Jodi Fortino
Education ReporterMore than ever, education lies at the intersection of equity, housing, funding, and other diverse issues facing Kansas City’s students, families and teachers. As KCUR’s education reporter, I’ll break down the policies driving these issues in schools and report what’s happening in our region's classrooms. You can reach me at jodifortino@kcur.org.
I'm a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
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Special education advocates said Park Hill is one of the better districts at meeting students' needs, but some negative experiences reveal problems in special education that plague even the best-resourced districts.
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Students in metro school districts owe thousands more dollars in school lunch debt as families continue to financially recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. In some districts, debt is even higher than last year.
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This year's new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid was delayed and glitchy, so many students struggled to complete it. College classes start soon, so education professionals are still helping students fill it out to get financial aid.
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The annual child wellness report KIDS COUNT found 27% of students in Kansas and 20% of students in Missouri were chronically absent in 2021-2022. At the same time, high rates of children in both states have experience at least one traumatic event.
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Summer break can cut off vulnerable kids’ access to food, counseling and other resources they usually get at school. Schools around the metro are working with the community to make sure kids are supported until they return to class.
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Leaders in the Hickman Mills School District say the goalposts to reach full accreditation keep moving — and pushing the state's stamp of approval increasingly out of reach.
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Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick's office said the Independence School District audit was not prompted by citizen complaints, but selected because of its four-day school week and because it’s one of the state’s larger school districts.
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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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A wide-ranging bill in the Missouri legislature includes provisions to address the state's struggle to recruit and retain teachers, but also includes controversial school choice measures.
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Incumbents prevailed in some Missouri school board elections, while other Kansas City-area boards saw shakeups that could shift how they handle book challenges, diversity initiatives, class instruction time and how to best support students.