KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Weeks after Kansas City Public Schools announced the new superintendent, FOX4 is sitting down with Dr. Jennifer Collier.

Collier took over in August as interim superintendent, after Dr. Mark Bedell resigned last year.
The board announced her as superintendent in February of this year.

Collier started her career at Northeast High School as a music teacher 23 years ago.

“I pinch myself like am I going to wake up from a dream,” Collier said. “But I’m just super excited. Just thinking about back on the wonderful days that I had here in this building interacting with our students and staff in this community.”

It started off as a way to save money to pursue a singing career in New York, but Collier soon learned it was her calling.

“I fell in love with teaching music, but I also fell in love with the kids I was teaching,” Collier said. “I mean they were just brilliant.”

That same passion for students lives on today as she continues her role in the district.

Collier said her goals are to provide the best educational experience for students in and outside of the classroom.

She also said the district is prioritizing safety in its budget next year.

“We’re doing a lot to buildings, updating our cameras, adding additional police officers,” said Collier. “But even before we get to those things, we’re doing a lot in our buildings around conflict resolution, working with partners like the center for conflict resolution.”