Introducing....

That Podcast in Hutch - something way out of my comfort zone

A while back - actually quite a while back - a conversation came up about trying to launch a podcast. A group of us sort of worked up some ideas and came up with a tentative plan.

Then I let myself get pulled in a number of different directions and put the podcast idea on the shelf. And frankly, I was anxious. My comfort area is in writing out my thoughts - I have time to think, reconsider, and edit until it’s close to exactly what I want. I have never liked the sound of my recorded voice, and I don’t feel nearly as comfortable in front of a microphone as I do in front of a keyboard.

But what’s life about if not latching on to new adventures and going for the ride?

Also, I think our community has lacked effective story telling for some time. While I don’t have much recording experience, I do have quite a bit of interviewing, reporting, and story telling experience - and I hope that translates reasonably well to a new medium.

So I’m introducing today That Podcast in Hutch. Generally, I’ll focus on telling the stories from Hutchinson - the people, places, events, and stories that make our community unique. But I’ll quite likely spend some episodes talking about broader statewide issues, or things that are interesting or unique about life in Kansas. If I find a story interesting or meaningful, I’m likely going to try and find a way to work it into the podcast.

That Podcast in Hutch is available on Apple and Spotify. If there’s a platform you’d like to see it on, let me know. I’d like to acknowledge my friend Chris Acker at Salt City Sound - who has pushed me to do this, records and produces the episodes, and has done much of the heavy lifting to get this off the ground.

• Follow on Apple

• Follow on Spotify: 

• Here’s an RSS link: https://saltcitysound.net/category/thatpodcastinhutch/feed/

• You can also find it here: https://saltcitysound.net/show/that-podcast-in-hutch/

• I’ll share each episode in the That Guy in Hutch newsletter.

In this week’s episode, I visit with USD 308 Hutchinson board of education member Kail Denison. We have a conversation about the difficult choices school boards across the state have been forced to make in the past year or so. I thought it might be nice to dive a little deeper and gain some better understanding of the challenges people who serve in these positions face, and the struggles they face in making difficult decisions. (Note: In this, Kail is speaking as an individual, not on behalf of the school board)

Kail Denison - USD 308 Board of Education member

We also talk about how school boards across the state have had to respond to legislation - specifically HB2134 and SB40 - that severely limited what tools schools could use in the event of a Covid-19 outbreak in their buildings. Schools now can’t teach students remotely for more than 40 hours per year without a waiver, and even if a waiver is secured, the limit is 240 hours of remote learning. Exceeding that threshold means the education funding is greatly reduced for those students. One consequence of this has been the shut down of classrooms, and in some cases entire school buildings, where Covid outbreaks have occurred.

I had been thinking about this topic for some time, but it came to the fore as kids returned to school. I know that parents were frustrated last year that there was so much disruption in the school year.

And for working families, it’s nearly impossible to get by on one income or to have the flexibility to allow one parent or the other stay home to help facilitate online learning. Particularly those who work blue-collar or service industry jobs. But I think every school district was doing all that it could to balance the differing demands of parents, teachers, and students.

The legislation this year was focused on the rearview mirror, and it was punitive. Instead of working on ways to give schools more tools and more flexibility in dealing with the unknown - we essentially restricted them to two options: masks and shutting down classrooms when things got out of hand. While remote learning might not be ideal, I struggle to understand how periods of time where no teaching is happening is better. To me, what we’re seeing now is what happens when we allow spite to bleed into policy, and I don’t think that’s good for anyone.

And that’s not to mention the inconsistent logic we often see from Topeka - where legislators love local control until people in local government make different decisions than people in Topeka think should’ve been made. Then, in the name of freedom, apparently, we strip local governments of any control and order from a higher level of government the edicts under which everyone will operate. So much for the phrase “the government closest to the people serves the people best.” (And for which there is conflict about whether it is an original Jefferson, Locke, or Thoreau quote)

Also, as Kail and I discuss, behind all the rhetoric and vitriol about some of these decisions that school boards have been forced to make, there are real people trying to make a positive difference in the world. They serve in these volunteer roles because they care about the community, and they care about kids and their families. There’s no real power or wealth that comes from being a school board member. Yet, someone must serve, make the decisions, and take the heat when, invariably, someone or some group isn’t happy. I’m thankful there are people still willing to do it, despite the increasing public rhetoric that comes with the job.

I hope you like the podcast, and if you do, please subscribe, share, and tell your friends about it. And if you have ideas for topics I should explore or people I should interview, let me know.