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 fire was reported Tuesday in the bathroom of Waynesville Middle School, according to a social media post from the St. Robert Fire Department. The department wrote that it was called around 10 a.m. and found moderate smoke in the building. It found a fire in one of the bathrooms, which was
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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
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Hallsville School District said Wednesday that a bond issue approved by voters in April will not be certified by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. According to a social media post, the district learned on Friday that the State Auditor’s Office will not authorize the bond issue. The post by Hallsville School District
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) The Jefferson City School District saw another year of improvement after the Missouri State Highway Patrol released its annual bus inspections on Thursday. A press release from MSHP shows that from around the state, 10,144 buses were approved on its initial inspection, while 799 were rated “defective” and 312 were determined to
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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
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
Continue Reading 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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