KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Teacher Retention and Recruitment Blue Ribbon Commission released its final report to legislators Tuesday in Jefferson City.

Commissioners presented their 22-page report, making a total of nine recommendations and further dividing them into immediate, short-term and long-term priorities.

A common theme running through many of the priorities centered around funding of teacher salaries and training programs.

This comes as future teachers continue contemplating whether entering the profession is worth it.

Neal Patterson and Hannah Goestenkors are both students in the Elementary Education Program at Rockhurst University’s School of Education. 

The two students shared what drives them towards a career in education and what they need to succeed.

Patterson said he wants to get into education to change the narrative surrounding Black male educators.

“I want to put more representation in schools, especially Black male representation,” he said. “ I feel like we need more representation of Black males — that they can teach more than gym.”

Goestenkors, who was originally a nursing major, switched career paths after realizing that teaching was her passion. 

The pair may have different stories, but have one goal in common — to create lessons and life plans for kids.

“I don’t want to just be a teacher, I want to be someone my student can lean on,” Goestenkors said. “We’re not just in school playing with kids, teaching kids — we are also planning their future.”

The pair said they understand the job doesn’t end when the bell rings.

“Teachers have to work most definitely from like six, till about five in the afternoon, but then they go home and also do so much more work to prepare for the next day,” Patterson said. ”They might’ve seen a kid that’s been abused, or a kid that was sick all day, or a kid that can’t eat.”

Patterson said that he understands the work is hard, but will not let that tear him away from his passion.

“I don’t personally want to feel that, because I do want to keep going, and I want to be able to keep teaching for a long time,” he said.

They both said they’re aware that the pay doesn’t match the work in and out of the classroom.

“Most teachers come out of pocket,” Patterson said. “If they are really deep into the profession, they’ll come out of pocket just so kids have something to eat, just so kids won’t get made fun of because their shoes have a certain scuff on them.”

Goestenkors agrees, but hopes teachers pay across the board will increase.

“I don’t think their pay is enough, just because they might not be clocked in at that time, but the outside work, the early mornings, late nights, that’s what I feel like they should be paid more for,” she said.

Both Patterson and Goestenkors say they are aware that a teachers’ salary isn’t much, but they are not in the role for the money. 

“I feel like I’m not very much concerned because that good will come out, and that will come in forms of seeing those kids graduate high school or seeing those kids go off to college,” Patterson said.

In the meantime, both students are focused on taking notes, to build a better future for the next generation.

“Some people fail to realize how important school is,” Goestenkors said.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This week’s cold snap helped to bring into focus plans for the upcoming winter.

As organizations plan out their winter responses, one area that’s still in high-demand: qualified snow plow operators.

In a news release Tuesday, the Missouri Department of Transportation said they’re facing a “critical shortage” of plow operators heading into the winter season.

“With years of high turnover, we are nearly 30% below the staffing we need in order to cover more than one shift in a statewide storm,” MoDOT director Patrick McKenna said. “If a widespread winter storm lasts more than one 12-hour shift, we will not have enough employees to fill all the trucks on the second shift and therefore, it will take longer to clear the roads.”

McKenna said that shortage could lead to delays and impacts across the state.

MoDOT is planning a drill throughout the day Thursday to help crews get acquainted with their routes.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Amtrak Missouri River Runner service, traveling back and forth between Kansas City, Missouri, and St. Louis, is shifting its service from two trips between the cities per day, to one trip per day in each direction from Oct. 24 through Nov. 16.

Amtrak announced that the change comes after two of the four trains that make the trip across Missouri will not operate due to train equipment shortages.

While trains 311 and 316 are not operating until Nov. 17, trains 318 and 319 will run normally.

A train will depart from Union Station in Kansas City each day at 8:40 a.m., stopping in Independence, Missouri, at 8:59 a.m., and Lee’s Summit at 9:16 a.m., before arriving to Gateway Station in St. Louis at 2:20 p.m.

The trains will then move from the Missouri River Runner Service to the Lincoln Service, which connects St. Louis to Chicago.

The ride from St. Louis to Kansas City departs at 3:05 p.m. each day, and is scheduled to pass through Lee’s Summit at 7:59 p.m., and Independence at 8:15 p.m., before arriving in KC at 8:45 p.m.

Additional information on the route is available online.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  — A new development could soon make its way to the Waldo neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri.

