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Kansas City Public School Retirement System
KCPSRS was established in 1944 as a cost-sharing, multiple-employer defined benefit plan covering full-time employees of the School District of Kansas City,...
Kansas City Public School Retirement System
KCPSRS was established in 1944 as a cost-sharing, multiple-employer defined benefit plan covering full-time employees of the School District of Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Jason Steliga serves as Executive Director, overseeing administrative operations while a board chaired by Cecelia Carter governs investment and benefit decisions. The system provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to its members. The pension fund runs a diversified portfolio with a concentrated real estate sleeve that blends direct holdings and commingled fund commitments. Domestic property exposure accounts for roughly 95% of the real estate allocation, with the remaining 5% in international assets. Known fund commitments include vehicles managed by BlackRock, JP Morgan Asset Management, Brookfield Property Group, Ares, and Kayne Anderson. The system also accesses commercial real estate through Mesirow Financial Value Funds and Westport Capital Partners. A small direct collection — the Parade of Hearts public art initiative — sits in Kansas City. KCPSRS maintains membership in the National Council on Teacher Retirement, joining in 2022, and participates in the Missouri Retired Teachers Association advocacy network. The plan's connection to the operating school district runs through Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Collier, who serves as an ex-officio trustee. Active-member trustees Jamekia Kendrix and Andrew Murphy round out the governance board. The system has not published an updated actuarial valuation or comprehensive annual financial report publicly in a form that would yield precise current AUM, team headcount, or deployment-forward pacing plans. KCPSRS operates as an own-staff pension fund — no outsourced CIO, no external management firm layered between the board and its managers. That structure means investment decisions route through a board of educators and plan-elected trustees rather than a professional investment committee imported from the endowment model. The real estate portfolio is unusually transparent for a fund of this size, with named GP relationships spanning institutional core managers and opportunistic vehicles.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1944
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Kansas City
Corporate office
Kansas City, MO, United States
Principals
Cecelia Carter
Chairperson, Board of Trustees
Dr. Jason Steliga
Executive Director
Dr. Jennifer Collier
Superintendent, Kansas City Public Schools and Ex-officio Trustee
Jamekia Kendrix
Trustee, Elected by Active Members
Andrew Murphy
Trustee, Elected by Active Members
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Kansas City Public School Retirement System?
The Board of Trustees, chaired by Cecelia Carter, holds investment authority. Dr. Jason Steliga, as Executive Director, manages the administrative staff that supports investment operations. The board includes Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Collier as an ex-officio trustee and two active-member elected trustees, Jamekia Kendrix and Andrew Murphy. The system does not employ an outsourced chief investment officer.
How is KCPSRS's real estate portfolio structured?
The real estate allocation combines direct holdings with commingled fund commitments across institutional managers. KCPSRS has invested with BlackRock Core Real Estate, JP Morgan Asset Management, Brookfield Property Group, Ares (US Real Estate Fund IX), and Kayne Anderson (Fund VI). The portfolio also includes positions in Mesirow Financial Value Funds II and III, Westport Capital Partners funds, and The Green Cities Company Fund IV. Domestic property represents approximately 95% of the real estate book.
Is KCPSRS a single-family office or a public pension fund?
KCPSRS is a public pension fund — specifically a cost-sharing, multiple-employer defined benefit plan created under Missouri law. It covers all full-time employees of the School District of Kansas City, Missouri, and pays lifetime retirement and disability benefits. It is not a family office and does not manage private family capital.
Does KCPSRS make fund commitments or only direct investments?
KCPSRS does both. The known portfolio shows a fund-of-funds approach for institutional real estate, with commitments to vehicles from Ares, Mesirow, Kayne Anderson, Westport, and The Green Cities Company. Direct holdings exist as well, including a local Kansas City public art collection. The plan also participates in secondary-market transactions.
What is the relationship between KCPSRS and the Kansas City Public Schools district?
KCPSRS is the independent pension plan for the district's employees, not a division of the school system. The Superintendent — currently Dr. Jennifer Collier — serves as an ex-officio trustee on the pension board, creating a governance link. Two additional trustees are elected by active school-district employees. The plan's assets are held in trust separately from the district's operating funds.
Does KCPSRS maintain any philanthropic or community investment programs?
KCPSRS has a connection to the KCPS Education Foundation, a separate philanthropic entity. The pension plan's own investment portfolio includes the Parade of Hearts Collection, a local Kansas City public art initiative that functions as a community-facing asset. The plan does not publish a formal impact-investment allocation or community-investment policy beyond these items.
What is the plan's current funded ratio and actuarial health?
KCPSRS has not published an easily accessible recent actuarial valuation or comprehensive annual financial report in formats that yield a current funded ratio. As a Missouri-based public pension plan established in 1944, it operates under state statutory funding requirements. Without a publicly posted CAFR or valuation report from the past two years, the precise funded status is not confirmable from open sources (Altss research).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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