Education
Funding increase for charter schools poised to clear Missouri Senate after compromise
A years-long impasse over increased funding for charter schools was finally broken in the Missouri Senate, leaving proponents optimistic the legislation could finally make its way to the governor’s desk. Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, unveiled a new funding mechanism last week to close a discrepancy in the amount that charter schools are funded versus traditional […]
More than 1,500 books have been banned in public schools, and a U.S. House panel asks why
WASHINGTON — A U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee panel on Thursday examined why thousands of books, predominantly written by marginalized authors, have been banned from public schools, and the impact of those actions on students and teachers. “Most books being targeted for censorship are books that introduce ideas about diversity or our common humanity, […]
Pause on federal student loan repayments extended by Biden through Aug. 31
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration Wednesday announced its plans to extend the pause on federal student loan repayments until the end of August. “I recognized in recently extending the COVID-19 national emergency, we are still recovering from the pandemic and the unprecedented economic disruption it caused,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “If loan payments […]
House Budget Committee rejects adding surplus revenue to Missouri public schools, colleges
Missouri’s record general revenue surplus was off-limits for spending plans as the House Budget Committee worked Thursday, defeating Democratic efforts to give boost money for public schools and state colleges. The only significant addition to education budgets approved by the committee was to restart the teacher Career Ladder program, providing $21 million to give experienced […]
Upcoming U.S. Supreme Court cases could curb colleges’ use of affirmative action
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices could fundamentally reshape the college admissions process later this year when it takes up two landmark cases challenging affirmative action in higher education. The court recently agreed to hear two cases that challenge race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and […]
Lawmakers weigh bills to offer suicide prevention training as mental health issues rise
With mental health issues on the rise nationwide, Missouri lawmakers are weighing bills that would provide pharmacists and teachers with more training to recognize the signs of suicide. A bill sponsored by Rep. Adam Schwadron, R-St. Charles, heard Monday in the House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee, would allow suicide awareness and prevention to […]
Lincoln University to see a bipartisan push for equitable land-grant funding in state budget
Just 30 minutes apart in central Missouri, Lincoln University and University of Missouri have long been close partners in agricultural research and instruction. Lincoln runs the state’s largest organic research farm in Jefferson City, and MU researchers often participate in studies there. For 50 years, the two university systems have had a “unified extension program,” where […]
Research into history of abusive boarding schools impact on Native Americans released soon
The U.S. Department of the Interior is expected to begin releasing information next month from its investigation into federal boarding schools and their impact on Native American communities. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the department is close to completing its research into boarding school sites and the location of possible burial sites “at or near […]
Expanded rural broadband likely a focus of federal farm bill
The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for federal assistance to develop high-speed internet connectivity in all parts of the country, members of a U.S. House subcommittee agreed this week as they reviewed provisions that are likely to be included in the next farm bill. “I represent a largely rural district in north-central, northeast Florida, and […]
Missouri House narrowly sends open enrollment, charter funding bills to the Senate
A pair of education bills supported by school-choice advocates narrowly passed out of the Missouri House Wednesday, overcoming a diminished GOP majority that had threatened to doom their chances earlier in the legislative session. The bills, which deal with charter school funding and establishing an open enrollment system, both earned 85 votes in support — […]
Former St. Louis teacher helping lead coalition pushing back on book bans
Heather Fleming, sitting on a bench in St. Louis’ Forest Park, takes in the view on a warm early afternoon in February. Behind her is the Jewel Box, the giant glass-paneled greenhouse that’s a park emblem. Before her are rows of tall trees, their branches stripped bare. And further on, on nearby walkways and trails, […]
Schools left ‘scrambling’ after Missouri treasurer tied bond deals to AG’s COVID demands
It was just after 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, when the forms arrived from the state treasurer’s office. Without warning, and with little explanation, school superintendents discovered they were now required to certify their district had complied with Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s demands to drop any and all COVID-19 mitigation measures, such as mask […]