“Waldo is like one of those perfect little gem neighborhoods,” said Will Kivinski, who lives in Waldo.

The heart of the neighborhood could be at 75th and Wornall Avenue, an intersection of the Trolley Track Trail.

“Waldo is a very historic neighborhood,” said Jeremy Tinkler, with EPC Real Estate Group.

At one corner is The Well, where Chris Lewellen is the co-owner.

“A lot of people know we’re famous for our rooftop,” Lewellen said

Tinkler says The Well has been there since the street car ran in the 1950s.

But Lewellen believes its future could be improved and says he has a plan for new neighbors.

“We’ve been sitting here at The Well and we have an underused space that’s ugly,” he said.

Lewellen and Tinkler came up with an idea for full-block development from 74th Terrace and Broadway to 74th Street and Wyandotte.

The project from EPC Real Estate Group includes 12,0000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, 289 apartment units and a 377-stall parking garage.

Lewellen says The Well will return with a new rooftop terrace.

“We’ll bring The Well back bigger, badder and nicer,” he said.

Lewellen envisioned what the neighborhood his business would look like.

“The full length of Broadway will have retail along the extent of it,” he said. “It’s a really fun entertainment area, but it hasn’t seen the density I think it could benefit from with new residents.”

Some in the neighborhood agree it’s a good thing.

“It’s going to make Waldo more attractive to homeowners, but also people visiting the neighborhood,” Kivinski said. “I do think it’s important to take into consideration affordable housing.”

Serenity Reeves, who works in the area, is also onboard.

“It would be good for more people to come here, for people who work here, to live here as well,” Reeves said.

Others who KSHB 41 spoke with were torn about the project, saying the area needed more use and housing.

However, they called it an aggressive plan and considered its historic past and if a new development would fit in.

“We met with the Ward Parkway Homes Association, the Tower Homes Association, the West Waldo Homes Association, the Waldo Business Association — we’ve been meeting with a lot of folks soliciting feedback,” Tinkler said.

Tinkler estimates the projects price tag is $80 million, and will be funded through private equity and lending.

“This is an investment in Waldo bringing more retail, more commercial space, adding jobs, not just part-time construction jobs, but permanent jobs and permanent residents,” he said.

Tinkler says the project is going through city approval right now, and is hoping for a summer groundbreaking with a two-year construction timeline.

KSHB 41 asked if these units would be considered affordable, and they say they’re still determining where rent numbers will land.

The group is also planning for a KCATA driver station, electric vehicle parking and electric bikes.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A blue ribbon commission tasked with reviewing Missouri’s teacher recruitment and retention efforts released its report Tuesday, calling for more robust spending on teacher salaries and training.

Commissioners presented their 22-page report to the Missouri State Board of Education Tuesday morning in Jefferson City.

The report’s authors made a total of nine recommendations, further dividing them into immediate, short-term and long-term priorities.

A common theme running through many of the priorities centered around funding of teacher salaries and training programs.

“Now is the time for the entire state to come together to find long-term solutions to increase teacher pay,” Missouri Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven said in a release announcing the recommendations.

Among the immediate recommendations from the commission:

• Increase starting teacher salary through state statute and continue funding the New Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Program;
• Prioritize the Career Ladder Program;
• Establish sustainable revenue for Grow Your Own programs;
• Incentivize local education agencies to use Innovation Waivers to implement team-based teaching models.

Officials at DESE maintain a public database showing average teacher salaries at districts around the state.

A KSHB 41 data analysis shows that among select districts in the Kansas City area, teachers in the Lee’s Summit School District have the highest annual teacher salary at $64,211. School districts in more outlying areas have lower teacher salary averages in general.

In helping to understand average teacher salary, the state also tracks average teacher experience. This data starts to break down geographic barriers, showing that location doesn’t always equate to longer experiences.

The geographic disparities show back up however, when comparing average administrator salaries among the same group of school districts. Administrators in the Blue Springs School District averaging $121,867 per year, the highest in the area among the group of districts reviewed.

Tuesday’s report also recommended three short-term priorities;

• Establish statewide fund to support local education agencies in providing increased salaries;
• Increase support for mental health resources for teachers, school leaders and staff;
• Use funding in the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship programs to provide tuition assistance for teachers.

