Conflict in Suburbia

This chapter offers an account of developments on the Kansas side of the border, focusing specifically on the rise of the Shawnee Mission School District. Johnson County became known for the high quality of its schools and attracted the greatest concentration of college-educated adults in the area. This came to represent a significant advantage with respect to the performance of local schools. The district encountered difficulties, however, in achieving consolidation, as wealthy patrons in fashionable communities rejected proposals to join with less-affluent residents in other parts of the area. An act of the legislature eventually forced creation of the district—the only one in the state to require this step. This episode reflected the effects of localism within the suburban context, where status distinctions between communities could make common interests difficult to recognize or acknowledge.