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Sister Berta Sailer, one of Kansas City's greatest advocates for disadvantaged chidlren, died last week at 87. In the 1960s, she opened an at-home day care that eventually grew to become Operation Breakthrough. Plus: A rural Missouri school district is one of the first in the U.S. to receive electric buses from a new EPA program.
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The Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to send nearly 5,000 electric buses to school districts around the country after a nearly two-year ramp-up. A few Midwestern districts weigh in on how the new buses are working so far.
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Gov. Mike Parson highlighted bipartisan issues in his final State of the State address as Missouri governor, gaining him some praise across the aisle. The Republican governor shares his agenda and goals for the last year of his term.
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Not everyone has the financial means or the interest to attend a traditional four-year college program. A Kansas City nonprofit is investing millions of dollars into adults making $45,000 or less each year — improving their financial stability and the city's workforce.
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Since 2003, the Kauffman Scholars program invested $140 million to help Kansas City-area students in under-resourced areas pursue an education and a successful career.
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Schools are still struggling to raise attendance rates and student performance to where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, school districts are preparing for a new law in Kansas that allows students to transfer to schools outside the district where they live.
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Kansas public school leaders in some high-demand districts say they’re already hearing from families who want to switch schools to take advantage of a new open enrollment law. But the new law won’t be simple, and they’re not ready to just throw open their doors.
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Municipalities on the Kansas side of the metro weathered some complicated and contentious conversations in 2023, like affordable housing and diversity in education. We'll take a look back at some of the big political stories out of Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
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After two years of controversial efforts to remove books from school shelves, one Missouri librarian says colleagues are leaving the profession because it has become too painful. Plus: A Kansas toy shop recommends board games for the holidays.
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Brian Kirk lost his position on a volunteer library board over his support for LGBTQ+ rights. Progressive residents of St. Joseph say the incident has revealed discrimination in the city.
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Saint Louis University is running a prison education program that provides some Missouri inmates and prison staff with the opportunity to earn degrees. An inmate who hopes to return to Kansas City upon his release says the program gave him a new perspective on life.
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Three Kansas City schools were surprised with $10,000 each last week from the local nonprofit BeGreat Together. The grant is intended to help teachers at historically underfunded public schools enhance the classroom experience.