Education funding

Natianna Ohmart, an English teacher at William Chrisman High School, said the tax levy's passage would take financial pressure off her strained budget.

New research found the pandemic led to drops in the percent of kids who were receiving early intervention and early childhood special education, both nationally and in Missouri.

Republican lawmakers in Kansas have been religion to justify anti-LGBTQ bills, anti-abortion laws and funding for private education vouchers in the state. The Kansas Reflector took a deep dive into the influence of religious beliefs on state politics.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed portions of a school budget bill that could hurt some rural districts. That line-item veto could set up a court fight between Kelly and the Kansas Legislature over the governor’s powers to tweak a funding bill crammed with policy changes.

A bill advanced by the Kansas House expands the state’s tax credit scholarship program — something supporters see as a school choice and detractors frame as diverting money away from public schools.

Kansas lawmakers have considered sending more state tax dollars to private schools, passed restrictions on transgender athletes and debated pay raises for teachers — and the session isn't done yet.

Education issues that gained steam during the pandemic — how race and LGBTQ topics are handled in schools, and what role parents and the government should have in their child’s education — are now reaching a head in the Missouri legislature.

The Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation has awarded grants to schools that exclude LGBTQ students and families and paid for creationist science teacher training.

The Kansas House last week narrowly passed a "school choice" bill that would shift public tax dollars to private schools, much to the frustration of public school leaders and Gov. Laura Kelly. The Kansas State Board of Education opposes the bill, saying there's no way to track how students are doing.

The Kansas House narrowly passed a "school choice" bill that will allow families of K-12 students to access upwards of $5,000 in state funding for alternatives to public education — including private schools and homeschooling. The Kansas State Board of Education opposes the bill, saying there's no way to track how students are doing.

Wednesday's vote on education savings accounts sets up a potential quandary for Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who supports additional funding for special education but opposes voucher-type programs that fund private schools with state dollars.

Republican lawmakers in Kansas want to make it easier for parents to send their children to private schools, and they’re once again pushing for more parental control over what’s taught in public school classrooms. Plus: A look into the vision of Kansas City Artists Coalition's new leader, who took the position a few months ago.