Monthly Update

November 16, 2023

Education policies that aren't just PIE in the sky

The Aligned staff visited Nashville last month to attend the annual PIE Network (Policy Innovators in Education) conference. We are one of three organizations in Kansas and Missouri that are part of the 169-member nationwide network representing states, cities, and local communities.

PIE Network's members uphold a nonpartisan position in formulating concepts, embracing a bipartisan methodology to offer a cohesive, fact-supported, and reputable public viewpoint in discussions related to the formulation of educational policies. While there might exist differing views among PIE Network constituents on matters specific to individual states, they jointly adhere to a shared commitment to essential policy principles and values.

One way the network shares bright ideas and expertise is through the "The Eddies," which are advocate-nominated and voted awards that showcase outstanding policy and advocacy wins each year.

This year, Aligned was proud to receive an honorable mention under the "Best Implementation" category for our work around Pre-K expansion in Missouri. This category highlights pioneering policies or legislation that lead to lasting positive impacts for students.

While we did not take home the top prize, it was exciting to be in the room with our colleagues and learn about innovative ideas in education from other states.

Eddie categories include:

Game Changer Campaign of the Year
Best Collaboration
Best Defense
Best Implementation
Most Actionable Tools & Research
Power to the People Campaign
Suzanne Kubach PIE Network Weaver of the Year

See all the fantastic ideas from winners and nominees.

Congratulations to all our colleagues this year!

About Aligned

Aligned is the only state-wide non-profit, nonpartisan business group working in Kansas and Missouri on educational issues impacting the full development of our children, from supporting high-quality early learning to solid secondary programs that provide rigorous academic programs and real-world learning opportunities.

Our vision is that our public education systems in Kansas and Missouri have the resources and flexibility to prepare students to pursue the future of their choice.

We are currently focused on education policies that will strengthen early childhood education, teacher recruitment and retention, and school finance reform.

Learn more about our work.

PHOTO CREDIT: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Missouri News

Missouri education chief to step down

Last month, Missouri Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Margie Vandeven announced plans to resign effective July 1, 2024. She served as commissioner for more than seven years. During her tenure, she helped the state's public schools navigate a global pandemic, oversaw the distribution of hundreds of millions in relief dollars, and led the department through a rewrite of the state's accountability system.

The state board appointed Vandeven, a former English teacher, in 2015. She was the sixth individual and second woman to serve as commissioner.

"Serving as Commissioner of Education for the great state of Missouri has been the honor and the opportunity of a lifetime," Commissioner Vandeven said.

During her remarks at the October State Board of Education meeting, Vandeven highlighted the department's work advancing goals around early learning, including implementing the Office of Childhood under DESE and the record funding for early childhood programs.

"In 2023, Missouri appropriated the largest increase in funding for early childhood education in the state's history. This resulted in an additional 17,000 slots for children and increased childcare options for families," said Vandeven.

During the meeting, Board President Charlie Shields told Vandeven that previous commissioners paled in comparison.

"Nobody had to deal with a pandemic in the middle (of their tenure), so with all due respect to those past leaders, you have been the best, most outstanding commissioner I've had the opportunity to serve with during my time in the legislature and my time on the state board. So thank you for your service," said Shields.

The board also approved its legislative priorities for 2024, which include a plan to expand access to voluntary, high-quality early learning opportunities for all Missouri children through a proposal to phase in a plan to allow school districts and charters to count 100 percent of 4- and 5-year olds in early learning programs in the calculation of Average Daily Attendance in the Foundation Formula.

Also included in the 2024 priorities is a recommendation to raise the minimum starting teacher pay to at least $38,000.

It's important to note that competition for teachers at Missouri's southern border may stiffen as Arkansas raised its minimum starting teacher salary to $50,000.

Dolly Parton's book gifting program goes statewide

All Missouri kids under five can now join Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for free monthly books with no registration deadline. Parents just need to sign up on the website, and the books will be sent straight to their door, sparking a love for reading.

"I was so excited to hear that now every child in Missouri is eligible for my Imagination Library!” said Dolly Parton. “I want to personally thank the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Childhood, Governor Parson, and everyone else involved for making this happen."

The statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was made possible through Section 178.694, RSMo, and $11 million included in DESE’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget for the distribution of books.

Polling suggests strong support for early childhood investments

Kids Win Missouri recently released a polling memo that underscores strong support for childcare and early childhood education among Missouri voters.

