If you’re a parent sending a student to the University of Missouri-Kansas City or Metropolitan Community College — or to Mizzou, Missouri State or Lincoln University — you probably assume one simple thing: The professor who teaches the class decides the final grade.
But that assumption isn’t guaranteed anymore. When grades and hiring decisions are routed through learning management systems, human resources portals and workflow tools, real authority can shift from the classroom to whoever holds back-end access.
Kansas Citians have watched Jefferson City debate higher education through funding formulas, curriculum fights, and diversity, equity and inclusion restrictions. Those debates matter. But there’s a quieter question with just as much impact on Kansas City students and taxpayers:…