charter schools

The district scored higher than 70% on its state performance report, but Missouri wants more data before it changes accreditation.

Officials have refined the details of how the school district would spend a $474 million bond that Jackson County voters will decide on in April. It would be the first time since 1967 that Kansas City’s school district would get tax revenue for building improvements and new construction.

Of the $474 million bond on April's ballot, up to $50 million in funding would go to participating charter schools to address facility needs. The charters' agreements with the district will go before the KCPS board on November 20.

Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick says he'll only investigate the state's charter schools — which are all in Kansas City or St. Louis — if formal complaints show “specific problems. Union leaders sent a letter to the auditor's office in August.

Kansas City Public Schools hasn’t passed a bond measure since 1967, and hopes to win over enough voters between now and April to change its luck with feedback from students, staff and the community. The district is asking for $474 million to address deferred maintenance and update school buildings.

Kansas City Public Schools wants to "level the playing field" for its students by investing hundreds of millions to improve facilities and learning environments. Voters have not passed a bond to support building deferred maintenance and improvements since 1967.

The bill would boost minimum teacher salaries from $25,000 to $40,000 a year. It also greatly expands Missouri's tax-credit scholarship program for K-12 students to attend private schools.

Last year, the State Board of Education and the Missouri Charter Public School Commission pulled the charter of Kansas City's Genesis School, a K-8 school with a focus on high-risk students. But an appeals court ruled that charters have the right to judicial review if the state attempts to shut them down.

As a second-year middle school teacher, Alana Washington knows how much trauma her southeast Kansas City students can go through on a daily basis. She started the Save a Life Mentorship to foster an environment where students can find a home within themselves.

MoScholars, the state's K-12 tax-credit scholarship program, is currently only available in charter counties and cities with at least 30,000 residents. A Missouri bill that advanced Tuesday would open the program statewide and increase the number of eligible families.

Kansas City’s Genesis School taught at-risk students for years, then it nearly lost its charter. The near-miss raised larger questions about what success and accountability looks like in Missouri. Plus: a USDA program gives a second chance to food that stores won’t sell — but is perfectly good to eat.

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.