Kansas City Week in Review - November 15, 2019

Nick Haines, Steve Kraske, Eric Wesson, Cat Reid and Dave Helling discuss new efforts to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in KC, Rep. Cleaver's KKK comments, Kansas 3rd District candidates clashing over impeachment, push for free bus service, latest updates on KCI project, protests by Shawnee Mission teachers, KC tenant bill of rights, anniversary of Union Station reopening & KC's brand image.

Kansas City PBS - KCPT, Kansas City

[briankoon]

Teachers in Kansas, as state employees, are prohibited by law from engaging in a strike - otherwise I suspect our dedicated and fed-up public servants would be on strike to improve their working conditionds/our kids learning conditions this very moment. Starting salary in SMSD is low compared to surrounding districts, and average salary in SMSD is high only because of the relatively high number of mid to late career teachers employed by the district. Also, comparing teachers' salary in Johnson County (with the highest cost of living in the state) to teacher pay in rural parts of the state, isn't apples to apples. Teachers in SMSD continue to be offered pay increases below the inflation rate, and you didn't even mention that. Teachers aren't martyrs for education, they're highly qualified education experts who have chosen to make a professional career in public education. In what other field do we expect people with masters' degrees to work without a contract, or to make less money every year? Good job doing your research.