Kansas science and math teachers easily recruited away

Ten years ago this question about USD 497 teaching salaries was put to the public by way of the journal world which I thought was telling .... about Lawrence.

Of course during this 2003 year there was a lot of activity by a group School Funders concerning our neighborhood schools and low wages for teachers.

Teacher Salary Support = note the extremely high number of participants.

Would you favor a sales tax increase to provide more money for Lawrence teacher salaries?

Of 5,198 votes increasing teacher salaries 4,204 votes in favor of increased teacher salaries.
http://www2.ljworld.com/polls/2003/ma...

Too bad the state government kept saying no..... which has not changed. Lawrence may well have moved up to the number one school district in the nation had we been successful.

May 22, 2013 at 5:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Kansas science and math teachers easily recruited away

Is that so?

May 22, 2013 at 5:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Planning Commission recommends approval of Menards store for south Lawrence

A 7.2 percent national vacancy rate is high no matter that it is a national average.

What will the city do should Home Depot sue them for practicing reckless economics or negligent economics? Menard's is coming in assuming they can effectively shut down Home
Depot. Simply put there is not enough business at one location to keep both stores healthy in
the black.

One thing I've learned about Lawrence big box stores is that generally they are smaller and carry fewer products than big city stores. Which means some folks will still be driving to Topeka or wherever to satisfy their demands.

Remember Wal-Mart put the nails in the coffin of K-MART when they were allowed to build a larger store closer to K-MART.

I'm wondering why the powers that be did not encourage Menard's to build on the Farmland property? So that property could be generating jobs and tax revenue more quickly. Filling that piece of real estate could take 25-30 years...... like East Hills which may have vacancies as we speak. IF the powers that be are truly concerned about capturing some of those Johnson County dollars?

May 22, 2013 at 5:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Planning Commission recommends approval of Menards store for south Lawrence

The real estate property owner must have friends aka connections in the right places. That's what this has been all about...... selling that piece of real estate no matter the cost to taxpayers.

To believe this project will cost taxpayers nothing is a bit naive. Grab your wallets. Menard's is a rt wing christian group who will flood Brownback with more cash than ever. So I'm told.

Be careful what you ask for....

May 22, 2013 at 5 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

As planners debate Menards project, new study finds retail vacancy rate at 7.2 percent citywide

Lawrence does have other choices...

Cottins Hardware
1832 Massachusetts St Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 843-2981

McCray’s Lumber
1516 W 6th St Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 843-3270

Earnst Hardware
826 Massachusetts St
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 843-2373

I do shop all three of the user friendly above and Home Depot if I cannot find what I need at the above locations.

May 20, 2013 at 3:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

As planners debate Menards project, new study finds retail vacancy rate at 7.2 percent citywide

The former home improvement store sat vacant for years. Sears is still vacant.

It's not about Menard's it's about having one or the other cuz both cannot survive because the dollars are NOT here.

It's vacant IF no jobs or sale tax reveue or other tax revenues are not being generated. Empty buildings are NOT GOOD for the Lawrence economy..... rule of thumb.

The K-Mart building sat vacant for a long time.

May 20, 2013 at 2:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

KU makes sudden change in Statehouse presence

"KU recently hired Riley Scott to join Damron and Mandy Miller, who also works for Damron's consulting firm, Strategic Communications of Kansas, to lobby for KU. Scott had worked for Brownback when he was in Congress, and was deputy chief of staff and state director for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. He is also the son-in-law of Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita."

"Caboni said Scott will continue to lobby for KU."

I don't see a lot of influence hiring these people. They seem to be more of the Rt Wing Anti Women Libertarian Neocon Fundamentalist Tea Party backed by ALEC Economic Terrorism mindset.

Like the foxes in the chicken coop are hard at work .....

May 20, 2013 at 2:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

As planners debate Menards project, new study finds retail vacancy rate at 7.2 percent citywide

Menard's next door to Home Depot = dumb economics = will eventually leave Lawrence with one home improvement store again and one large empty structure not providing employment,income taxes or sales taxes. There are no guarantees property owner will keep property taxes paid.

Taxpayers grab your wallets.

May 20, 2013 at 11:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

As planners debate Menards project, new study finds retail vacancy rate at 7.2 percent citywide

America Is Over Stored ( Do Lawrence,Kansas planners,Chamber of Commerce and city government not realize this?)

The Wall Street bankers boom town economics building frenzy produced a bumper crop of new retail space. But the occupants haven't materialized.

The carnage in retail hasn't been this bad since an anarchist bombed Chicago's Haymarket Square in 1886.

But back out inflation and sales of gasoline, and retail sales fell in real terms in the past year. Clearly, demand is down.

In the fourth quarter of 2007, the national retail-vacancy rate rose for the 11th straight quarter to 7.5 percent—the highest level since 1996, according to research firm Reis, Inc.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/112762 (In essence the retail dollars are simply NOT available)

May 20, 2013 at 11:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Editorial: Police needs

Now remember how Lawrence sprawling growth has increased crime thus a demand for more tax dollars. Law enforcement is expensive.

I say bill the real estate industry for this is the source of the increased crime as the city grows recklessly. Won't be long Lawrence will have the same crime rate as Topeka and KCMO metro.

Those those who moved away from crime will need to move again but in the meantime get soaked in a variety of tax increases to battle what some residents tried to leave behind.

Yes CRIME is a not talked about result of large reckless growth.

Grab your wallets!!!

May 20, 2013 at 11:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )