Tricia McGhee, a KCPS parent, backs the 40% grade minimum. But she said the late work policy has been unclear and inconsistent in her daughters’ middle school.
Maria Benevento
Maria Benevento is The Beacon’s education reporter. She joined The Beacon as a Report for America corps member. In addition to her work at The Beacon, she’s reported for the National Catholic Reporter, Columbia Missourian and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Her education reporting began in 2017, and she became a full-time Kansas City education reporter with The Beacon in mid-2021. She graduated from Creighton University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in theology and American studies. In 2021, she graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a master's degree in journalism. She’s lived in Missouri most of her life and first moved to Kansas City in 2017.
Posted inElections
Here’s how to register and vote in Missouri
To vote, you now need a photo ID such as a current Missouri driver’s license or nondriver license, a current U.S. passport, a current military ID or another U.S. or state-issued photo ID.
Posted inElections
Here’s how to register and vote in Kansas
Polling places are open from at least 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Counties are allowed to open polls as early as 6 a.m. and close them as late as 8 p.m.
Posted inEducation
Independence’s four-day school week draws Missouri auditor probe
The auditor’s office has held expanded power to audit school districts for more than a decade, but has rarely used it.
Posted inEducation
KCPS talked about shutting these schools down. Now, they’re growing
Adding about 970 K-12 students — a 7% increase — between September and mid-April has upended the conversation in the district from talk of school closures to discussions of class sizes.
Posted inEducation
‘We cannot continue down this path’: KCKPS special education can’t shake issues with staffing, trust
A team of researchers found heavy staff turnover and poor retention. That leaves more work for those who stay and makes it harder for them to give students the services they’re legally entitled to.
Posted inEducation, Elections
Kansas City, Kansas, school bond would mean higher taxes, new schools, but only if voters approve
The bond would pay to consolidate six elementary schools into three schools and replace Argentine and Central middle schools.
Posted inEconomics, Education
Why the FAFSA is so hard in 2024, and where to get help in Kansas City
An updated version of the FAFSA, shorter and intended to be easier than previous editions, was released months later than usual. Then website malfunctions hindered families trying to complete the application.
Posted inEconomics, Education
Why the FAFSA is so hard this year, and where to get help in Wichita
An updated version of the FAFSA, shorter and intended to be easier than previous editions, was released months later than usual. Then website malfunctions hindered families trying to complete the application.
Posted inEducation
Raytown High students wanted a crackdown on violence, guns in school. Making the right changes is tricky
Since that public pressure, students say Raytown High School has made effective changes, such as hall sweeps targeting students who aren’t in class. They’ve also seen signs that the district is seriously considering other measures such as installing weapons detectors.