The commission also highlighted the need for salary supplements to fill high-needs positions and salary supplements for teachers with National Board certification as longer-term priorities.
Following Tuesday’s presentation, state education officials are planning a series of public hearings across the state. A hearing is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 at the Fort Osage School District.

More information about the hearings and Tuesday’s report is available online.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The residents of four apartment buildings in south Kansas City were relocated from their homes Tuesday after officials became concerned over the building’s structural integrity.

A spokesperson with the Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department said officials are assisting the residents of the Coach House Apartments at 11213 McGee Street with temporary housing.

The spokesperson said a tenant of the building notified KC Healthy Homes, which in turn prompted an investigation by city officials.

That investigation determined there was a threat of collapse at the building. In the course of their initial investigation, officials identified a second dangerous building. The residents of that building have 48 hours to be relocated.

Photographs taken by city inspectors show a portion of the brick facade missing from the three-story building. Insulation and wood-framing were exposed on the side of the building all the way to the roof line.

Kansas City Health Department

A search of 311 complaints in the immediate vicinity of the apartments shows at least three calls for service made dating back to Oct. 2021. The most recent of the calls was in July 2022. City records identified the call as a Health Homes issue involving rental property. The call was assigned to the Health Environmental Services Department. No entry was made in the resolution date.

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Originally Appeared Here

KANSAS CITY,MO  — Election day is just over three weeks away, voters in Kansas City, Missouri will see two questions on their ballot.

“Question 2” on the ballot asks whether voters want to approve issuing 50-million dollars in “go bonds” to fund affordable housing and remove blight.

It’s important to note – this will not result in additional taxes if passed. However, $50 million will go directly into the Housing Trust Fund, which was approved by city council Thursday if it succeeds.

The approval comes after a resolution, written with the help of KC Tenants, was passed Wednesday at the Neighborhood Planning Committee.

However Kaylove Edwards, a member of KC Tenants, and a single mom of two say this money could really help people like her.

“There isn’t housing that I can afford, there isn’t housing for minimum wage employees to be able to afford to live especially with two kids,” said Edwards.

Edward’s current situation came after a divorce, and circumstances that forced her to be homeless and looking for she and her two kids to rest their heads.

“I spent a lot of time jumping from couch to couch,” Edwards said,” I honestly am just now getting back up on my feet a little bit more. I’m in a Synergy housing program in the northland where I don’t have to any rent for two years.”

After the two years are up, she will have to figure out what’s next for her family.

“The idea of being able to stay in my neighborhood and stay where my kids currently go to school it just feels really basically impossible,” said Edwards.

However Nov. 8 voters could help folks like Edwards who are below the 30% Area Median Income.

“Those individuals that make anywhere from 18 thousand dollars a year up to 26 thousand dollars a year in a family size of 1 to 4 people,” said Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, 3rd District, Kansas City, Missouri.

If “yes” votes pass on Question 2 in November, millions would go towards affordable housing.

“Voters will be able to vote on whether or not they want part of their property tax to be spent on $50 million dollars of affordable housing,” said Councilwoman Robinson.

Approved Thursday by city council – if voters say yes – that 50 million would go directly to the housing trust fund, but would not be a tax increase.

“ This is not a new tax, this is basically saying the smart revenue that you were paying, you would like for this revenue to go to affordable housing,” said Councilwoman Robinson.

In the meantime Edwards says she hopes voters in Kansas City will hear her plea to help many in her situation.

“Whether it does help me directly or not it does make me feel more seen by my city,” said Edwards.

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PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — Yard signs from two different groups on opposite sides of a debate on housing policies have popped up along streets throughout Prairie Village, Kansas.

The City designated an ad hoc committee to make recommendations on how to make the city more affordable and diverse while maintaining the integrity of neighborhoods.

An early look at the recommendations call for allowing accessory dwelling units [ADU] on plots with single-family homes in areas zoned R-1, the majority of the city.

An ADU is often a detached, small building like a garage or carriage house. The recommendation would allow property owners to build an ADU under a “by right” clause, meaning they wouldn’t need to notify neighbors or hold a public hearing for additional input before proceeding.

Just last month, Kansas City, Missouri, adopted an ADU policy of its own.

The Prairie Village recommendations also call for exploring whether to allow more multi-family duplexes and small apartments to about 10% of the city zoned R-2, R-3 and R-4.

