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Can Kansas City rebuild its relationship with public schools?

Decades of disinvestment have left Kansas City Public Schools buildings in rough condition, but on April 8, Kansas City voters will decide the fate of a bond that could bring some much-needed fixes. It's been six decades since the city last passed a school bond measure. How did we end up in this critical moment?

Even after the district regained accreditation and improved student performance, the district's crumbling buildings are a persistent reminder of the city's lack of trust and financial support of its public schools. On a new episode of KCUR’s podcast A People’s History of Kansas City, Mackenzie Martin and Jodi Fortino explain how we got to this point.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

As a host and contributor at KCUR, I seek to create a more informed citizenry and richer community. I want to enlighten and inspire our audience by delivering the information they need with accuracy and urgency, clarifying what’s complicated and teasing out the complexities of what seems simple. I work to craft conversations that reveal realities in our midst and model civil discourse in a divided world. Follow me on Twitter @ptsbrian or email me at brian@kcur.org.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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