Legal entanglements stymie students' wishes to leave Kansas City (Mo.) district

From The Kansas City Star: The Kansas City (Mo.) School District has fixed millions of dollars worth of operational flaws the past two years but still has work to do, according to a state audit. The audit, which began in early 2010, tracked several concerns the district had already begun addressing such as controlling purchases by principals and teachers, eliminating excessive vendor contracts and tightening monitoring of activity funds at its schools. But the district has kept poor records of its inventory as it has been closing schools and storing and moving equipment between schools, the audit found. It also did not competitively bid or effectively monitor some contracts.

Earlier.... From The Kansas City Star: Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro say she and other state officials believe that the Kansas City district can make the improvements needed to regain its accreditation. The state is taking away the struggling district's accreditation as of Jan. 1. Kansas City was meeting only three of 14 state standards. SEPTEMBER 2011...From The Kansas City Star: As of Jan. 1, when the Kansas City (Mo.) district officially loses its accreditation, state law says that students will be allowed to transfer to districts in Jackson County and adjoining counties, with Kansas City picking up the tab. Representatives of surrounding suburban districts have been fielding calls from parents seeking information on how to enroll their children. But the details of whether the transfers will be allowed and how they would occur are unsettled. A lawsuit involving a St. Louis-area district that deals with many of those issues is scheduled to go to trial. Jan. 23. EARLIER...From The Kansas City Star: The Missouri State Board of Education has voted unanimously to strip the Kansas City School District of its accreditation, effective Jan. 1. When a district is declared unaccredited, it has two full school years to regain accreditation. If it fails to do so, the state must either assume control of the district or dissolve it. The Kansas City district has been provisionally accredited since 2002. In the state's 2011 performance report, Kansas City met only three out of 14 standard. VIDEO from Fox4KC.com: Parents frustrated by loss of accreditation. ALSO from Fox4KC.com: Neighboring districts may absorb students that leave Kansas City schools.