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 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.
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College access advisers say most Kansas City students won't start receiving financial award letters until at least April, but most colleges ask students to decide where to enroll by May 1.
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Six candidates are running for two open spots on the school board. Abundant Life’s lead pastor, Phil Hopper, said in a sermon that it's a chance to bring "two more godly people" on the board of education.
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The Hickman Mills Board of Education has long struggled to work together, but Superintendent Yaw Obeng said it's found a way to move forward ahead of the April election.
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Seven candidates are competing for three open seats in this year's high-stakes Independence school board race. Here's what the candidates have to say about school policies regarding trans students, cell phone use in class and mental health care for students.
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Candidates for two open seats on the Lee's Summit school board talk about the district's finances, cellphone in the classrooms and mental health services for students.
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Three candidates will be on the ballot April 2 for two open seats in the Park Hill School District. Here's what they think about mental health for students, cell phones in classrooms and issues regarding transgender students.
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Three candidates are running for two seats on the Liberty school board. Here’s what they think about mental health, cellphones in school and removing books from libraries.