Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.

Kansas City Public Schools, Missouri, elections

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Kansas City Public Schools
School Board badge.png
District details
School board members: 7
Students: 14,413 (2022-2023)
Schools: 35 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

Kansas City Public Schools is a school district in Missouri (Jackson County). During the 2023 school year, 14,413 students attended one of the district's 35 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

Do you know of an individual or group that endorsed a candidate for a position on this board? Click here to let us know.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

Incumbent Tanesha Ford defeated Joseph Nelson in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large on April 8, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tanesha Ford
Tanesha Ford (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
85.3
 
17,286
Image of Joseph Nelson
Joseph Nelson (Nonpartisan)
 
14.0
 
2,829
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
160

Total votes: 20,275
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1

Incumbent Rita Cortes defeated Kelly Thompson in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1 on April 8, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rita Cortes
Rita Cortes (Nonpartisan)
 
71.6
 
5,091
Image of Kelly Thompson
Kelly Thompson (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
27.7
 
1,967
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
54

Total votes: 7,112
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 3

General election

The general election was canceled. Tricia McGhee (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5

Brittany Foley defeated Bruce Beatty in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5 on April 8, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brittany Foley
Brittany Foley (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
54.3
 
2,979
Bruce Beatty (Nonpartisan)
 
45.1
 
2,473
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6
 
35

Total votes: 5,487
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

The general election was canceled. Joshua Jackaway (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 2

General election

The general election was canceled. Jamekia Kendrix (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 3

General election

Special general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 3

Robert Sagastume defeated Spark Bookhart in the special general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 3 on June 20, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Robert Sagastume (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
62.2
 
433
Spark Bookhart (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
37.8
 
263

Total votes: 696
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4

Monica Curls defeated Jay Gray in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4 on April 4, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Monica Curls (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
68.6
 
691
Jay Gray (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
17.1
 
172
 Other/Write-in votes
 
14.4
 
145

Total votes: 1,008
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

Tanesha Ford defeated incumbent Patricia Mansur in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large on April 6, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tanesha Ford
Tanesha Ford (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
55.9
 
8,323
Image of Patricia Mansur
Patricia Mansur (Nonpartisan)
 
43.3
 
6,449
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
120

Total votes: 14,892
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1

Incumbent Rita Cortes won election in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1 on April 6, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rita Cortes
Rita Cortes (Nonpartisan)
 
97.4
 
4,677
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.6
 
125

Total votes: 4,802
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 3

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 3

Incumbent Manny Abarca won election in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 3 on April 6, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Manny Abarca
Manny Abarca (Nonpartisan)
 
93.9
 
1,213
 Other/Write-in votes
 
6.1
 
79

Total votes: 1,292
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5

Kandace Buckner defeated Bruce Beatty in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5 on April 6, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Kandace Buckner (Nonpartisan)
 
50.4
 
1,813
Bruce Beatty (Nonpartisan)
 
49.1
 
1,766
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.5
 
17

Total votes: 3,596
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

The general election was canceled. Patricia Mansur (Nonpartisan) and Jennifer Wolfsie (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1

Rita Cortes defeated incumbent Matthew Oates in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 1 on April 2, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Rita Cortes
Rita Cortes (Nonpartisan)
 
65.8
 
5,135
Image of Matthew Oates
Matthew Oates (Nonpartisan)
 
33.5
 
2,615
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
57

Total votes: 7,807
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 2

General election

The general election was canceled. Nathaniel Hogan (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 3

General election

The general election was canceled. Manny Abarca (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4

Marvia Jones defeated Clinton Adams, Ibrahim Ramsey, and DeMonte Rochester in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4 on April 2, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Marvia Jones (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
43.5
 
602
Clinton Adams (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
32.5
 
450
Ibrahim Ramsey (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
3.5
 
49
DeMonte Rochester (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
0
 Other/Write-in votes
 
20.5
 
284

Total votes: 1,385
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5

Mark Wasserstrom defeated D. Jensen Adams in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 5 on April 2, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mark Wasserstrom
Mark Wasserstrom (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
60.2
 
3,022
Image of D. Jensen Adams
D. Jensen Adams (Nonpartisan)
 
35.9
 
1,803
 Other/Write-in votes
 
3.8
 
191

Total votes: 5,016
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

Incumbent Jennifer Wolfsie won election in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large on April 5, 2016.

Candidate
Jennifer Wolfsie (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 2

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 2

Incumbent Matthew Oates won election in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 2 on November 3, 2015.

Candidate
Image of Matthew Oates
Matthew Oates (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large

Incumbent Patricia Mansur won election in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education At-large on April 8, 2014.

Candidate
Image of Patricia Mansur
Patricia Mansur (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 2

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 2

Incumbent Gunnar Hand won election in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 2 on April 8, 2014.

Candidate
Image of Gunnar Hand
Gunnar Hand (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4

Incumbent Joseph C. Jackson won election in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 4 on April 8, 2014.

Candidate
Image of Joseph C. Jackson
Joseph C. Jackson (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 6

General election

General election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 6

Incumbent Carl Evans won election in the general election for Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education Sub-district 6 on April 8, 2014.

Candidate
Image of Carl Evans
Carl Evans (Nonpartisan)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.


