Non-profit is banking on KC public schools, and investing over a million dollars
Some Kansas City public schools just got a hefty infusion of cash because a local nonprofit has made urban education a priority.
Don’t mind if I applaud that.
Public education is supposed to be a common good in the United States, but it’s not if we don’t invest in it, and if kids graduate unable to manage basic reading, writing and arithmetic.
Free public education became mandatory in all U.S. states by 1870, more than 150 years ago, so you would think that by now we would have figured out how to do it well so that all children in this great nation would have access to and benefit from the best education the world has to offer.
The truth is, we don’t have the best education the world has to offer, but we should.
By all accounts, the United States is the strongest and wealthiest nation on Earth, and yet, according to the most recent data from The World Top 20 Project Education Network, the U.S. doesn’t even rank in the top 20 among nations with the best school systems. You have to wonder whether that’s by choice, because what is more important than educating our children, right?
In Missouri, Kansas City Public Schools aren’t doing well enough to be numbered at all in the 2026 Niche Best Schools in the Nation rankings, and that’s after the district has done so much over the years to regain full state accreditation and to improve its student test scores.
Meanwhile, the city is investing millions of dollars into public safety, city infrastructure improvements, housing and neighborhood development, as well it should. But what about the children? What about the city’s future workers, homeowners, and civic leaders? Who is investing in them?
Benjamin Franklin said it this way: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” And Brad Henry, the 26th governor of Oklahoma, which dubbed him “the education governor,” said in 2025: “An educated workforce is the foundation of every community and the future of every economy.”
If he’s right, and I believe he is, then someone ought to be putting some money into doing the best job possible educating Kansas City’s school children.
Lucky for us, BLAQUE, a local nonprofit focused on public education in Kansas City, is one of the groups that has stepped up to do just that.
On Friday, BLAQUE, at a Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce luncheon, announced it is investing $1.8 million in three public charter schools and two nonprofit organizations with an aim to advance education outcomes across Kansas City.
That the group made such a bold announcement at a Chamber lunch is evidence that Kansas City’s business community knows the importance of investing in public education, and is ready to align with community-driven efforts to bulk up education opportunities in Kansas City.
Getting backing and support from the business community is a huge step. I’m thinking something even bigger than investing over a million may be about to happen.
“This is about more than investment; it’s about possibility,” said Cokethea Hill-Woodard, Founder and CEO of BLAQUE KC. The invested dollars are going to the DeLaSalle Education Center, Hope Leadership Academy, and the Legacy of Julia Lee Performing Arts Academy, along with Teachers Like Me and Show Me KC Schools.
“Together, these investments reflect a shared commitment to advancing educational equity and strengthening outcomes for Black and brown children across Kansas City,” Hill-Woodard wrote in a BLAQUE press release. “Our children deserve more, and they deserve it now.”
Hill-Woodard said: “This investment is a transformative step toward the future we know is possible for them. It reflects what our community has called for and what our students need to thrive.”
BLAQUE has a plan that it has called the Community Blueprint for KC Schools. It’s a guide based on community wants and needs, to “help leaders and stakeholders align decisions, investments, and school design with community priorities,” the report says.
I’m happy to see the community and business working together on stronger public schools in Kansas City. After all, a lot of the problems faced by our public schools started with redlining allowed by Kansas City business owners, housing developers, bankers and city leaders from the 1930s through the 1960s. We have to fix what we broke. Redlining, believe it or not, was such a factor in how our city developed. That’s why the Johnson County Museum featured the history and impact of redlining as an exhibit. This month, the museum was recognized with the 2026 Museum Impact Award from the American Alliance of Museums, one of the highest national honors that recognizes museums that drive meaningful change in their communities and across the field.
The museum was recognized for its multiplatform initiative, REDLINED: Cities, Suburbs, and Segregation.
Off The Vine
Below are stories about culture and identity from communities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Go here to find more from Star reporter J.M. Banks.
- This group of Black men is finally recognized with a proclamation from the city for their nearly six decades of economic development, housing advocacy and community investment work in Kansas City’s urban core. Find out who they are, what they’ve done.
- The phones rang steadily inside this KC floral shop as bouquets moved from design tables to delivery cars, just before Mother’s Day. Customers were hunting for last-minute arrangements. Meet the florists, mothers themselves, who handled the rush.
Around The Vine
- A major national traveling exhibit, ”Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad,” is at the Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, April 7 through May 23. The exhibit is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Exhibits USA, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.
- Heartland International Fashion Week Season 6 opens with a dazzling kickoff gala celebrating the global language of fashion, Passport to International Fashion, 6-9:30 p.m. on May 20 at the Zhou B. Art Center in the Historic Jazz District, Kansas City.
- A two-day event, called the Kansas City Culture Festival, is May 29 and 30 under the historic Jefferson Bridge, 2130 Jefferson St. Organizers promise to fill the bridge with live music, cigar vendors, food trucks, artists, boxing and after-parties.
Vine Picks
Recently, questions have been raised about whether the upcoming World Cup event in Kansas City will be a success or not. So what was the original vision of the planning group, KC2026? The group shared that with the Star Opinion team a year ago.
What does Arrowhead’s World Cup transformation look like? Star sports columnist Blair Kerkhoff takes us inside.
The Olathe School District is causing grief for a mother who lost her son in a car wreck because the district won’t say his name at graduation. I wrote about this issue and shared my opinion on it.
Tiny homes in Eden Village in Kansas City, Kansas is a refuge for people who have experienced homelessness., Star writer Sofi Zeman pay them a visit.
Your voice matters to us. What local issues do you want to hear discussed in On The Vine? Let me, Mará Rose Williams, The Star’s senior opinion columnist, know directly at mdwilliams@kcstar.com. Thank you for reading. Support our local journalists with a subscription.
