There's a reason FOUR previous Blue Valley superintendents - going back 30 years - and SIXTEEN current and former School Board members have publicly endorsed the non-partisan A+ Team of Patrick HURLEY, Jodie DIETZ, Jan KESSINGER, and Clay NORKEY.
They know what's at stake.
Blue Valley is currently seeing the effects of a national effort by hostile outsiders with a political agenda to take over local schools. Their intent is to disrupt our community, damage the reputation of our schools, and cause chaos.
What’s their endgame?
ONE:
To encourage the privatization of public schools, where voucher programs will divert millions of tax dollars into the pockets of private school owners and investors.
TWO:
To insert THEIR religious ideology into public schools.
THREE:
To REMOVE mental health supports, social and emotional learning, and diversity initiatives from our schools - along with the advanced technology resources that
21st-century learners require.
BILLIONS of dollars are spent on American public schools - money that some want going into private pockets. They've already seen that private schools aren't subjected to rigorous oversight, can pick and choose their students, and can follow any curriculum they want. These billions of $$$ are ripe for the picking.
Back to Basics ???
The candidates running on a “Back to Basics” platform have said they’ll cut technology, slash mental health supports, and eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (which, as BV BoE candidate Clay Norkey pointed out, is “all about the Inclusion”). They’ll implement the books and curriculum THEY choose and get rid of the rest. They won’t say exactly what “basics” they envision and what other cuts they’ll make - but current indications are ominous.
These “Back to Basics” candidates parrot anti-public education talking points that we’ve already debunked including claiming that only 50% of Blue Valley students score well in Math and literacy. How is it, then, that 90% of Blue Valley graduates attend college? They claim falsely that our schools are “declining;” by what metric? State assessment scores went up this year. They make the absurd claim that our schools lack rigor. How do they explain the numbers of Blue Valley students earning many outstanding AP scores that allow them to enter college with credits earned in high school?
If voters elect the “Basic” slate backed by political outsiders, they’re telling teachers we aren’t going to listen to them anymore; we’re putting Moms For Liberty in charge. “Parents’ Rights” (parents already HAVE rights) is their code for “we’re done listening to professionals.”
If the “Back to Basics” candidates win?
Blue Valley will make national news.
The circus will come to town in the #1 school district in Kansas.
The School Board will start firing people.
They already speak against district “leadership,” so our Superintendent will be gone.
Teachers will quit.
No teachers or administrators will want to locate in Blue Valley - unless they share the 19th-century agenda of anti-technology, non-inclusivity, and religious indoctrination.
Our property values will plummet, the local business community will be impacted, and the ripple effect will extend into other parts of Johnson County and eastern Kansas.
You moved to Blue Valley for the schools.
Not for “BASIC” schools - the BEST SCHOOLS!
The ones we have right now. Top 1% in the nation. This district didn’t happen by itself. Leadership from professional Board members - working to ensure a top-tier education for ALL Blue Valley kids going back decades - laid the foundation.
There’s no coming back if we get this wrong.