibrary.com/

Her Imagination Library gifted over 300 million books to children around the world, spreading her love for reading far and wide.

From one literary icon to another, we will always love you Dolly. ❤️📚

25/08/2026

We need to pay attention to what is happening in school districts across Kansas.

This week Olathe Public Schools announced that it will recommend additional school closures as enrollment continues to decline. The district says it has lost more than 1,700 students since its 2019 peak, and leaders specifically cite declining enrollment and inadequate state funding for special education as two realities driving the need to reduce the number of buildings it operates.

Meanwhile, Wellington USD 353 is confronting a similar issue. Enrollment there is projected to decline from about 1,350 students to roughly 1,280 by 2030-31, with declining birth rates producing smaller incoming kindergarten classes. The district has been considering reducing its four elementary schools to three.

These are very different communities and very different school districts, but they are confronting some of the same difficult realities.

Fewer students mean fewer dollars coming into a district because enrollment is a major component of Kansas school funding. At the same time, the costs of operating buildings, maintaining aging facilities, providing transportation, paying utilities and insurance, employing and compensating qualified staff, and meeting the increasingly complex needs of students do not simply disappear. Kansas also continues to wrestle with the gap between what the state provides for special education and the costs districts actually incur.

Eventually, the math catches up.

And when it does, locally elected school boards are left making decisions nobody runs for office hoping to make: closing a neighborhood school, changing boundaries, consolidating programs, moving students and staff, and saying goodbye to buildings that may have served generations of families.

I know how emotional these decisions are. We did it here in Wichita. A school is much more than bricks and mortar. It is part of a neighborhood’s identity and a place filled with memories. But school boards also have a responsibility to use limited public dollars wisely and make sure as much of that money as possible is going toward educating students rather than maintaining more buildings than enrollment can support.

That is why conversations about adequately funding Kansas public schools, including fully meeting the state’s obligation for special education, must happen loudly and frequently.

Olathe and Wellington are reminders that school closures aren’t unique to one community, like Wichita. Declining enrollment, changing demographics, aging facilities and inadequate funding are forcing difficult conversations in districts large and small across Kansas.

These decisions deserve thoughtful discussion and compassion for the students, employees, families and neighborhoods affected by them. They also deserve an honest conversation about why school boards are being forced to make them in the first place.

25/08/2026

Reading is reading. ‼️

Did you know that comic books average 53.5 rare words per thousand, compared with an average of 30.9 rare words per thousand in children's books, and also higher than the adult average of 52.7
Let students read comics if it will get them reading! I learned the word onomatopoeia from Batman! BAM!

25/08/2026

This is a great opportunity for NWHS students to participate in graphic design!

Northwest students, we have heard your requests to be involved in the design process of our infographics! Please see Mrs. Sublett with questions!

25/08/2026

The more you know…

Apps Every Parent Should Know About for Kids’ Safety

Technology isn’t going anywhere—and neither are the risks that come with it. Here are some apps every parent should be aware of to help protect their kids:

⚠️ Hidden & Vault Apps
Apps like Calculator+ or Vault apps can disguise photos, messages, and even browsers behind innocent-looking icons.

💬 Messaging Apps
Snapchat, Discord, WhatsApp, and Kik allow private messaging, disappearing messages, and connections with strangers.

🎮 Gaming Chats
Roblox, Fortnite, and other games often have chat features where kids can communicate with people they don’t know.

📍 Location Sharing
Apps like Life360 can be great for safety—but make sure kids understand who they’re sharing their location with.

🎥 Live Streaming Apps
TikTok, Instagram Live, and Twitch allow real-time interaction with strangers.

🚨 What Parents Can Do:
✔️ Have open, ongoing conversations
✔️ Check privacy settings together
✔️ Know usernames & passwords (when age-appropriate)
✔️ Set clear boundaries for app usage

The goal isn’t to scare—it’s to stay informed and involved. 💙

Save & share this with other parents!

25/08/2026

FYI.

24/08/2026

Ah, yes. The good old days of teaching during a pandemic. 😷

23/08/2026

A quick clarification about something we often hear during teacher contract negotiations: Kansas teachers are not “working without a contract” when negotiations aren’t finished before school starts.

Kansas teachers work under continuous contracts. In simple terms, the contract doesn’t disappear at the end of the school year, and a brand-new one isn’t created every August.

Think of it as one ongoing contract that has been amended over time. The basic agreement originated decades ago. Each year, the teachers’ union and/or the BOE can propose changes to specific parts of that agreement, such as salary, benefits, working conditions, hours, leave, or other negotiable items. When those changes are agreed upon, they become part of the continuing negotiated agreement.

That process is governed by the Kansas Professional Negotiations Act, which establishes what can be negotiated and the procedures both sides must follow.

So, if negotiations continue after school begins, teachers aren’t showing up to work with no contract. The existing agreement remains in place while the parties negotiate proposed changes to it.

Negotiations are about changing an existing, continuing agreement, not creating a teacher contract from scratch every year. That’s just not how it works.

23/08/2026

Me too, Calvin.