Kaitlyn Levinson

Maryland

Assistant Editor at Route Fifty

Assistant Editor for @routefifty | Covering public health & more | [email protected] | rt ≠ endorsement

Articles

Report: Resident satisfaction with digital government has made strides, but progress remains

1 week ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

A self-service culture for residents interacting with digital government services is a growing priority for the public sector and constituents, according to new survey findings.
How a cloud transformation aims to improve one school district’s operations

1 week ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

One of the nation’s largest school districts is embarking on a modernization journey to replace its decades-old enterprise resource planning system with cloud technology. Chicago Public Schools is the fourth largest school district in the U.S., with 325,305 students enrolled in the 2024-2025 school year across 634 schools, and its IT systems are in dire need of a makeover, according to Kimberly Thomas, executive director of business transformation for CPS.
Report: How local governments can prioritize responsible AI adoption

1 week ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved its budget bill that includes a potential 10-year ban on states’ — and their political subdivisions, such as local governments — efforts to regulate artificial intelligence, a move critics say further erodes efforts to mitigate potential harms of the innovative technology.
How higher ed institutions help advance skills-based hiring

2 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

State and local governments are grappling with an ongoing tech talent shortage, as outdated infrastructure, an aging workforce and tough competition with the public sector make it increasingly difficult to find and recruit young talent. The need to fill vacant jobs to ensure governments keep pace with constituents' ever-evolving needs, particularly when it comes to digital services like online permitting, chatbots and other tech solutions, is becoming increasingly crucial.
Alaska city turns to cloud to enhance emergency dispatch services

2 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

For rural communities, relying on neighboring cities to help during times of crisis isn’t always guaranteed, according to one Alaska city official, whose government has turned to the cloud to strengthen and protect its emergency dispatch services against potential power outages. In the city of Fairbanks, Alaska, “we don’t have a lot of resources that are close to us,” said Kristi Meredith, dispatch manager at the Fairbanks Emergency Communications Center.
Survey: Time, cost and complexity prevent some from filing taxes altogether

2 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

Under U.S. House Republicans' budget reconciliation package, the federal Direct File program — which has offered hundreds of thousands of Americans in certain states a free, online tax filing service since 2023 — would be eliminated, if the bill passed. New survey findings suggest that cutting the federal program would further harm families who already struggle to file their taxes due to cost and time barriers.
Parking tech can help cities generate revenue amid economic uncertainty

2 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

Cities across the nation are exploring how tech can help draw more people into their communities for business as part of a yearslong push to revitalize downtowns. And with the summer season around the corner, experts say innovative parking and curb management can help attract visitors to downtown districts.
Pennsylvania turns to AI to help reduce time-to-hire

3 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

By the end of this year, Pennsylvania wants to be filling vacant state jobs within 50 days. To get there, the state’s Office of Administration has turned to data analytics and innovative tech like generative artificial intelligence. The 50-day goal builds upon the state’s previous progress to trim down hiring times since Gov. Josh Shapiro took office in January 2023. Since then, the time to fill job vacancies declined 35% as of March 2025 from 90 days to 58 days.
Report: Text reminders for court hearings can help boost justice system efficiency

3 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

Comprehensive and timely reminders of court hearings present a key opportunity for governments to reduce missed appointments and ensure more efficient court proceedings, according to a new report released Monday. But sending reminders like text messages to inform someone when and where their hearing will happen is significantly underused by states across the nation, the report from The Pew Charitable Trusts found.
Tech can help address aging population’s health needs, expert says

3 weeks ago | route-fifty.com | Kaitlyn Levinson

As of 2020, almost 30% of Americans 60 years or older were living on their own, according to the Pew Research Center. And while independence could mean self-sufficiency for some aging people, it could mean social isolation and a lack of care for others. New York is looking to address such concerns for its older population with the help of technology. An estimated 4.8 million people above the age of 60 live in New York, and that population is projected to increase to 5.3 million by 2030.