It wasn’t a clean sweep that threw all the rascals out, but the Kansas school board election did return a little more balance and helped out the pro-science side. Thoughts from Kansas summarizes the results:
The Board is back in moderate hands no matter what. The night is, on balance, a victory. It’d be nice to further marginalize the extremists by winning the remaining races in November, but we’ve got a majority that will implement the science standards recommended by the scientists, educators and parents of the science standards committee. The Board can focus on bigger issues. They can dig into ways to address the special challenges of rural districts, and to find solutions to the problems faced by the students in poorer urban districts. Real challenges, not fake controversy. Helping kids, not fighting culture wars.
Best of all, it looks like Connie Morris has lost her seat on the board. That’s good news right there.
Hooray for Kansans. Luckily, Minnesota doesn’t have a state school board and so we don’t have to worry about creationists sneaking in to modify the standards; unless they sneak in through the legislature.
Now, let Kansas get on with the real work – educating their students.
A note to remember, too: these were the Republican primaries… Altho Johnson County, from whence hails John Bacon, is something like 50% registered Republican / 21% registered Dem, so he’s probably pretty safe come November.
For me personally, another really exciting return was that Kay O’Connor lost the primary for Sec. of State. She’s the anti-women’s suffrage state senator who single-handedly blocked a bill two years ago to protect women’s right to breastfeed in public. This lady’s unreal. And she’s gone, thank goodness.
Kansas really is a strange, strange place. We have some solid universities and, in many communities, a flourishing arts scene. I’ve never seen better wildflowers or a bigger sky. Our popular governer is a solid Democrat. But we keep pulling this crap with ID & in many places we’re not so good on the whole gay rights thing.
I don’t get it, and I’m from here.
As Tip O’Neill was fond of noting, all politics is local.
Corollary 1: All scientists live in some locality.
Corollary 2: School board races are the most important that most people will ever vote in, with the potential to do the most good, but with the probability that, since the races are ignored, they can do the most mischief.
If you’re reading this right now, please, ask yourself if you know who your school board members are (they live in your town). If you don’t know that they will vote to support science in the curriculum, you have your homework for the next couple of years, at least, laid out before you.
I didn’t know most of the candidates involved except for Morris–and I was elated at seeing the preliminary results last night. Bye, Connie. Well done, Kansans!
Ah, yes, Kay O’Connor–I remember her. Yipee! Kansas is scraping the gum from the bottom of its shoes. I’m happy precisely because these are the Republican primaries.
Eternal vigilance, kansas_lib. Minnesota is not immune–20 percent of schools here are teaching creationism in violation of the law. Cherie Yecke managed to introduce I.D. into education legislation, but it was stripped at the last minute. And don’t forget the dumbass Twin Cities Creation Science Association. Kansas is the canary in the coal mine as far as I’m concerned–and a state with a rich cultural history (especially regarding jazz) that I want to visit.
No more Kansas jokes!
“Corollary 1: All scientists live in some locality.”
Yes, but aren’t most in underground government bunkers working on mind control rays? They aren’t allowed to run for school boards.
I wonder what Pat Robertson will say. “Nice little state you got here. Be a pity if a comet landed on it. I thought I heard God mention that possibility.”
I just want to remind everyone that Kansas City is in Missouri. ;-)
(Lawrence does has a vibrant scene, and U of K has a good music program.)
Either way, long live Kansas. This is a good day. Ms. Morris can tell herself her little bedtime stories now that she’s less well positioned to draw the veil of ignorance across the eyes of our children.
Right, Kristine – no state is immune, not when the Prez is advocating the teaching of ID. Vigilance. Yeah.
Still close enough to strike me as kinda sad, but thank heaven for small favors, I guess.
At least Harry MacDonal lost.
He shouldn’t have bragged about Kansas Citizens for Science so much!
(hehah)
Sorry, that would of course be Hairy MacDONALD
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!