Editor’s note: The sentence referring to the percentage of families who do not qualify for free or reduced lunch has been corrected. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Leaders at Columbia Public Schools are looking at how to best tackle the more than $90,000 of student meal debt. The conversation continued at the Columbia Public Schools’ Finance Committee
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A “handful” of students and staff from Columbia Public Schools attended a national speech and debate tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, where a hoax threat occurred, according to a district spokeswoman. Spokesperson Michelle Baumstark wrote in a text message to ABC 17 News that fewer than 20 people from CPS were in
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Editor’s note: The sentence referring to the percentage of families who do not qualify for free or reduced lunch has been corrected. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools and a Pennsylvania-based debt collection agency have agreed to go after unpaid student lunch balances and other delinquent payments beginning July 1. The Columbia Board of Education
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education at its Monday night meeting unanimously approved next school year’s budget for the district. The district expects to spend roughly $307 million this upcoming school year. Previous reporting indicates that roughly three-quarters of the budget is made up of staff salaries and benefits. The Board had approved a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Talks continued Wednesday night within the Columbia Board of Education about how it plans to spend money for the upcoming school year and the impact it will have on the district’s five-year plan. The budget is made up of roughly $307 million. About 77% of that operating budget is comprised of staff
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A discrimination lawsuit filed against Columbia Public Schools in 2023 was dismissed with prejudice on Tuesday. A parent of a child who attended Oakland Middle School sued the school district in 2023, alleging complaints that his child was assaulted, called racial slurs, falsely accused of stealing, stalked and wrongly blamed for playing
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Louisville Courier Journal filed a complaint on Friday against a Kentucky school board that hired former Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Brian Yearwood. Jefferson County Public Schools said in a social media post on Thursday that the Board of Education voted 5-2 on Thursday to offer a contract, though it did not
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools celebrated day two of graduation ceremonies on Saturday, as hundreds of students crossed the stage at Mizzou Arena. The morning began with Rock Bridge High School, followed by Hickman High School in the evening. More than 64% of students from Columbia Public Schools pursue college or postsecondary programs, according
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Christopher Schmitz will be the next principal at Shepherd Boulevard Elementary, according to a Friday press release from Columbia Public Schools. He will replace Jill Edwards, who will become an elementary instructional mentor, the release says. He has 15 years of experience in elementary education and has been the principal at Moreau
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) News reports from Louisville, Kentucky, and a state lawmaker say a former Columbia Public Schools superintendent who left before his contract expired will be hired to lead Jefferson County Public Schools. The district board of education voted 5-2 on Thursday to offer a contract to one of its two superintendent finalists. Yearwood,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) More than 1,400 high school seniors in Columbia will graduate this weekend. Graduation ceremonies for Columbia Public Schools will be held Friday and Saturday. There will be 1,422 students receiving their diplomas. A press release from the school district says the class of 2025 collectively earned more than $14.5 million in scholarships
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools will have its last day of classes on Friday. CPS wrote in an email to students’ families that state officials gave the district a waiver allowing classes to be out of session next Tuesday. The district had planned for a shortened day Tuesday — one day after Memorial Day
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Tuesday, May 27 will be the last day of class for students at Columbia Public Schools. The district sent an email to parents on Tuesday reminding them that May 27 will be the final day and an early release. On Feb. 17, Columbia Public Schools used the last of its allotted AMI
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Summer Lunch Program in Columbia will run from June 2-Aug. 7, according to a Tuesday press release from the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services. Meal sites will be open Monday through Friday for all youth ages 18 and younger, the release says. The program will not run on June
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education on Monday night approved two people for leadership positions within the district, a Tuesday press release says. Adam Taylor was picked as Columbia Public Schools’ chief academic officer for the 2025-26 school year, while Allison Chostner was chosen as Benton STEM Elementary School’s next principal, the release
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A $50,000 donation from the Columbia Public Schools Foundation was made Friday to reduce student lunch debt, according to a press release from CPSF. The donation was made to the Lunch For Learners Fund. A Thursday email from a CPS spokesperson stated that school lunch debt sat at $124,613. CPS spokeswoman Michelle
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools’ Adult English Language Learner program could face significant setbacks as the Trump administration’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget includes cuts to adult education state grants. The proposed budget includes a 24% cut to adult education funding, reducing it from $642 million to about $486 million. CPS’s program provides free online
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three boys were detained at a track meet on Tuesday night at Rock Bridge High School. One of the children was accused of threatening to shoot a Columbia Public Schools staff member, according to Columbia Police Department Assistant Chief Mark Fitzgerald. The other two boys were taken into custody for fighting. Police
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Former Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Brian Yearwood is again a finalist to assume the same role at another school district. The Jefferson County School District in Kentucky shared in a press release on its website on Tuesday that Yearwood is one of its two finalists to lead its district. Yearwood is referred
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) With more than $124,000 in unpaid school meal debt currently in collections, former Columbia Board of Education candidate Ken Rice is calling on the community to help support families and find long-term solutions. “There’s a little more than $124,000 in unpaid lunch bills that are in collections,” Rice said. “That means that
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