The Educators


Dr. Milt Pippenger, Garden City School District
"Where's the challenge in an affluent Kansas City suburb?" asked Superintendent of Schools Dr. Milt Pippenger. "It's fun being an educator in Garden City. We have strong community support and a fine school board. People here want good schools. They want a better education for their children, and they're willing to take risks to get that."

In this district of 7,600 pupils, 61 percent of elementary school students and 43 percent of high schools students are classified as minority. There is a 40 to 50 percent turnover of students every year, although some of that is from the same students leaving and returning several times through the school year.

61 percent of elementary school students and 43 percent of high school students are classified as minority.

"Any community needs economic growth," said Pippenger, "and the schools are integral to economic growth in Garden City. Culture is passed on partly by what we do. The quality of schools should be an indicator to business of whether they want to come here. If Seaboard comes, we'll handle it. We know what we need to do from our experience with IBP."

When Pippenger came to Garden City five years ago from Hiawatha, Kansas, he found teachers with a low level of expectations. He has worked with district staff to set standards and "gradually raise the bar." He's worked with Garden City banks, all of which now have partnership programs in the schools. He's worked with IBP, and a liaison has been hired to work with IBP and the schools, with half of the cost being paid by each. "We're both looking for ways to decrease turnover," said Pippenger. "They have been super to work with."

Garden City schools have established a national reputation for excellence in dealing with diversity, but problems remain. The high school is overcrowded, and has a high dropout rate. Garden City has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Kansas. "Cultural roles are different," said Pippenger. "In some cultures, the role of 13-, 14- and 15-year-olds is to get married and have a family."

Gardent City schools have established a national reputation for excellence in dealing with diversity, but problems remain.

"Community policing works real well," said Pippenger, "and the police force is proactive. We have a police officer in the high school, and he's built good rapport with the kids. We're planning to house a bike officer at the high school next year. The police have been forward thinking. When we had high gang activity, it didn't happen in the schools. The school is seen as neutral territory."

Pippenger is in agreement with others that the biggest challenge is recruiting employees. Bilingual teachers recruited from other places often don't stay--so the district has developed a "Grow Your Own" program through which bilingual students are given college scholarships in exchange for a commitment to teach three years in the Garden City Schools. An expansion of the program also makes scholarships available to employees of the district.

Pippenger was an elementary principal in Dodge City from 1969 to 1971. "Dodge has a few more problems," he said. "Garden City has attacked its problems, while Dodge City has let them fester until they've become bigger problems, then tried to fix them. When Dodge was living in the past, Garden was looking to the future."

Dr. James Tangeman, Garden City Community College
"I've always looked at diversity as a positive," said Dr. James Tangeman, president of Garden City Community College. "The challenge of diversity is part of what brought me to Garden City Community College. I was interested in finding ways the college could help make things work better.

"The challenge of diversity is part of what brought me to Garden City Community College."

"What we're trying to do through education is help people make better lives for themselves," said Tangeman, who became president of this college of 3,000 students 10 years ago. "Our mission is to produce people who contribute positively to the economy and to society. We do that by training people in skills that will help prepare them for the workforce, by serving the needs of those seeking academic advancement and degrees, and also by offering the kind of learning experiences that simply enrich life for people of all ages and from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

"The community college plays an important role in Garden City's growth," said Tangeman. "We've worked hard to meet a wide range of needs unique to Garden City. For example, our Business and Industry Institute has arranged short-term evening courses so bank tellers and newspaper reporters can learn basic Spanish. The Adult Learning Center serves up to 1,500 students annually. It provides Hispanic and Asian immigrants with the opportunity to learn English, complete General Equivalency Degrees, build literacy skills, and attain American citizenship."

"Our Business and Industry Institute has arranged short-term evening courses so bank tellers and newspaper reporters can learn basic Spanish."

Tangeman praised the determination and persistence of many of the Adult Learning Center's students, some of whom work full-time at the local beefpacking plants and attend classes at night. He talked about the effectiveness of the literacy programs in which parents and children can learn together.

Garden City Community College also sponsors an annual multicultural conference, in partnership with Kansas State University Research and Extension. Between 100 and 200 participants from Kansas and surrounding states learn about Garden City's unique experience in adapting to diversity.

"Garden City is a dynamic community," said Tangeman. "We've proved we could handle the kinds of changes that would come if Seaboard builds a plant here. There are some points of resistance to Seaboard, from people wishing Garden City were like it was before 1980. It's never going to be that way, and I would hate to see us begin telling people who can and cannot come to Garden City. New people who have come here from other countries have contributed to the community and to the economy.

"Variety makes the quality of life more exciting" said Tangeman. "Having a population that's diverse creates a variety of needs for the college to serve--and also gives us a variety of activities and events to celebrate."