KCKPS Responds to Broadcast Report
Dear KCKPS Families,
Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools is disappointed with a news report (reported by Mr. Alcock) which aired on Thursday, September 3, 2026, on KMBC and its platforms.
The report did not include important factual information and context provided by the district beginning July 29, 2026, when he first inquired about district travel, as well as information provided in the district’s subsequent responses to his additional questions.
KCKPS welcomes scrutiny of taxpayer dollars. We also believe the public deserves accurate information about how those dollars are being spent. Several statements and characterizations in the report omit important facts that materially change the picture presented to viewers.
While the district did not participate in an on-camera interview, we did not decline to answer Mr. Alcock's questions. We responded in writing and provided additional information and clarification when requested.
Unfortunately, several important facts provided to Mr. Alcock were either not included in the report or were presented without the context necessary for the public to have a complete and accurate understanding.
We welcome questions about the use of taxpayer dollars and believe public institutions should be held accountable. We also believe accountability requires information to be presented accurately and in its proper context.
Travel and Professional Development
The report's reference to "$700 and $900 hotel rooms" requires important clarification.
When Mr. Alcock specifically inquired about travel associated with Parents as Teachers, the district reviewed the records and explained that the total lodging amount he referenced represented multiple nights, not the nightly cost of a hotel room.
Based on our review of the travel records associated with the cities referenced in the report, the characterization of these amounts as "$700 and $900 hotel rooms" similarly lacks important context. The amounts referenced reflect total lodging expenses associated with multiple-night stays rather than $700 or $900 nightly room rates.
We understand why a $700 or $900 nightly hotel room would raise concerns for taxpayers. It would raise concerns for us as well. That is precisely why it is important to distinguish between a nightly room rate and the total lodging expense for several nights associated with a multi-day conference or professional learning opportunity.
The report also creates the impression that Dr. Winn is attempting to obtain travel records that have not been provided to her. The travel records referenced in the report have previously been provided to Dr. Winn and the full Board of Education. Travel documents and expenditure information have been shared with the Board on multiple occasions, including during Finance Committee meetings, special budget meetings, and budget subcommittee meetings. Board members have had multiple opportunities to review the information, ask questions, and discuss travel expenditures as part of the district's budget process.
Any Board member may request additional information or clarification regarding records already provided. However, requesting additional information is different from not having received the underlying records, and that distinction is important.
The district has also taken significant steps to reduce travel spending for the 2026–2027 school year. Department travel allocations were first reduced as part of the district's overall 2% reduction to department budgets. All remaining funded travel lines were then reduced by an additional 10%.
It is also important to distinguish current travel expenditures from professional learning that occurred during the ESSER funding period. Those one-time federal resources allowed KCKPS to train larger groups of employees on key districtwide initiatives so they could implement those initiatives effectively and consistently across schools.
We will continue reviewing travel expenditures and professional learning opportunities to ensure they are reasonable, aligned with district priorities, and provide value to students and staff.
Employment of Family Members
The report also raises questions about district employees who are married to members of the Board of Education. When Mr. Alcock previously inquired about these relationships, the district shared that having a spouse or other family member employed by KCKPS does not violate district policy.
Naomi Tolentino Miranda and Mr. Clark were KCKPS employees for many years before either of their spouses became members of the Board of Education. Their employment with KCKPS predates their spouses' service on the Board.
There is additional context that was not previously provided to Mr. Alcock but is important to understanding the circumstances. Board members do not participate in the administrative hiring and placement process for their spouses or other family members. They also have no role in determining where individual employees are placed on district salary schedules. Compensation and salary placement are determined through established district processes and applicable salary schedules based on factors such as an employee's experience and educational attainment.
When Mr. Alcock inquired about these family relationships, the district also shared that other Board members have family members who currently work for KCKPS. These employment relationships are permitted under district policy. We are therefore unclear why these three employees and their family relationships were singled out in the report.
The report specifically points to Board President Randy Lopez's signature on Noami Tolentino Miranda's employment contract and describes it as a potential conflict of interest. That characterization omits important context. As Board President, Mr. Lopez's form signature appears on all district employee contracts as part of the district's standard process. The use of his form signature does not mean that he selected, interviewed, recommended, determined the compensation for, or otherwise participated in the administrative employment decision involving his wife.
