Education

By Marcus Clem On previous occasions that St. Joseph’s elected school leaders went to the Missouri Capitol to talk education policy, they advocated for funding increases they described as a need, which has now become a crisis. Board President LaTonya Williams and Board Vice President Kenneth Reeder will be leading a board delegation on Tuesday

By Marcus Clem A locally authored book offers professional guidance to parents who take their kids out of the conventional school system to give them an education at home. “Homeschool Tackle Box,” published by retired Central High School teachers Nancy Piercy and Sue Nothstine via Amazing Things Press, is designed to assist parents in developing

By Marcus Clem After years of trying, lawmakers are making another attempt to break down rules that require most students to attend the school district wherein they reside. Passed on Wednesday by a vote of 86-73, House Bill 1989 would hypothetically permit students in St. Joseph to attend one of the neighboring districts like Savannah

By Marcus Clem The largest tech-centered construction project in Northwest Missouri will have one section of it named in honor of a hometown St. Joseph industry leader. The Gray Manufacturing Workshop Bay will serve as the heart of the Convergent Technology Alliance Center when it opens this fall on the campus of Missouri Western State

By NewsPress Now (StatePoint) Taking the SAT or ACT exam is the culmination of months of test-specific preparation, and in truth, years of schooling. While knowing that can feel like a lot of pressure, there are steps you can take the night before the exam to calm your nerves and enter the testing site with

By Marcus Clem A Wednesday event united students from 11 counties in Northwest Missouri on learning the creation of something greater than themselves in the free market. The district conference of the Future Business Leaders of America is a competitive event held at Missouri Western State University for members of each high school’s FBLA club

By Kirsten Stokes A bill established in the Missouri Legislature aims to keep salaries for superintendents more in line with other staff members. The goal of House Bill 2344 sponsored by state Rep. Ben Keathley of Chesterfield, Missouri, is to ensure superintendents are not paid more than 5½ times the total compensation of a beginning

By Marcus Clem A series of criminal complaints is on file in Buchanan County involving households with children who allegedly failed to attend school on a chronic basis. The charges against Holli C. Park, Brittany L. Sipes, Deanna A. Meyer, Crystal R. Clark, Ashley R. Denney, Rosaland N. Simmons and Vickie L. Crutchfield come after

By Marcus Clem A series of criminal complaints is on file in Buchanan County involving households with children who allegedly failed to attend school on a chronic basis. The charges against Holli C. Park, Brittany L. Sipes, Deanna A. Meyer, Crystal R. Clark, Ashley R. Denney, Rosaland N. Simmons and Vickie L. Crutchfield come after

By Charles Christian The two library systems that serve St. Joseph are preparing for another year of reading and connecting. The branches of the St. Joseph Public Library system and Rolling Hills Library are once again offering story times for readers from infancy through preschool. Story times are offered at 10:30 a.m. each Thursday at

By Marcus Clem As temperatures drop each year, so does the rate at which kids show up to school in St. Joseph, but the district holds that rate will climb back up, based on past data. The month of December 2023, viewed in isolation, produced a low 72.59% rate of satisfactory attendance. That means that

By Marcus Clem Plans are still underway to develop a four-day calendar for local schools, despite some school board pushback and ongoing calls to make the idea illegal in Missouri. The St. Joseph Board of Education discussed the concept this week, which if put in place would likely involve kids not attending class anymore on

By Jenna Wilson Weather conditions in the area have interfered with school bus routes, and the St. Joseph School District is working on ways to tackle the issue and keep students and drivers safe. Parents have voiced concern about delays and cancellations with school bus arrivals during inclement weather. “We understand that there have been

By Marcus Clem NOTE: This story has been updated to correct a factual error regarding board member requests following Monday’s vote by the Board of Education. David Foster and Kim Miller asked to change their abstentions to “no.” Isaura Garcia asked for another vote to be held.  A divided St. Joseph Board of Education created

By Riley Funk A new principal will take the mantle at Parkway Elementary School for the next school year. The St. Joseph Board of Education announced Amanda Ueligger, the current assistant principal at Lindbergh Elementary, will take the job starting on July 1. Ueligger said that becoming a principal is a goal that she has

By Charles Christian The recent resignation under pressure of Harvard University’s president raises questions about her path to tenure and what the process entails. Claudine Gay remains a tenured member of the college’s faculty following her departure as president amid controversy on Harvard’s campus regarding the treatment of Jewish students and concerns about plagiarism charges.

