Read My Lips! Schools and Taxes in South Kansas City, 1950-2000

• In Event: Roundtable Session 26
  In Roundtable Session: Schools, Communities, and Teacher Education: Considering New Perspectives

Abstract

This paper focuses on the financial struggles encountered by the school board of a district located on the southern side of Kansas City, Missouri. Hickman Mills projected an image of a progressive institution focused on providing a quality education for farmers’ children. However, as the town grew and became a suburb through the mid-twentieth century, school leaders fought to keep up with the expanding community and its educational needs. Many residents were vociferously resistant to any tax increase, even if that meant children would be crammed into overcrowded and outdated buildings. This study examines the public and often contentious debates held between school boards and tax opponents from the 1950s on.

Author

• Aaron Rife, Wichita State University