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Central Standard

Consultants Propose ‘Non-Profit’ District For Kansas City Public Schools

Sylvia Maria Gross
/
KCUR

The education consulting group CEE-Trust (Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust) presented a proposal Monday afternoon to restructure Kansas City Public Schools. The consultants recommended a small, state-run district office which would set up and monitor a network of largely autonomous non-profit schools. 

These schools could be started and operated by current school administrators and teachers, local non-profits, or surrounding districts.

Existing high-performing schools, like Lincoln College Preparatory Academy and Académie Lafayette, could make the transition to the new system. Existing schools that are underperforming will be phased out.

CEE-Trust director Ethan Gray writes that the concept is based on the success that some schools around the country are achieving in educating low-income children, when they are given more autonomy.

“Individual urban schools in America are achieving incredible results for students from low-income communities,” wrote Gray. “But no urban school systems are achieving incredible results for all – or even most – children in an entire city.”

According to CEE-Trust, these non-profit schools are not “charter schools” because they would still be accountable to a district office, called the "Community Schools Office," and not directly to the state. 

This agency would be led by an executive director (instead of a superintendent), who would be appointed by the state, and the advice of a community advisory board, also appointed by the state.

You can read the executive summary here.

Guest:

  • Ethan Gray, Executive Director at CEE-Trust
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Central Standard Kansas City Public Schools
Sylvia Maria Gross is storytelling editor at KCUR 89.3. Reach her on Twitter @pubradiosly.
Matthew Long-Middleton has been a talk-show producer, community producer, Media Training Manager and now the Community Engagement Manager at KCUR. You can reach him at Matthew@kcur.org, or on Twitter @MLMIndustries.