Mark Rountree

To the editor:Several Kansas school boards are taking courageous steps to meet their communities’ student outcome expectations. They are identifying specific achievement gains to be reached over different time periods, not merely hoping to "do better." That may seem like common sense, but it represents a significant shift in focus compared to most school districts.School board members are not supposed to push their personal beliefs or represent the district’s desires; rather, they should represent the interests of the community as a whole.

To the editor:Over the last months, politicizing our local nonpartisan elections has picked up full steam.A group of citizens concerned about that trend has formed the nonpartisan group Citizens for Good Governance. Our intention is to provide an unbiased assessment of candidates and to inform the voters of the best qualified and independent candidates, that are free thinking, do not take orders from any political party and genuinely care about the Lansing/Leavenworth schools and cities.The group will evaluate the candidates by attending forums, meet and greets, and other candidate events, reviewing published and distributed information from candidates and from the media, and by conducting video interviews with candidates who are willing to participate.Our main goal is to determine candidates best suited for office by commitment and dedication and ensuring that candidates are not beholden to anyone but the public.Within the next weeks, we will share the outcome of our research.