Caroline Boyer | Shawnee Dispatch

Caroline is a Lenexa native and a 1999 graduate of Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. She attended the University of Kansas, where she worked for the University Daily Kansan and interned with the Lawrence Journal-World. She graduated from the William Allen White School of Journalism in May 2003 and joined the Shawnee Dispatch in September 2003. Caroline briefly worked for the Bonner Springs Chieftain, from January through August of 2004, before returning to the Dispatch as the city reporter. She returned to The Chieftain as news editor from 2010 to 2015. She began covering Shawnee again in 2016 as the education reporter. She lives in Shawnee with her husband and daughter. Send e-mail to Caroline at cboyer@shawneedispatch.com.

Recent stories

Shawnee Mission board member expresses frustrations: By Caroline Boyer; July 29, 2016; The Shawnee Mission school district recently responded to some outside criticism regarding teacher versus administrative raises.
Shawnee Mission teacher negotiations at impasse: Board president clarifies raises for teachers, administration; By Caroline Boyer; July 25, 2016; News that contract negotiations between the Shawnee Mission school district and teachers union had reached an impasse over pay increases has brought up some criticism of the district’s raises for administrators.
Shawnee legislative candidates share views in forums: Some incumbents decline to participate; By Caroline Boyer; 03:59 p.m., July 22, 2016 Updated 12:53 p.m.; Community candidate forums in the past week gave residents a chance to learn more about local state legislative candidates.
Shawnee Mission’s Jump Start program for future kindergartners expands: By Caroline Boyer; July 19, 2016; It may only be July, but at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School Friday, a number of soon-to-be kindergartners were getting ready to learn.
Kansas school districts get ready to tackle budgets following school finance decision: By Caroline Boyer; July 15, 2016; In the weeks since the legislature’s last minute school funding “fix,” the De Soto and Shawnee Mission school districts continue to study how their 2016-17 budgets will shake out.
Makerspace now under construction at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary: By Caroline Boyer; July 15, 2016; Everybody has heard about Makerspaces, but when you have a $10,000 grant to build such a space, how do you decide what goes in it?
Shawnee Mission school district reminds parents it does not endorse candidates: By Caroline Boyer; July 13, 2016; The Shawnee Mission School District Tuesday released a statement reminding patrons that it does not endorse political candidates.
Family critical of county park district’s decision to raze Shawnee house: By Caroline Boyer; July 11, 2016; Sara Mack Riden fondly remembers visiting her grandparents’ property, Oakridge Farm just north of Shawnee Mission Park, as a child.
Former Shawnee teammates remember black youth fatally shot by Alabama police officer: By Caroline Boyer; July 8, 2016; A class clown with an infectious smile. A happy kid who loved taking on his friends in driveway basketball and videogames. A respectful kid who always said “Yes, sir,” to his coaches. A teammate and brother.
‘Rocking’ Shawnee: Mayor, residents start citywide hide-and-seek project: By Caroline Boyer; July 6, 2016; If you find a rock in a Shawnee park painted with a flag, a rainbow, a sunflower or even a minion, it wasn’t left behind by accident.

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Recent photos

Ella Hammond (left) and Harlow Medved pretend to be veterinarians during play time of the Jump Start program Friday at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School. Learning to role play is an important social aspect for the future kindergartners.

Future kindergarten students hold up the correct number of fingers to show teacher Jacque Jones how many dots are displayed on the card she is holding Friday at Bluejacket-Flint.

Katie Heier (right) goes over letters and sounds with her Jump Start students Friday at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary.

Reece Phillips laughs as his foot is painted like a carrot by Cayla Carruthers, an teaching intern from K-State, to add to a poster project displaying lessons learned from the book "The Carrot Seed" by Ruth Krauss, which students read during the first week of Jump Start at Bluejacket-Flint Elementary.

A recent mailing for Brett Hildabrand, Republican incumbent in House district 17, features a letterhead from the Shawnee Mission School District. The district posted a statement yesterday on its website that it does not endorse political candidates.

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