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A bill headed to the Missouri governor's desk would require larger school districts to receive voter approval before adopting a four-day week. That includes the Independence School District, which switched to a four-day week this school year to attract more teachers.
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Consultants say the Wichita district needs to reduce its number of buildings. That could involve a massive bond issue or series of bonds to build and renovate schools, and it likely will mean closing many smaller schools.
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The president of the historically Black university in Jefferson City is now on administrative leave amid accusations of bullying from the former vice president for student affairs.
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Under the Republican-sponsored legislation, Missouri students could transfer to a new school district beyond the one they reside in. School districts would have the power to decide if they wanted to accept nonresident students.
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Over 30% of Missouri school districts, mostly in rural parts of the state, have shortened their school weeks to four days as a responsive to chronic teacher shortages. As larger districts like Independence adopt the practice, state lawmakers are considering bills to reign it in.
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A group created by Kansas lawmakers to study special education has endorsed a plan to boost funding by nearly $350 million over four years. The move would bring Kansas into compliance with state law, which requires the state to fund 92% of the extra costs of special-ed.
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Vera Daniels and Celeste Hoins, substitute teachers in the Lansing school district near Kansas City, are suing the district. They say they were fired for speaking out against school district policies.
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Kansas public school leaders in some high-demand districts say they’re already hearing from families who want to switch schools to take advantage of a new open enrollment law. But the new law won’t be simple, and they’re not ready to just throw open their doors.
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The efforts to remove books from school libraries started with parents in local districts and eventually led to state legislatures. After two years of controversy, one Missouri school librarian says her colleagues are leaving the profession because it has become too painful.
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The holiday break can be difficult for families who rely on schools to provide meals, shelter and other resources to their kids. Schools around the Kansas City area started planning early so kids would be taken care of.
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By some estimates, Kansas is short more than 84,000 childcare slots in order to meet current demand. And even when they find an opening, families can pay more than their mortgage to keep their kid enrolled. State legislators say fixing the issue is a priority.
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Students for Justice in Palestine, a newly-recognized student group, has led efforts at UMKC to call for a Gaza ceasefire. Leaders say they're making inroads with their fellow students, but argue the university is not doing enough to protect them from Islamophobia and potential retaliation.
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Kansas choir teacher accused of violating religious freedom over leading students in spiritual songsA choir teacher in Goddard was called out by the Freedom From Religion Foundation after leading her students in a song often interpreted as a plea for release from slavery.
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The legislation filed by Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin was inspired by Evergy’s rollout of time-of-use pricing plans to its customers last summer, which included a plan that would have quadrupled customers’ charges for energy used at times of high demand.