About the district

School board

Kansas City Public Schools consists of seven members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Brittany FoleySub-district 520252029
Tricia McGheeSub-district 320252029
Tanesha FordAt Large20212029
Rita CortesSub-district 120192029
Monica CurlsSub-district 420232027
Joshua JackawayAt Large20232027
Jamekia KendrixSub-district 220232027

Join the conversation about school board politics

Ballotpedia's Hall Pass

Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics



District map

Overlapping state house districts

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $43,579,000 $3,088 16%
Local: $229,203,000 $16,241 82%
State: $7,135,000 $506 2%
Total: $279,917,000 $19,834
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $244,485,000 $17,323
Total Current Expenditures: $228,348,000 $16,179
Instructional Expenditures: $109,846,000 $7,783 45%
Student and Staff Support: $28,893,000 $2,047 12%
Administration: $38,793,000 $2,748 16%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $50,816,000 $3,600 21%
Total Capital Outlay: $8,794,000 $623
Construction: $3,715,000 $263
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $3,147,000 $222
Interest on Debt: $679,000 $48

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 12 21 7 12 <50 20-24 31
2018-2019 20 38 13 23 <50 30-34 43
2017-2018 20 35 12 25 <=20 30-34 40
2016-2017 22 30-34 15 27 <50 35-39 40
2015-2016 22 40-44 15 28 <=20 35-39 37
2014-2015 21 35-39 14 26 <=20 25-29 33
2013-2014 27 40-44 20 35 21-39 30-39 42
2012-2013 29 40-44 22 38 21-39 21-39 45
2011-2012 30 40-44 24 38 21-39 PS 45
2010-2011 26 40-44 21 32 21-39 PS 41

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 24 33 17 24 <50 40-44 51
2018-2019 24 36 17 26 <50 35-39 48
2017-2018 24 31 17 28 21-39 35-39 46
2016-2017 35 45-49 27 40 <50 50-54 56
2015-2016 34 42 27 40 40-59 45-49 54
2014-2015 32 40-44 26 37 40-59 40-44 48
2013-2014 27 30-34 23 29 40-59 40-49 43
2012-2013 29 30-34 25 31 40-59 40-59 47
2011-2012 27 30-34 25 27 40-59 PS 41
2010-2011 29 40-44 26 28 40-59 PS 44

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 75 85-89 76 65-69 PS >=80 70-74
2018-2019 71 80-89 70 70-74 PS >=50 70-74
2017-2018 71 90-94 72 60-64 PS >=50 75-79
2016-2017 72 80-89 75 60-64 PS >=50 70-74
2015-2016 69 80-89 69 65-69 PS PS 65-69
2014-2015 65 70-79 67 60-64 PS PS 55-59
2013-2014 63 70-79 69 45-49 PS PS 45-49
2012-2013 67 80-89 69 60-64 PS 65-69
2011-2012 63 70-79 66 60-64 PS 45-49
2010-2011 50 60-69 54 45-49 PS 30-34

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 14,413 2.2
2021-2022 14,094 -0.1
2020-2021 14,113 -7.3
2019-2020 15,147 -1.3
2018-2019 15,345 -0.2
2017-2018 15,370 -0.3
2016-2017 15,418 -2.0
2015-2016 15,724 2.1
2014-2015 15,386 1.0
2013-2014 15,230 -10.5
2012-2013 16,832 1.3
2011-2012 16,610 -4.3
2010-2011 17,326 -8.7
2009-2010 18,839 -5.0
2008-2009 19,788 -26.8
2007-2008 25,094 -7.5
2006-2007 26,980 -28.7
2005-2006 34,730 -8.0
2004-2005 37,524 -2.0
2003-2004 38,285 -0.6
2002-2003 38,521 -0.1
2001-2002 38,558 3.3
2000-2001 37,298 -2.2
1999-2000 38,135 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE Kansas City Public Schools (%) Missouri K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.3 0.4
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 4.3 2.1
Black 51.6 15.2
Hispanic 29.6 8.0
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1.3 0.4
Two or More Races 2.2 5.5
White 10.7 68.5

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, Kansas City Public Schools had 1,164.45 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 12.38.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 28.17
Kindergarten: 87.46
Elementary: 559.12
Secondary: 489.70
Total: 1,164.45

Kansas City Public Schools employed 3.34 district administrators and 78.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 3.34
District Administrative Support: 0.00
School Administrators: 78.00
School Administrative Support: 0.00
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 146.50
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 39.10
Total Guidance Counselors: 47.20
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 23.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 6.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 16.60
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 160.21
Other Support Services: 0.00

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Kansas City Public Schools operates 35 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Ac Prep Elementary341PK-8
B. Banneker Elementary390PK-6
Border Star Montessori288PK-6
Carver Dual Language School473PK-6
Central High School5359-12
Central Middle School4287-8
Contract25PK-12
East High School1,1129-12
Faxon Elementary301PK-6
Foreign Language Academy613PK-8
Garfield Elementary649PK-6
George Melcher Elementary296PK-6
Gladstone Elementary372PK-6
Hale Cook Elementary284PK-6
Holliday Montessori343PK-6
James Elementary207PK-6
John T. Hartman Elementary317PK-6
Lincoln College Academy Middle5746-8
Lincoln College Prep.8979-12
Longfellow Elementary231PK-6
Manual Career Tech. Ctr.09-12
M. L. King Elementary665PK-6
Northeast High6579-12
Northeast Middle School5557-8
Paseo Acad. Of Performing Arts6497-12
Phillis Wheatley Elementary391PK-6
Pitcher Elementary283PK-6
Primitivo Garcia Elementary263PK-6
Rogers Elementary543PK-6
Southeast High School4879-12
Success Academy0KG-12
Trailwoods Elementary347PK-6
Troost Elementary251PK-6
Wendell Phillips Elementary295PK-6
Whittier Elementary351PK-6

About school boards

Education legislation in Missouri

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Missouri
School Board badge.png
Education Policy Icon.png
Local Politics Image.jpg
Seal of Missouri.png

External links

  • Office website
  • Search Google News for this topic
  • Footnotes