Aligned

This month, we’re taking a closer look at what’s happening across education policy in Kansas and Missouri including school funding conversations, accountability updates, state board changes, and what new research says about teacher pay and retention.

Read the full June update and stay connected to the conversations shaping education from pre-K through career.

https://wearealigned.org/monthly-update-june-2026/

Education choice continues to be a major conversation across the country, including here in Kansas and Missouri.

In 2026, states continued to debate:

📌 Expanding access for students and families
📌 Increasing or adjusting program funding
📌 Strengthening accountability and transparency
📌 Deciding the future role of school choice

As Kansas and Missouri continue these conversations, it is important to keep students at the center of the discussion.

Funding Expands, Access Grows, and New Battles Emerge in 2026 With most legislative sessions winding down in 2026, no new choice programs have been created, but the volume of legislation remains high.

Employer-supported child care is becoming a stronger tool for workforce retention.

The federal Employer-Provided Childcare Credit helps businesses offset certain costs when they support child care for employees. Kansas recently built on that idea by expanding its own employer child care tax credit through SB 82.

For businesses, this is another tool to help working parents stay in the workforce, strengthen recruitment and retention, and support local communities.

Child care is not just a family issue. It is a workforce issue.

Aligned’s monthly newsletter begins next week.

As we move out of the legislative session, our updates will shift from weekly to monthly, bringing you a concise look at the education policy conversations, resources, and developments shaping Kansas and Missouri.

Be sure to sign up today to receive next Friday’s newsletter directly in your inbox.

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Sign up to Stay in Touch! Join our regular newsletter to stay updated on education in Kansas and Missouri.

Great to sit in on the Kansas Legislative School Finance Formula Task Force this week and continue the conversation again today.

Yesterday’s discussion included a strong focus on chronic absenteeism and the connection between school funding, spending decisions, and student outcomes. Dr. Marguerite Roza with Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab, a valued partner in this work, brought a strong national perspective and practical data tools to the conversation.

Grateful to see Kansas leaders continuing to engage with thoughtful, data-driven resources as school finance conversations move forward.

ICYMI —>

2026 Missouri Legislative Review Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

This Memorial Day, we remember and honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Their sacrifice protects the freedoms and opportunities we work to preserve for future generations.

From all of us at Aligned, we are grateful.

A new episode of the Insight Podcast is out now! 🎙️

In this episode, "A New Chapter for Kansas Education: A conversation with Dr. Jake Steel,” Dr. Watson asks Dr. Steel about his early days growing up and attending Garden City USD 457 schools.

Listen as we explore Dr. Steel's higher education path that led him to the classroom as a math teacher, the work he’s done around KSDE’s alignment initiatives and what’s inspiring him to keep Kansas education moving forward.

Listen now on:
Spotify: https://buff.ly/HeDxLE4
YouTube: https://buff.ly/Ny0r0qi
Apple: https://buff.ly/FcwFFsV

"Kansas legislators are doing something deserving of recognition..."

Check out our recent op-ed: Getting school funding right in Kansas matters for students, schools, educators, and the rest of us.

Getting school funding right in Kansas matters for students, schools, educators and the rest of us Kansas legislators are doing something deserving of recognition. They are working carefully to improve the state’s K–12 funding formula. Specifically, they are focusing on how we support students who ...