Education First Shawnee Mission

📣 Friends, this one is worth your Sunday afternoon.

Civic Engagement Foundation is hosting the Keep Public Education Public Luncheon and we think you should be there!

🌟 They'll be honoring Judith Deedy of Game On for Kansas Schools — a tireless champion for our public schools.

🎤 Keynote: Rev. Mitch Randall, CEO of Good Faith Media — a plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court Drummond case. He has STORIES.

🗓️ Sunday, April 19 | 1–3 PM
🏛️ Indian Hills Country Club | Mission Hills, KS
🎟️ Tickets from $80 — 100% goes to the mission!

Grab your seat 👇

Luncheon to benefit Mainstream Civic Engagement Foundation Every year, Mainstream gathers community and faith leaders at our annual event to learn more about how to fight back against extremist policies in Kansas. This year, we're moving our event to April 📆 so that you know exactly where we stand at the end of the legislative session 📜 and how we can...

The 2025 General Election Day is almost here and early in-person voting begins tomorrow in Johnson County! While all the Shawnee Mission School Board races are uncontested this year, it’s still extremely important to get out and make your voice heard. All three candidates are incumbants who are endorsed by Education First Shawnee Mission and have been stellar advocates on the school board during their time serving our community.

Depending on your location within the school district, you likely have other important local races on your ballot this year, such as county commission, mayor or city council…please get out and vote in your local elections! While Education First does not endorse in these races, you can find great information on candidates throughout the region via Mainstream Coalition.

Happy voting!

Statement Regarding the Educational Choice for Children Act News Archive Details - Shawnee Mission School District

Still thinking the Dept. of Education cuts won’t hurt Kansas students? Think again.

Cities and counties will have to find ways to make up these shortfalls; typically that means increasing property taxes.

The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funds from public schools that have diversity, equity and inclusion programs. We need your help. Please contact:

Kansas Commissioner of Education
Dr. Randy Watson
(785) 296-3202
[email protected]

SMSD Superintendent
Dr Michael Schumacher
913-993-6401
[email protected]

Governor of Kansas
Laura Kelly
877-KSWORKS (877-579-6757)
https://www.governor.ks.gov/serving-kansans/constituent-services/share-your-opinion

Script from Mrs. Frazzled:

Hi, my name is [Your Name}, and I’m a resident of [Your City/State].

I’m calling because I’m extremely concerned about the Department of Education’s recent letter demanding that SEAs and LEAS end DEI programs or risk losing funding.

I want to know:

Will [Kansas/SMSD] be complying?

Will you speak out publicly against these rollbacks of civil rights protections?

I believe our schools should reflect the needs of all students, especially those historically excluded or marginalized. Please don’t erase that work.

In these chaotic times, community matters! The moms from Education First Shawnee Mission were thrilled to participate in today’s March for Democracy in downtown Kansas City. Big props to the organizers for planning such a peaceful, impactful event this morning!

Standing room only at today’s legislative town hall hosted by Senator Cindy Holscher! Several Shawnee Mission area representatives joined to share more about the upcoming final weeks of the legislative session and what individuals in our community can do to support and protect our public schools. We are so thankful to our SMSD area representatives in the Kansas Statehouse who show up for their communities and are transparent with their actions in Topeka!

UPDATE: The Senate has passed SB 87 24-16 but not with a veto-proof majority. We will post the vote count once it is available.

CONTACT YOUR SENATOR TODAY AND URGE THEM TO OPPOSE SB 87 ON FINAL ACTION (LIKELY TOMORROW-WEDNESDAY).
The Senate is one step away from passing SB 87, the egregious expansion of the private school voucher tax credit "scholarship" program. The only successful amendment was removing the provision to raise the tax credit from 75% to 100%. The rest of our objections remain.
*75% tax credits are tax avoidance, not charity.
*This bill is a significant, unjustified expansion of this problematic program--- this bill moves even farther away from supporting the original 200,000 free lunch Kansas kids; every next tuition "scholarship" can skip right over free/reduced lunch public school students; this bill lifts the entitlement budget cap; this bill creates eligibility for new groups of students and removes the public school attendance eligibility which is the next step towards universal vouchers.
*This bill hands over public dollars without requiring private SCHOOLs to "choose" all who apply.
*This program still puts students at risk.
*This program remains a religious subsidy program.
Additionally, the following amendments were soundly rejected:
* rejected amendments to increase transparency and oversight
* rejected amendments to ensure the approved tax credit program money is being awarded to waiting students
* rejected amendments to evaluate the academic achievement of scholarship students for the past 10 years and all those who applied.
* rejected amendments to drop "low income" for the program title, given this is no longer the program focus.

It was also particularly offensive that Sen. Erickson claimed the opponents of the bill didn't even mention students. Sen. Sykes sought audits to ensure the program funds are actually getting to students and not being held by SGOs illegally. Sen. Pettey sought to have state assessments given to ensure academic progress for students. Objections to the raising of the income cap were discussed in terms of removing access for lower income students and instead favoring students who already have the means to attend private school (especially since the new categories of students don't need to have attended public school).

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of 504 plans! 17 states (including Kansas) have sued to dismantle Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in Texas v. Becerra. This section is a cornerstone of protections for our students with disabilities. The end goal of the lawsuit is to make it easier to discriminate against people with disabilities, including students.

On page 37, the lawsuit as filed calls for the full elimination of Section 504 with a ridiculous claim that the section is “untethered to the federal interest in disability.” Just a reminder that 504 plans create pathways for students with disabilities to learn and remove barriers to learning.

Please contact Kansas Attorney General Kris W. Kobach and urge him to drop out of this terrible lawsuit. Our tax dollars should not be used to make discrimination easier or to reduce protections for students with disabilities.

120 SW 10th Ave., 2nd Floor
Topeka, KS 66612
(785) 296-2215
1-888-428-8436
Fax: (785) 296-6296
Email: https://www.ag.ks.gov/about-us/contact-us/email-us

Receipts:

https://theeducatorsroom.com/in-a-new-lawsuit-17-states-sue-to-do-away-with-504-protections/

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/HHS%20Rehabilitation%20Act%20Complaint%20Filestamped.pdf

In a new lawsuit, 17 states sue to do away with 504 protections - The Educators Room A high-stakes lawsuit, Texas v. Becerra, is currently making its way through the courts, threatening crucial protections for people with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Seventeen states have challenged the federal government’s updated rules, putting at risk decades of leg...