COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two new Missouri laws taking effect Friday will give school districts more options for placing armed personnel inside schools. One law creates a training program known as the “Missouri Rangers.” The other expands who may serve as a “school protection officer.” Participation in both programs is optional for school districts. The Missouri
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The new roundabout at Sinclair Road and Southampton Drive was open to traffic on Monday. A portion of Sinclair Road had recently closed for about a month between Nifong Boulebard and Muirfield Drive to complete a roundabout. A Columbia Public Works spokesman told ABC 17 News in an email that a concrete
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia lawmaker is warning that Missouri’s schools could face an increasingly difficult financial future, arguing that new revenue from legalized sports betting is not providing the boost to education voters were promised. The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says the sports wagering money is being used to fund existing
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Data from the 2024-25 school year will be used to give school districts a “first look” at a new A-F grading system for districts this fall. The Missouri State Board of Education reviewed an updated proposal Tuesday that would assign A-F grades to public schools and school districts. The board also learned
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri residents could face up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine due to a new school bus safety law. Missouri’s new school bus safety law — SB 1421 — takes effect Aug. 28 and significantly increases fines and license penalties for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses with
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) When Missouri voters approved legal sportsbetting in November 2024, Winning for Missouri Education, backed by millions of dollars from DraftKings and FanDuel, touted millions in new revenue for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Missouri Gaming Commission initially estimated the state would collect more than $6 million in its first
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As Columbia Public Schools begin class on August 25, the Missouri Highway Patrol is warning motorists and parents to prepare their students for road safety as student drivers return to morning commutes. According to a press release from MSHP, the state had 834 traffic crashes involving a school bus in 2024. Of those crashes, seven
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Families filled the MU Pavilion on Friday for free backpacks, school supplies and other essentials as the cost of getting children ready to return to the classroom adds up. Unity in the Community and Powerhouse Community Development Corporation hosted the Community Back to School Bash from noon-6 p.m. The event offered free
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COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ). Missouri’s annual back-to-school sales tax holiday is underway, waiving state and local sales taxes on qualifying clothing, school supplies and technology through Sunday at midnight. The three-day holiday weekend begins annually on the first Friday in August at 12:01 a.m. To qualify for the tax exception, purchases must be for personal use;
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education on Monday discussed possible changes to its policy on addressing bullying. Do you think a new policy will be effective at addressing bullying in the school district? Let us know in the poll and in the comments.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) June 28 of each year will be recognized in the state of Missouri as Eliot and Muriel Battle Day. Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 1544 on Monday, which modifies state designations. Among those designations is a day to honor Eliot Battle, the first Black faculty member at Hickman High School,
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Budget time is here again for schools, whose fiscal year begins July 1. That means administrators and school boards are facing some thorny outlooks, some worse than others, when it comes to funding. The Missouri General Assembly didn’t provide the funding increase that educators had sought last session, and school districts say that puts them
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A teacher who was arrested on suspicion of having sexual misconduct with a student has resigned, according to a Wednesday social media post from the Iberia R-5 School District. The Board of Education met in a closed session on Tuesday and voted to accept Casey Mason’s resignation, which is retroactive to May
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COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ) School districts around the state are bracing for budget cuts after the state opted not to increase the public school foundational formula. Now the Department of Elementary and Secondary Schools is short $190 million in revenue, leading some school districts to have to cut back their budgets. Last night, the Southern Boone
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The State of Missouri has ranked 28th overall in the latest KIDS COUNT. The KIDS COUNT tracks the overall well-being of children across the United States, measuring 16 indicators that are divided into four primary divisions. Those divisions are: Economic well-being Education Health Family and community Looking at education, the state ranked
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Board of Education has appointed Stacey Preis as its interim commissioner of education, according to a Monday press release. The release says she has 18 years in educational leadership, student achievement initiatives and statewide education policy. She was the deputy commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – The head of Mid-Missouri’s Catholic schools is taking a new job in Kansas, opening up a national search by the Diocese of Jefferson City for her replacement. The diocese announced on Thursday morning that superintendent Erin Vader will become the new head of Catholic schools in the Kansas City, Kansas diocese.
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education unanimously passed the 2026-27 budget at its meeting on Monday evening. Previous reporting and a presentation from the district show the operating budget projects $309.8 million in revenue compared with $321.5 million in expenditures, resulting in a planned use of approximately $11.7 million in reserves. Healthcare costs
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools is proposing a roughly $390.7 million budget for the 2026-27 school year that relies on dipping into reserves to cover rising costs, most notably the opening of a new elementary school and uncertainties surrounding state funding. The district’s operating budget, or General and Teachers funds, accounts for roughly 80%
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Highway Patrol has completed its annual bus inspections. A Wednesday press release from MSHP says 10,239 buses were approved on its initial inspection, while 849 were rated “defective” and 283 were determined to be “out of service.” The release says that defective components require repair within 10 days, “out-of-service”
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