About this Collection
Leaders in Kansas Education tells the story of a changing educational environment starting in the 1960’s with how public schools are funded to restructuring higher education governance in the 21st Century. Interviews with policy leaders and educators reveal the strategies and methods they used to implement changes to the educational system from K-12 to higher education.
Interview of Ed Berger, May 12, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
This oral history interview of former Senator Ed Berger and former President of Hutchinson Community College focuses on the role of the community college in the educational system of Kansas. Community colleges were chartered in the 1960's in Kansas and required a local referendum to be approved by the public. Seward. Barton and Johnson counties were the last 3 to charter new colleges in 1969. By 1990 there was a move to changed their governance to the Kansas Board of Regents. Several interviews in this series cover these changes, but Berger's interview really focuses Show Moremore on the community aspect of these institutions and how their educational goals changed as the community needs matured. Distance learning, technical education and linkages with economic activity of the communities were discussed and highlighted. The interview concludes with a discussion of Berger's service in the Kansas Senate as they tried to unwind the "Brownback Tax Experiment" which had led to great fiscal disruption of state finances. Berger's outlook is best described in this quote: "...Kansans are creative and resilient and...will find a way to adjust to it and still serve its public well..." Show Less
Interview of Dale Cushinberry, May 21, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
In his interview, Mr. Dale Cushinberry describes how other adults in his life provided opportunities for him and led him to a career in education in the Topeka area. He has taught elementary school, coached basketball and counseled students. He moved into school administration as a principal when he spent 4 years at Highland Park High School as assistant principal. Washburn University offered him a position in the Education department where he stayed 7 years. Throughout his career, he has tried to also have a positive influence on his students’ lives. Mr. Cushinberry Show Morestates that “…our kids are victims of our system failures. Systems that fail around them, whether it be the home front, whether it be our school, whether it be our churches, on and on.” He believes that “It’s our job to create an environment, to create a culture where our kids can meet success.” He created that environment at Highland Park High School as its principal for 16 years. His interview discusses his strategies and his philosophy for working with students and their families. Show Less
Interview of Dale Dennis, August 28, 2020
Interviewed by Andy Tompkins
People interested in the development of education policy in Kansas will find no better resource than this 2020 oral history interview with Dale Dennis, Deputy Commissioner of Education. The interview was conducted by Dr. Andy Tompkins, a former Kansas Commissioner of Education. During the interview, Dennis speaks candidly about policy development, identifying the issues and the legislators who were intrinsically involved. The interview covers the 1972 lawsuit which was the first dealing with issues of equity in school funding. Twenty years later, a 1992 school finance lawsuit again challenged the lack of equalization which rendered the formula unconstitutional. Dennis explains Show Morein detail the process by which the Legislature, Governor Joan Finney, Speaker Marvin Barkis, and others went about addressing the Court's concerns. By 2000 the Legislature had again failed to fund the school finance formula fully and the Montoy lawsuit arose. Another case, Gannon, began in 2010. This time the problem was the adequacy of the funding to meet constitutional requirements. Moving on from school finance lawsuits, the interview covers school consolidation and related issues of local control. Dennis explains why he started offering budget workshops to school administrators, including the development of software and the use of computers. This interview includes a brief discussion of the 1999-2000 legislation that moved state oversight of community colleges and technical schools (later termed technical colleges) from the Kansas Department of Education to the Kansas Board of Regents. Show Less
Interview of Edward Hammond, April 1, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
Hammond's interview describes in detail how Fort Hays State University changed and adapted during his 30 year tenure in response to actions of the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas Legislature. During that time Dr. Hammond wrote two strategic 10 year plans to accommodate the changing environment for higher education in Kansas. The first plan emphasized "high tech, high touch." The curriculum changed to incorporate technology, even teaching art as graphic design on computers. The goal was for all 1990 graduates to be computer literate, They put computer labs in all the dorms. Show More FHSU had declining enrollments in the 10 years prior to Hammond's presidency. Hammond believed If you are going to move into an institution and make change, select strategies that promote the change. Smaller classes, (high touch) created a distinction with the other schools. The next hurdle was responding to changes in how tuition is applied. In 2000 KBOR changed the formula and now institutions can keep whatever they bring in from tuition. The other change was adding 19 community colleges, Washburn University and the technical schools under the regents' control. The regents emphasized access and serving as many Kansans as they could. FHSU then needed to grow to keep up with this change because funding was based on enrollment. Hammond decided to emphasize distance learning and low tuition to meet these changes. While other schools raised tuition, FHSU decided to be at the low tuition end with a quality product. FHSU moved from "high tech, high touch" to "affordable success" using the distance learning technology to expand their enrollment. Hammond convinced rural telephone carriers to provide mostly free internet services, wired and cellular. By 2010 they had more distance learning than all the other schools combined. They began recruiting Chinese students in 1999--achieving 15,000 students in about 10 years. The China program helped lower the costs for Kansas students. Hammond attributes his success at FHSU to the team of faculty and admininstrators. FHSU is still serving 50% of the high school students despite the loss of population in the western part of the state. The goal is still to grow the university in ways that add value, such as allowing Colorado students to attend as in-state student. Show Less
Interview of Frank Henderson, May 21, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