“I would personally love to see duplexes, triplexes, apartment complexes,” Danny Terreros said.

Terreros created the group Prairie Village For All in support of the housing policy recommendations. He said a trend of developers tearing down 1950s homes and replacing them with $1 million mansions hurts affordability.

“It’s about making it more affordable, not just for me, I love it so much I want it for everybody,” Terreros said.

Another group, PV United, opposes the housing recommendations. It created signs reading “stop PV neighborhood rezoning.”

In a statement, a lawyer working with the group says the ADU proposal to increase density is “not practical in fully-developed cities like Prairie Village.”

Matthew Gough said the recommendation creates a blanket policy that doesn’t take in to account how ADUs impact a neighborhood’s character and value.

In particular, PV United takes issue with the “by right” clause.

“PV United supports the goal of ensuring that all people are able to obtain affordable housing, but its members share a common desire to retain their right to participate meaningfully in the public process when changes in use are proposed in their neighborhoods,” Gough said in a statement.

Terreros and the Prairie Village For All group argue property owners should have the right to decide what they want to do with their own property.

The city’s planning commission will review the recommendations Oct. 25. The city plans to gather input from the public and host a series of hearings over the next several months.

The city council wouldn’t vote on adopting any formal recommendations until next year.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  — A new course at the University of Missouri-Kansas City aims to make hiring a Roo the right choice.

“It’s really just taking all this theoretical they’ve been learning and actually putting it to real use,” said RooComm course creator and professor Jaysen Van Sickle.

Van Sickle spent years in the nonprofit space while teaching at UMKC. In 2022, they brainstormed a course to give students real-world experience while giving back to the community.

“You don’t typically see business students, journalism or communications students, designers or productions and film ever get to practice in a real-world setting, in a safe environment where they can fail and learn,” Van Sickle said.

Leading up to events, luncheons and galas, students work to bring the visions of KC-area nonprofits to life by providing social media strategy, analytics and video production free of charge.

Thirty students are enrolled in the new course this semester with Abby Wendlandt as the agency manager.

“It really puts you out there,” Wendlandt said. “I don’t think there’s any other class anywhere that is going to prepare you for real life and real jobs as well as this class will.”  

Wendlandt spent last weekend with the nonprofit Troost Market Collective as it hosted Troostapalooza.

“Helping out with events like this is a lot more than any textbook could ever teach you,” Wendlandt said.

Feedback from the nonprofits has been overwhelmingly positive, calling support from students an immense help.

“It’s everything we crave as someone who needs that extra help,” said Crissy Dastrup, Troost Market Collective founder. “They’re super on the ball. Love working with them, love having them. They are knocking it out of the park.”

Van Sickle hopes to expand to include new nonprofits and more students in semesters to come.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas addressed numerous deferred maintenance needs at the Kansas City Convention Center Friday, noting how the Question 1 bond measure on the Nov. 8 general election ballot would fund improvements if approved by voters.

Question 1 would allocate $45 million to fund improvements at the Convention Center and Music Hall. The bond measure would also provide $80 million for Parks and Recreation deferred maintenance improvements in all 10 community centers as well as parks, pools, and recreation facilities in all areas and Council districts of Kansas City.

Any Convention Center projects funded by the bond would first have to go to the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council for a final vote of approval.

“This is a no-tax increase bond election and so there is no particular impact on anyone who is paying their tax bill,” Lucas said. “Instead, this is the sort of thing where we actually saw that we have the opportunity on our city ballot sheets to bring up this important issue so we could address deferred maintenance. I think this is a fiscally responsible way to make sure we’re addressing these items.”

Lucas compared the cost of renovations to starting from scratch, saying that building a new Municipal Auditorium would possibly cost at least $200 million and a new Convention Center may cost even more than that.

“Rather than spending half a billion dollars on new infrastructure in the city, doing it right, making sure you’re taking care of your structures is something that I’m proud of city government being a big part of,” Lucas said. “We’re not looking to move on from some of our important facilities.”

Prioritized maintenance needs in the Convention Center include technology and network upgrades, carpet replacement, and restroom renovations.

“I think we all saw that at this moment, it’s important for us to make sure that as we talk World Cups and every big thing coming to Kansas City, we take care of what is still here each and every day,” Lucas said.

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Originally Appeared Here