KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City Public Schools teacher was recently surprised with two years of free rent in a luxury apartment in downtown Kansas City.
“Right now, I'm kind of broke,” said Imani Riley-Jones, a history teacher at Northeast High School.
According to her, each month has been a struggle.
“There's nothing left over," she said.
To make things even more challenging, she said she feels trapped in her current living situation.
“I hear gunshots. I do. The heat doesn't work sometimes, and there’s flooding in my basement,” said Riley-Jones.
But things are about to change for her
This new opportunity comes through a partnership between the Kansas City Public Schools Education Foundation, Power & Light, and Cordish Companies.
“It's really exciting for us to do something like this, where we're giving an apartment at the historic Midland Lofts to a really worthy educator,” said John Moncke, president of Kansas City Power & Light District. “Hopefully, this is going to change her life as well.”
This is the sixth time a KCPS teacher has been gifted with free rent for two years. For Imani, it’s a huge financial relief.
“This will really give me a sense of freedom. I feel like I'm in my 20s again, just able to focus on other things,” said the history teacher. “It’s been like paycheck to paycheck.”
But Imani is not alone in her financial struggles.
Missouri has the lowest average teacher starting salary in the country, at just below $37,000 per year, according to the National Education Association, the country's largest teacher’s union.
“We all know that being an educator is not one of the highest-paying professions, yet it is a very noble profession,” said KCPS Superintendent Jennifer Collier.
The starting salary for teachers in KCPS is higher, at $48,000 per year, according to the superintendent.
Despite being higher than the average, according to the NEA, the starting salary for a KCPS teacher is more than $8,000 below the minimum living wage in the state.
“I know firsthand how challenging it can be to try to make a living and make ends meet,” said Collier. “I would love it if we could start all of our teachers at least $60,000.”
While Collier has a lofty goal, community support makes a difference in KC educators' lives.
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