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Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Wants Development Projects To 'Focus On Equity'

Luke X. Martin
/
KCUR 89.3
In June 2020, Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell wrote a scathing letter to Kansas City Councilmembers where he called an inventive deal for a construction company "systemically racist."

Superintendent Mark Bedell is pleased to see Kansas City reducing tax incentive policies for developers, but still feels the district should have a bigger seat at the table when it comes to considering proposed development projects.

Recent tax incentives have caused schools to lose millions of dollars that could have gone towards educating local students. "We're not an anti-economic development district, but we want to have a focus on equity," Bedell says.

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