Key findings reveal that over 90% of voters, spanning the political spectrum from very conservative to very liberal, recognize the importance of childcare options for families in bolstering the local economy and attracting businesses.

Additionally, 86% of voters, including a majority of both Republicans and Democrats, believe that students benefiting from quality early childhood education are better positioned for success in elementary and high school compared to their counterparts without such educational opportunities.

In other news

Missouri awards first-ever state funding "Grow Your Own" grants
More school districts in Missouri are switching to a four-day week
Pandemic shift to homeschooling goes mainstream in Missouri
Missouri's education savings program quietly swells but has room for growth
State Board of Education strengthens support for 'voluntary' open-enrollment
Missouri to boost access to gifted education programs

Panasonic Foundation Executive Director Alejandra Ceja presents at STEM Fest to promote career pathways available to Kansas students.

Kansas News

Last week, the Aligned team attended "A Space for All STEM Fest" at Johnson County Community College, presented by Panasonic in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Institute of Aerospace. Participants interacted with STEM education experts to learn about cutting-edge technologies and exciting tech jobs on the horizon.

Panasonic made headlines last year when the firm broke ground on a $4 billion project to build a factory to produce cylindrical "2170" lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. As the largest economic development project in the history of Kansas, Governor Laura Kelly said, "It will make Kansas a global leader in electric vehicle battery production and will bring thousands of high-paying manufacturing jobs to our state, and it will create an additional 4,000 jobs for suppliers and businesses throughout the region."

In addition to the construction project underway in DeSoto, Kansas, Panasonic is working with education institutions in the community across the cradle-to-career spectrum to promote STEM education and strengthen the workforce pipeline.

"We know the future of work is going to require some level of STEM proficiency, and so that's why we're doing what we're doing," said Alejandra Ceja, executive director of the Panasonic Foundation.

In other news

In Kansas school board races, voters reject candidates pushing culture war issues
Kansas among the states using weak teacher licensure test for reading
Kansas, Nebraska universities to collaborate on adding teachers of color in schools
Kelly lays out her priorities for the 2024 legislative session
Kobach proposes fingerprinting, background checks of all public school employees
Opinion: Every Kansas student has potential, school choice can unlock it
Opinion: Audit shows lawmakers must take action to improve student achievement

Left to right, front row: Tyler Nottberg, Aligned; Shannon Lockwood, Amy Milroy and Michael Knecht, AdventHealth; Mark Wyse, CodeKoalas; back row: Linda Rallo, Kate Banks, Torree Pederson and Tom Jones, Aligned.

AdventHealth impresses Aligned crew

Aligned board members and staff toured the B.E. Smith Family Center at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission last week. The center houses the Britain Development and Early Learning Programs. We learned how the center serves children with special needs by combining professional therapeutic services with intensive parent engagement so that children can achieve their fullest potential.

The 63,000-square-foot campus includes a two-story building with indoor and outdoor inclusive playgrounds, two aquatic therapy pools and spacious rooms filled with natural light.

Our team watched as therapists utilized the Variety KC Compass system, which is a state-of-the-art harness apparatus, to work with children who have mobility challenges. We also saw the incredible early learning classrooms and learned about the high-quality childcare programs available to employees, which AdventHealth says is an enormous staff recruitment and retention tool.

Michael Knecht joins Aligned Board

Aligned is thrilled to announce that Michael Knecht, the president and CEO of AdventHealth Lenexa City Center, has joined our board.

"Michael brings a unique health perspective to Aligned that will ensure we advocate for policies that foster environments where students can thrive physically, mentally, and academically," said Torree Pederson. "With this new addition, the board is poised to embark on an exciting journey of growth, collaboration, and success that embraces the whole student."

Knecht holds an executive MBA from Claremont Graduate University/Peter Drucker School of Business and a Master's in Divinity from Andrews University School of Theology. His background reflects a history of successfully involving both healthcare and faith-based communities in the transformation of health and organizational cultures. His leadership is centered on crafting outstanding experiences for patients and employees, strategic planning, shaping organizational culture, and promoting the advancement of healing and wholeness.

It's beginning to look a lot like session

Pre-filing of bills begins in just a couple of weeks (December 1st), which means that next month, we will begin our regular bill monitoring and gear up for the start of the 2024 legislative sessions.

Also, we will reveal our policy priorities for Kansas and Missouri in December.

With all this talk about "PIE," we can't take our minds off next week's impending feast. However, we must also pause to be very grateful, especially now with so much turmoil and tragedy in the world.

We appreciate our board members, partners, and readers for all the support this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!