The Missouri Board of Education voted Tuesday to avoid using 2021 standardized test results for state and federal accountability. Members still want the state’s K-12 public school students to take statewide tests next year, but they do not want the results to count against schools for funding and accreditation purposes. The move might lower the […]
State Senator Cindy O’Laughlin of northern Missouri’s Shelbina wants to limit pay for Missouri’s K-12 public school superintendents. Under a bill she has pre-filed, total compensation could not exceed 3.5 times the average total compensation provided to all certified, full-time teachers employed by the district. Missouri has about 551 public and charter schools. The Missouri […]
Missouri’s state health department chief says the state should be able to begin vaccinating this month all hospital and long-term care staff and residents against COVID-19. Dr. Randall Williams says the state is expected to get enough doses this month to begin vaccinating all of Missouri’s roughly 340,000 healthcare workers and long-term care […]
A Festival of Trees and Christmas lighting will be part of Christmas on the Square in Mercer on December 5th. Santa will also be at the event that evening from 6 to 9 o’clock. There will also be hot chocolate, hot dogs, chips, and desserts. Admission is free, but non-perishable food items and toys will […]
The Putnam County R-1 School District recently recognized Kaitlyn Rouse as the Career and Technical Education Student of the Month for November 2020. Student winners are chosen by the vocational faculty based on a set of criteria that includes: attendance, grades, cooperation with fellow students and teachers, enthusiasm for subject(s), attitude both in the classroom […]
A veteran state lawmaker from southeast Missouri will file a resolution this week, aimed at blocking proposed pay increases for state lawmakers and for statewide elected officials. State Rep. Andrew McDaniel, R-Deering, was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and will be a senior member in January during his final House term in […]
The CDC is in Missouri today to begin a first-ever COVID-19 study within some K-12 schools. Two groups of students who are considered close contacts to someone with COVID-19 will be tested over a 30-day period. The first group includes those wearing masks who are allowed to continue in-person classes. Missouri Department of Health and […]
A veteran state lawmaker from southeast Missouri will file a resolution this week, aimed at blocking proposed pay increases for state lawmakers and statewide elected officials. Deering GOP State Representative Andrew McDaniel has voted against previous pay raises for lawmakers, and says it’s state employees and teachers who should receive a raise: The […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees approved multiple personnel items at a meeting on November 24th. One was the retirement of English Instructor and Department Chairperson Linda Cowling effective at the end of the summer intercession in 2021. Fourteen of Cowling’s 28 years in education have been at NCMC. The board approved emeritus status […]
Jeramy Shaw from St. Louis, MO, has been selected as North Central Missouri College’s Outstanding Student for November. Jeramy, a men’s basketball player, plans to graduate from NCMC with his Associate in Arts degree in the spring of 2021. He then plans to transfer to a four-year university to continue his basketball career and obtain […]
The Pattonsburg R-2 School District will close from November 23rd through December 7th due to having a positive COVID-19 case in the building. Superintendent Bill Pottorff reports that, due to close contacts, there is not enough staff to provide services. Packets will be provided for students to continue the education process. Teachers will be in […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson needs to issue a statewide mask mandate and “safer-at-home” policy to prevent the state’s health system from becoming overwhelmed, Dr. Alex Garza, the incident commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, said Friday. “Unfortunately, as has been painfully obvious to even a casual observer, we are […]
The Ridgeway R-5 School District will implement virtual instruction based on the guidance of the Harrison County Health Department, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In a letter, Superintendent Jonnie Beavers said no students will be permitted inside the building from November 13th through November 19th as […]
The Pleasant View R-6 Board of Education approved a bid for a 1,500-pound butcher steer the evening of November 10th. The bid was from Zane Jones for 95 cents per pound. Superintendent Rebecca Steinhoff reported the beef will be used for student lunches. An update was presented on water damage in the third through fifth-grade […]
Missouri schools continue to struggle with having enough teachers available to educate kids in traditional classrooms this year. The Show-Me State has had a chronic problem with teacher shortages, but COVID-19 has made the can of worms open even more. Missouri has about 70,000 pre-K through 12 teachers instructing roughly 900,000 public school students. Many […]
The Trenton High School Drama Club will perform a play, making fun of things that happen in horror movies. Drama Teacher and Director Tashyana Dowell said “Hallmark of Horror” will be performed in the Rissler Elementary School gym on the evening of November 20th at 6 o’clock and 7:15. The show is anticipated to last […]
The North Mercer R-3 Board of Education was notified on November 9th that health insurance rates will go up 19.9% for a cost nearing $800. The district previously set a cap of $600 per employee for health insurance. The new rates would become effective in January. Superintendent Dan Owens will discuss the matter with teachers […]
(Missouri Independent) – Cortaiga Collins doesn’t know how much longer her childcare center will survive. Only about a dozen children have been attending regularly amid the pandemic. Under normal circumstances, she used to serve as many as 100. She’s already had to reduce the hours that Good Shepherd Preschool and Infant/Toddler Center in St. Louis […]
Students at Trenton High School recently added a native plant garden to their campus in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation and Quail Forever. Members of the school’s Future Farmers of America chapter organized the planting. Native wildflowers and grasses can provide beauty and benefit pollinator insects such as butterflies. Students prepared planting beds […]
The North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees approved multiple personnel-related items on Tuesday evening, October 27th. Hirings included Shiann Campbell of Edgerton as full-time Campus Store Associate—Retail at $11.01 per hour. She began the position on October 19th. Zane Robinson of Trenton was hired as a full-time IT Helpdesk Specialist at $14.65 per hour. […]
