A collective of Kansas City organizations and public school parents have joined to petition the Missouri Board of Education to stop a study looking at changes for the unaccredited Kansas City schools.
The Coalition for Quality Public Education includes the Kansas City Federation of Teachers and NAACP. The group wants to end the study by the Indianapolis-based research group CEE-Trust.
Jennifer Wolfsie is a member of the school district's advisory committee. She wants the school district to continue its own work toward improvement.
“As a parent with children in the schools, I feel and see the difference of the last two years and I’m very concerned that we not allow the process that delivered that change run its full course,” said Wolfsie.
Wolfsie said the local effort has been undermined by the CEE-Trust study.
Other organizations, including one called “Do the Right Thing for Kids” is supporting the study and wants to give the state more time to develop a plan.
Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro came under fire after using private money to hire CEE-Trust.