public education

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.

Hickman Mills school board candidates discussed accreditation, conflict on the board and their priorities for the district.

Kansas City-based Teachers Like Me has a specific goal, which is to recruit, develop and retain Black teachers. It’s starting to see some success.

That there are fewer candidates this year may be a return to the status quo, but it prevents the public from weighing in on who should govern local school districts.

A Kansas Republican wants to give families more choice over where their children are educated, but one opponent says H.B. 2218 takes funding away from public schools and gives taxpayer dollars away with no government oversight.

In one of the costliest cases of its kind, the district was ordered to pay a family nearly $250,000, plus ongoing private school expenses, for denying a child special education services.

The district is hoping to keep people involved after a school closure plan drew widespread attention.

Kids around the metro are returning to class after the holiday break — but the new semester has some familiar issues kicking around. Staffing issues in schools, fights over curriculums and controversial mascots were some of the top stories in 2022, and those continued debates are setting the tone for the year ahead.

The Government Accountability Office has released a report analyzing the nationwide teacher shortage in the US. The report lists low pay and a growing negative perception of teachers as the top reasons for dropping retention rates within the profession.

After evacuating New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina, Jamie Johnson rebuilt her life in Missouri. Now she wants to do "the most good that I can."

A new proposal scaled back a divisive plan introduced to the Gardner Edgerton School District in July. However, former and current students at Monday's board meeting said the proposed policy did not go far enough to protect transgender students.

Jennifer Gilmore sued the Olathe School Board and various individuals in January, claiming they violated her First Amendment free-speech rights and the Kansas Open Meetings Act.