At the time when a group of high school students discovered that Fred Seaman, the namesake of District 345 was the Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920's, Frank Henderson was President of the Seaman School Board. His interview describes the process the board went through to investigate and analyze the students' recommendations to change the district name. At the end of the process, the name stayed, but Fred Seaman's photo and memorabilia were removed from the school buildings and placed in the library. They aligned the district with the community, not Fred Seaman's Show Moreviews. He said the outcome didn't satisfy anyone but it was unanimous. Henderson's interview describes many challenging situations at the local, state and national level as he served on various state and national boards of education. Henderson and Tallman's exchange highlights major issues in education that affected school boards and local communities. The interview reflects Henderson's view that "Every Student Matters." He believes, "we, as fellow humans, have the responsibility to see the value in every person and do what we can to ...help that person fulfill their potential." Show Less
Interview of Connie Hubbell, May 21, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
Connie Hubbell is well-known in state government circles as an effective advocate for education, mental health and health care for seniors. She ran for the state board of education, winning three terms and later served as President of the National State Boards of Education organization. One of her significant accomplishments while on the Kansas state board was leading the board to mandate human sexuality aids education in Kansas public schools. Another was the inclusion of special education students into regular classrooms which began under her leadership of the National Association of State Boards of Education. Show MoreShe followed that experience with a run for Lt. Governor on the ticket with gubernatorial hopeful Senator Fred Kerr. Although they were not successful, three governors have subsequently noticed her management skills and offered her positions in their administrations, beginning with Governor Graves who appointed her Secretary of Aging. She has been an effective lobbyist for health care organizations, retiring as Director of Governmental Affairs for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services in 2021. Show Less
Interview of Cynthia (Cindy) Lane, March 25, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
Cindy Lane's leadership has helped transform Kansas education to benefit Kansas children. This interview shows the impact she had on education policy, from special education to the Kansas Board of Regent's newest endeavor, the Blueprint for Literacy. This quote from Dr. Lane sums up the interview: "Most of my career in KCK as a leader was to focus on outcomes that actually transformed kids’ lives, that opportunity piece." From changes in special education , to court cases on school finance, to the Kansas Board of Regents, she is still working to transform kids' lives.
Interview of Sue Peterson, May 13, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
Dr. Peterson reflects on how she became involved in state politics and how her various positions in the executive and legislative branches taught her “the process” it took to get anything accomplished in the Statehouse. She later used these experiences in her role as the Assistant to the President at Kansas State to help the university secure significant opportunities. The interview is replete with stories about people and programs they championed. These opportunities included KSU’s selection as the location for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility and the merging of the Kansas Technical Institute in Salina into K-State Salina. Show MoreDr. Peterson shares that her role was “to advocate, and to educate, and…to defend” her institution. Show Less
Interview of Alan Rupe, May 12, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
Rupe's interview provides an historical perspective on school finance and school finance litigation. Rupe and John Robb represented the plaintiffs in the Montoy and Gannon lawsuits After trying a lawsuit for the Newton School District, Mr. Robb suggested to Rupe that they try a suit against the state of Kansas over adequate and equitable funding of public education. Rupe said, "Count me In!" Since 1989 the two have partnered on school finance cases. In the interview Rupe discusses how earlier case judgments influenced their decision to move the focus of the litigation from the equal Show Moreprotection clause to Article 6 Section 6 of the Kansas Constitution and focus on the adequacy of school funding. There is a lot of detail in the interview about aspects of the litigation which continued for many years. Toward the end of the interview Rupe offers this idea: "... one of the lessons that we learned as a result of Montoy is if you declare victory and spike the ball in the endzone and turn your back on the issue, things don’t get better. The legislature and politics will start moving the money away from the schools." Rupe's conclusion is "It’s the language in the constitution that has pushed the results that we’re seeing." Show Less
Interview of Andy Tompkins, January 13, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
Dr. Andy Tompkins has had a leading role in education in Kansas that started in 1970 when he was hired to teach English in Hugoton. That job quickly became Principal and then Superintendent of 3 different districts until he was tapped in 1996 as Commissioner of Education. The interviewer, Mark Tallman skillfully leads Tompkins through the changes that have taken place in public education in Kansas over the years. His interview touches on special education, "A Nation at Risk", the movement to improve education, standards and the 1992 School Finance Reform Act. Tompkins is able to Show Moreexplain why things changed and with what result; Tallman has also been active in education with the Kansas Association of School Boards and the two, together lay out the changing educational landscape from 1970 - 2020 including what was happening in higher education. After leaving the commissioner's office, Tompkins began teaching at the college level, then became Dean of the College of Education in Pittsburg, and later, President and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents and interim President of both Wichita State and Fort Hays Universities. The portrait of Andy Tompkins that emerges from this interview is one of skilled leadership, a trusted leader committed to improving education for all. Show Less
Interview of Jack Wempe, January 23, 2025
Interviewed by Mark Tallman
There is a 2021 interview of Jack Wempe in Statehouse Conversations that covers his legislative experience. This interview focuses on his experiences first as a student in a one-room school, next as a teacher, principal and superintendent in rural Kansas, then his legislative activities involving education issues, and finally, his service on the Kansas Board of Regents and interest in higher education. Wempe's experience covers the scope of education in Kansas over several decades of really critical change. His interviews covers school unification, changes in funding public schools, qualified admissions and a reorganization of higher education Show Morewith the Board of Regents assuming coordination of the nineteen community colleges. Show Less