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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A nonbinary student teacher was told by an employee of the Fort Osage District that using gender-neutral pronouns was “too personal” and “too political.” Now, Olivia Jackson alleges that the school district discriminated by refusing to hire them because of their gender identity. -
Students and staff at Kansas City's Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts are celebrating Women's History Month by recreating photos of famous women in history.
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Teachers at Kansas City Public Schools will soon be paid the highest starting salaries in the region — but just by a smidge. The school board approved a new union contract in the middle of a widespread teacher shortage that's making districts across the region compete to recruit and retain educators.
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McFadden performed for decades with his brother Lonnie McFadden. The two danced, sang and played instruments. "I love entertaining," Ronald McFadden told KCUR's Up to Date last year.
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A new Missouri law made it a crime to provide minors with sexually explicit visual material, leading librarians across the state to remove anything from their collections that they thought could be considered criminal.
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Collier has worked for the district for more than 23 years, and has served as interim superintendent since Mark Bedell resigned last summer. She's recently led efforts around Blueprint 2023, the district's long-term strategic plan that includes controversial school closures.
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Impact KCK in the Kansas City, Kansas school district is a national model for how communities can address student homelessness by bringing different organizations and resources together to connect families to stable housing, jobs and other services.
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Kansas City Public Schools will close two of its elementary schools at the end of the academic year. It's says parents and community groups can play a part in ensuring more don't end up shuttered.
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Hickman Mills has closed schools as it's lost 15 percent of its students in 5 years. Across the metro, North Kansas City is growing by as much as an elementary school worth of students per year and is opening schools and adding services in response.
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City estimates show Kansas City Public Schools missed out on $45 million in tax revenue last year because of tax breaks for developers and businesses — and that amount has only been growing over the last five years.
