COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools filed a lawsuit Monday that claims the establishment of charter schools in Boone County is unconstitutional, with district leaders talking to reporters about the issue in a news conference afterward. The lawsuit names the state attorney general and the Missouri State Board of Education. It focuses on one of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Â A climate survey from Columbia Public Schools shows some students are worried about equality. About 65% of students who completed the survey say bullying is not tolerated, but that enforcement was not consistent. That opinion came up again in the discipline category. Only 53% of students feel that the district’s rules
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Steve Tubbesing sits in his office on Brown Station Road in Columbia roughly four months after he and his family experienced what he called a “nightmare” with a newly found mindset. Tubbesing is the grandfather to 11-and 8-year-old children who attend Jefferson Middle School and Ridgeway Elementary. Two days into the school year,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three incumbents on the Columbia Board of Education will seek reelection, according to a joint press release sent by the members on Wednesday. The release says Board President John Lyman, Vice President Paul Harper and Board Member April Ferrao will file for reelection next month. Filing for the positions will be open
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The Columbia Public School administration is asking the School Board on Monday to approve an $11,000 contract to implement a new AI system on the district’s website.
If approved, Betty AI or Betty Bot will be added to the website as a new chat feature for users, according to CPS documents. Users will be able to ask Betty Bot questions and find information.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools made significant strides in key academic measures for the 2024-25 school year, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Annual Performance Report. DESE released the report Thursday afternoon, highlighting year-over-year improvements among school districts across the state. CPS continued its upward trend. The district scored in
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COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ). Columbia Public Schools held a meeting Thursday evening to discuss a project worth more than $560,000 focused on a master plan, space utilization, and facility condition audit. The district said the plan is crucial to help maintain and improve its buildings. Board members said they recently met with several agencies before deciding
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools announced in a Monday night press release that Susan Goldammer will start her new role as the district’s general counsel on Nov. 3. The position was created and approved in July, according to the release, “This role will help enhance the district’s ability to navigate complex legal matters related
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Leila Willmore says she was first alerted to AI-generated content of her son at the end of September. Since then, things have only continued to escalate. “They were seeing Zachary in articles coming to their Facebook, like popping up one after the other,” Willmore said. “When I would try to look up
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools’ Adult English Language Learner program secured funding through fiscal year 2026 after facing uncertainty due to potential cuts to adult education grants. The proposed federal budget included a 24% cut to adult education funding, reducing it from $642 million to about $486 million. The CPS program provides free online
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia School District Policy Committee on Monday voted to clarify its tobacco and vaping policy, allowing for the immediate termination of employees after a single violation. It’s one of 180 policies under review by the committee, which hopes to update and eliminate outdated ones. The goal is to complete the full
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools is considering how to use a one-time $9 million payment it received from Boone County after a property-tax settlement with Ameren Missouri. Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick said the county reached a resolution earlier this year in a long-running dispute before the Missouri State Tax Commission. The agreement resolved
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education is advocating to change a state law. During its Monday night meeting, board members discussed their 2025-26 legislative priorities, one of which had to do with superintendent payouts. CPS is now advocating to change the state law, making it so that superintendents are paid no more than
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools will no longer use alternative methods of instruction for inclement weather days following recent changes to state law. The Columbia Board of Education addressed the recent changes during its meeting on Monday. The district announced the change in an email to families on Oct. 10, stating that new state
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools is working to strengthen safety by expanding the use of weapons detection systems across campuses and major district events. Weapon detection use is being considered at more extracurricular activities and athletic events, according to CPS documents. This year, all high school dances will include weapons screening. CPS first rolled
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools will no longer use alternative methods of instruction, the district wrote in an email to families on Friday night. The email – provided to ABC 17 News by a district spokesperson and Board President John Lyman – says that the district will not need to use AMI days for
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools said a police call to Hickman High School on Friday morning did not involve a student with a weapon. Hickman principal Mary Grupe sent a message to parents on Friday about the call. The district said the incident involved just one student, which had been “fully addressed and resolved.”
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A “disturbing message” on Snapchat seen by Columbia Public School students and parents has prompted a police investigation. Rock Bridge High School principal Jacob Sirna told families Thursday morning the district’s security team asked the Columbia Police Department to look into the message after parents and students reported the message. Sirna’s email
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education met Thursday morning to discuss potentially implementing a public safety announcement on safe gun storage. The board discussed the use of the Be SMART campaign in Columbia Public Schools. The Be SMART campaign was launched by Everytown for Gun Safety to promote responsible gun ownership and reduce
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education on Monday evening approved the calendar for next school year. The first day of the 2026-27 school year will be Tuesday, Aug. 25. Winter break for students begins on Dec. 23, 2026, and students would return to class on Jan. 5, 2027, the calendar shows. Spring break
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