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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With the Kansas City Chiefs back in the Super Bowl, Kansas sports bettors — and Taylor Swift fans — are wagering millions of dollars on the team to win. But that doesn't necessarily mean money for the state of Kansas. Plus: Kansas City's legendary "Sodfather" won't be working this Super Bowl, for the first time ever.
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The city has received 600 reports to 311 about potholes in just the last week. City Manager Brian Platt says city crews can fill hundreds of potholes per week, but weather and poor road conditions mean many more are taking out tires and breaking suspensions.
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Missouri and Kansas public schools enroll thousands of fewer students compared to before the pandemic, in part, because of a homeschooling boom and declining birth rates.
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A year after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Kansas is seeing a surge in interstate travel for abortion care, even as lawmakers continue to try and restrict access to the procedure. We take a look back at the biggest news in reproductive healthcare in Kansas in 2023.
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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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Missouri's education department has released new performance data finding chronic absenteeism remains a problem for many schools. Attendance rates have dropped in Missouri by 10% since 2019, and they're especially low for Black students.
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Karla Eslinger, a Republican state senator from Wasola, will succeed current commissioner Margie Vandeven in the state's top education job in June 2024.
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East High School’s soccer team made history by winning the school’s first state title in soccer. Now, it’s getting ready to send a player to compete against top soccer players from around the country in South Carolina.
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Genesis reopened after losing its charter earlier this year, but the near-miss raised larger questions about what success and accountability looks like for charters that serve students with high needs.
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On the first Monday of each month, the Johnson County Museum dims lights and limits capacity to make the space more welcoming for kids with sensory-processing challenges.