By Marcus Clem The St. Joseph Board of Education decided Monday to delay any vote on boundary changes, despite urgent calls to rebalance student populations. The board tabled the current Boundaries 2024/2025 plan, which envisioned changes affecting elementary and middle schools where nearly 5,500 children attended in the 2022-23 year. Some 24.9% of those students,

By Jazmine Knight United Way of Greater St. Joseph is back with another program to help get young kids ready for school. This time they are partnering with St Joseph elementary schools to offer KinderClub. Designed for 4- and 5-year-olds, KinderClub is a part of United Way’s Success by 6 program. Bobbie Cronk, the United

By Marcus Clem The planned borrowing of money to pay for broad improvements to sports, fine arts and climate control work in St. Joseph schools received a community review on Thursday. The Facilities Planning Committee gathered at the St. Joseph School District Administration Building in part to discuss what would be paid for by the

By Jenna Wilson Buchanan County Commissioners and school board leaders took a close look into how local schools are performing Wednesday morning. Western District Commissioner Ron Hook and Buchanan County Circuit Clerk Ashley Thrasher were among the group of county officials and school board members who took a tour of Coleman Elementary and Bode Middle

By Jazmine Knight Snow days usually mean students can turn off their alarm clocks and enjoy a day off from school, but that could change in the future, thanks to virtual learning options. While these plans wouldn’t go into effect anytime this school year, the St. Joseph School District is considering utilizing a virtual model

By Marcus Clem The first snow day of the year came just after school returned from break, giving kids an extension on their time off, used by many in a way known to generations. Regardless of when it happens, a cancellation of class in St. Joseph means kids will be found sledding at Truman Middle

By NewsPress Now The St. Joseph School District is suspending all operations on Tuesday, citing inclement weather. “Some after-school activities may still occur, contact your student’s activity sponsor or coach to find out,” the district said in a social media announcement. Any further updates will be seen at the district’s website: https://www.sjsd.k12.mo.us/. 

By Marcus Clem Ahead of Monday afternoon’s winter storm, local educators chose to trust the forecast and send students home early, taking various factors into consideration. Superintendent Gabe Edgar said he knew that conditions on Monday morning did not yet warrant a closure. Yet with the National Weather Service issuing a Winter Storm Warning from

By Marcus Clem Ahead of Monday afternoon’s winter storm, local educators chose to trust the forecast and send students home early, taking various factors into consideration. Superintendent Gabe Edgar said he knew that conditions on Monday morning did not yet warrant a closure. Yet with the National Weather Service issuing a Winter Storm Warning from

By Jenna Wilson The United Way Success by 6 team is offering new tools to parents and caregivers with a set of monthly sessions centered around a specific type of discipline. Success by 6 is a year-round program that aims to prepare children to be successful before they get to kindergarten. The new series, “Raising

By Jazmine Knight Hosted by the St. Joseph Company, various educators, school board members and experts gathered at Words of Life Church on Friday to discuss the current issues within the school district and how to combat them. St. Joseph School District leaders discussed a number of ways to strengthen the education system, starting in

By Marcus Clem Two people who got their foot in the door just before St. Joseph Board of Education candidate filings closed in December may be familiar to constituents. Jacob McMillian served on the 2022 Vision Forward community engagement team and has contributed to various school board committees, ultimately interacting with hundreds of residents on

By Marcus Clem Colleagues and former students are paying tribute to a longtime educator who died last week. A public charity that presents collegiate scholarship money, helps families in need and advances the future of the North End is the vision of those who wish to honor Jason Guthery. Guthery, known to most as “Coach

By Marcus Clem School districts that drop Monday from the weekly calendar don’t seem to gain or lose very much in academics and student success, a new report finds. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioned the study via SAS Institute Inc., a consultant firm that looks at statistics on behalf of governments