KC DISTRICT ADMITS DEFEAT

Oh, Kansas City. The public school system there -- still operating under the heavy reins of a court-ordered desegregation plan -- never ceases to amaze. The stories of outlandish overspending and poor test score results are legendary.

Now, the district has decided to hire private contractors to deal with some 1,200 of its most unruly and poorly performing students. The school board is considering hiring contractors to manage as many as 10 schools in the district. How's that for throwing up your hands? It's a damning admission from the school board.

Other options the district is considering include contracting with a company to tutor 600 of its worst middle-school readers.

If Kansas City is ready to throw in the towel, this might be the time to embrace charter schools or vouchers for parents. If it's time to think outside the box, as board members have conceded, then let's try some options that many education supporters have been promoting for years.

This newest wrinkle in Kansas City is a sad commentary indeed, only made sadder by the fact the district has spent millions and millions of dollars on buildings and salaries with little to show for it. That money has come not only from Kansas City, but from the rest of the state as well.

Money, it seems, isn't everything when it comes to quality education. It's an important lesson that Missouri's educrats can't seem to learn.