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Kansas Legislature passes state budget
This analysis originally appeared in Aligned’s weekly newsletter, where we track key education and workforce policy developments across Kansas and Missouri. Subscribe to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. Late Thursday night into earlier this morning, the Kansas Senate (23-16) and House of…
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Missouri School Funding: Rebuild or Patch?
This analysis first appeared in Aligned’s most recent weekly newsletter. We’re expanding it here to add context on the tradeoffs the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force is weighing as it works toward recommendations due to Governor Mike Kehoe by…
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2025 Kansas Cradle to Career Listening Tour
At Aligned, we believe Kansas thrives when education and workforce systems work together. That belief guided us this year as we launched the Kansas Cradle to Career Listening Tour, a chance to step into communities to hear directly from Kansans about…
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Introducing the Aligned Data Matrix
Money matters. But money alone doesn’t guarantee better results. The Aligned Data Matrix is our education finance data hub that lets you compare funding and student outcomes across Missouri school districts, visualize patterns over time, and identify where investment and achievement diverge. Use it…
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Analyzing School District Cash Reserves in Kansas
During the first few meetings of the Kansas Education Funding Task Force, both policymakers and district leaders have raised a familiar question: how much money are school districts keeping in reserve — and why? It’s a fair question, with both practical…
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Facing the Future with Fewer Learners
Enrollment decline lurks behind many conversations in education, fueling concern across the spectrum from early childhood through higher education. After all, many of our systems, institutions, and laws are predicated on the continued growth in students. Enrollment declines in both K–12 and…
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How Missouri Funds Public Schools
This week, the Missouri House Budget Committee approved HB 2, allocating $8.2 billion for elementary and secondary education in the upcoming fiscal year. The committee’s version of the bill also diverges from several of Governor Mike Kehoe‘s early childhood priorities. Specifically, it excludes the Governor’s proposed…
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Executive Order… Now What?
President Trump has signed an executive order directing the closure of the U.S. Department of Education, marking a historic shift in federal education policy. While this move fulfills a longstanding conservative goal of returning education authority to the states, major legal, logistical,…
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How school bonds can impact classrooms
Across Kansas and Missouri, voters are being asked to weigh in on school bond proposals that will shape the future of their local schools. From basic facility upgrades to new construction, these bonds are becoming a common tool for districts to modernize classrooms,…