The relevant issue is whether established district employment processes and policies were followed. The employment of the family members identified in the report does not violate district policy, and Board members do not determine their family members' hiring, salary placement, or compensation.
Transparency and Public Records
The report also raises concerns about access to records under the Kansas Open Records Act. KCKPS recognizes the public's right to access records that are subject to disclosure and takes its responsibility under KORA seriously.
Fees associated with records requests are not intended to discourage or prevent access to public information. Some requests involve a significant volume of records across multiple departments and systems and require employees to locate, review, and, when legally required, redact information before records can be released. Estimates are based on the staff time and resources anticipated to fulfill the particular request.
We recognize that estimates totaling thousands of dollars understandably raise questions. We will continue reviewing our processes for opportunities to respond more efficiently and, when possible, work with requesters to narrow or clarify broad requests so the information they are seeking can be provided more efficiently and at a lower cost.
A Complete Picture of KCKPS
The report appropriately raises student achievement as an important measure of district performance. We agree. Our state assessment results demonstrate that we have significant work ahead of us, and we will not minimize that work.
At the same time, our community deserves a complete picture of KCKPS, including the measurable progress and innovative work occurring throughout the district.
The district's state graduation rate for the 2022–2025 four-year cohort is 81%, the highest graduation rate KCKPS has achieved since graduation rates have been recorded by the State of Kansas. This represents significant progress compared with 68.8% for the 2019–2022 cohort and 70.2% for the 2018–2021 cohort.
The percentage of graduates earning a Diploma+ endorsement has also increased significantly, from approximately 50% in 2021 to 84% for the Class of 2025. Diploma+ reflects our commitment to ensuring students leave KCKPS with more than a high school diploma and have additional experiences, credentials, college credit, or other opportunities that help prepare them for what comes next.
KCKPS has also moved from provisionally accredited to accredited.
Our innovative work with benchmark assessments has also positioned KCKPS to be one of six districts participating in Kansas' implementation of the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority (IADA) during the 2026–2027 school year. Kansas is one of only seven states approved by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in IADA since the federal program began in 2018, providing KCKPS a unique opportunity to help shape a new approach to statewide assessment and accountability.
Our schools and programs are also receiving recognition beyond the district. Sumner Academy of Arts & Science continues to receive national recognition as one of the nation's highest-performing high schools and the #1 high school in Kansas. Our Attend to Achieve initiative has received national recognition for its work to improve student attendance and address chronic absenteeism, and our JROTC program has earned national recognition for the accomplishments of its students and programs.
Attend to Achieve is particularly relevant because the report identifies the salary of the program's coordinator without providing context regarding the scope or impact of the work she leads. The position supports a districtwide effort focused on improving student attendance and addressing chronic absenteeism. Highlighting an individual's salary without explaining the scope of the position or the nationally recognized work associated with the program provides an incomplete picture.
These accomplishments do not mean our work is finished, nor do they diminish the urgency of improving academic achievement. We have areas where results are not where they need to be, and we are accountable for improving them. At the same time, accountability also means presenting a complete picture of a district that is making measurable progress, pursuing innovative approaches, and earning recognition for the work of its students and employees.
Our Commitment
We welcome appropriate scrutiny of how taxpayer dollars are spent. We have a responsibility to be transparent, make adjustments when necessary, and ensure our resources are producing value for students.
We also have a responsibility to correct information when important context is missing.
A lodging expense covering multiple nights should not be presented to the public as the nightly cost of a hotel room. Records that have already been provided to a Board member and the full Board should not create the impression that the underlying information has been withheld simply because additional information or clarification may be requested.
An employee's marriage to a Board member does not violate district policy, and it should not suggest preferential treatment when the Board member does not determine the employee's hiring, salary placement, or compensation. This is particularly important when the employees highlighted in the report were employed by KCKPS for years before their spouses joined the Board. Likewise, the Board President's standard signature on employee contracts should not be presented as evidence that he participated in an administrative employment decision.
There are areas where KCKPS must continue to improve, and we will. There are also areas where our students, employees, schools, and programs are achieving significant results and receiving recognition locally, statewide, and nationally. Our community deserves to know both.
KCKPS will continue to provide information, identify efficiencies, strengthen our practices where necessary, and be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars while remaining focused on what matters most: improving outcomes and opportunities for every student we serve.