COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A criminal summons has been issued for a Cole County deputy who was listed in a report for a December 2023 crash that left a driver with serious injuries. Mercy Gonzalez, of Jefferson City, was charged with reckless driving and failing to obey a traffic control device, both misdemeanors. The criminal summons
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The State Board of Education is considering a proposal that includes a Columbia school for disabled children among several statewide closures. The board first heard the proposal to close 12 Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled in May and heard an update to the plan on Tuesday. On the list is Delmar
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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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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) An 18-month process begins on Monday for the Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force appointed by Gov. Mike Kehoe. The 16-member task force, established by Executive Order 25-14, is looking to modernize the state’s K-12 foundation formula and recommend updates to the state’s foundational funding structure. Missouri’s school funding formula was
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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
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By John Fritze, CNN (CNN) — The Supreme Court split evenly Thursday in a high-profile challenge over the nation’s first religious charter school, leaving in place a ruling from Oklahoma’s top court that found the proposed Catholic school unconstitutional. The 4-4 split was made possible because conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the
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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 University of Missouri Board of Curators on Monday approved a 5% tuition increase for next school year, according to a press release from the university. The release says undergraduate tuition at all four UM universities will rise 5%, which equates to a roughly $20-$25 increase per credit hour depending on the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Rhonda Allen-Lewis will be the next principal of Belair Elementary School in Jefferson City, according to a Thursday press release from the Jefferson City School District. Allen-Lewis is currently an assistant principal at Lewis and Clark Middle School and will replace current Todd Shalz, who was recently named as the district’s new
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Dixon Elementary School in Pulaski County will not be in session again on Thursday as the school district is still dealing with storm damage. The Dixon R-1 School District announced on its social media that class would not be in session again for elementary students. The middle and high schools will be
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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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