Deming: Dumbing down the kids – The Hutchinson News

Dan Deming| Special to The News

Thanks, Gov. Kelly, for killing a proposal to help Kansas students become better informed and educated on local, state and federal government and successfully handle their personal finances once in adulthood. Kelly'sveto and the legislature'sinability to override means the bill won't become law and many young people will continue to be ignorant on basic civics that would help them be better citizens and understand government they must live under.

The basic course would have required passing a 60 question test, taken as many times necessary, and similar to what immigrants must pass for citizenship. What a burden considering most students currently pass through courses and come out with little lasting knowledge or understanding.

The governors' reasoning? The State Board of Education, not legislators, should set graduation requirements. Yes, unless it can be demonstrated, which it has been multiple times, that the current system isn't working and the state board along with teachers union and many school administrators continue burying their collective heads in the stand to obtain any meaningful improvement.

Killing that bill will have a more long-term negative impact on Kansas students than the also vetoed transgender sports bill. It also should have been overridden but got caught up in disturbing political correctness, misunderstanding and unwarranted organizational threats that organizations such as the NCAA would pull tournaments and business from Kansas if the state dared to disagree with their viewpoints.

One graduation you probably won't read about but deserving of praise are the two students, one from Ethiopia, the other from Florida, who graduate on Saturday from Victory Village Christian Academy, east of Hutchinson.

Victory Village has been doing the impossible in helping troubled teenage girls get their lives together and graduate from high school for 51 years. More on those amazing accomplishments in a future column.

It appears that the Nickerson/School Hutchinson School District has finally gotten something right in hiring new Superintendent Curtis Nightingale. As Forest Gump once said about opening a box of chocolates, you never know what you're getting, but from initial interviews and background, it appears Nightingale will be an excellent communicator to help bring about unity and quell division that has permeated USD 309 for far too long.

He's been principal for five years at the junior/senior high school in Bennington, Twin Valley principal in USD 240, and spent 10 years at Pratt High School following a series of varied and interesting non-education jobs.

Nickerson schools have been badly split over a failed bond issue, their former superintendent, how to move forward on numerous issues and even unable to agree on filling board vacancies for months. All of that could be in the rear-viewmirror with the arrival of Nightingale.

Hats off and way up high to how the Reno County Health Department, local medical community, private pharmacies and support agencies have handled COVID-19 vacations. The Sports Arena and other vaccination sites couldn't have been handled more efficiently. All of the individuals and organizations who helped have reason to be proud. This was one of the county health departments' finest moments in recent years.

Dan Deming, former general manager of Hutchinson radio station KWBW and former Reno County Commissioner, can be reached at 620-960-6733 or dan.deming2@gmail.com.

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Deming: Dumbing down the kids - The Hutchinson News