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by Cole Arndorfer
The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, April 18th for their April business meeting. The meeting included three recognitions, discussion on the new safety priorities plan, three reports, three items of unfinished business, and two items of new business. The first recognition was for the high school color guard team. The team won its second consecutive MCCGA state championship this year, competing against over 20 teams at the competition held in Springfield, Missouri. Next, the board recognized Kourtney Michael as the 2023-2024 Grain Valley Schools Teacher of the Year. Michael teaches English Language Arts at Grain Valley High School, as well as being a National Honor Society sponsor. Michael was recognized for the way in which she builds relationships with her students, getting to know each one and the ways in which they best learn. For the final recognition, the board recognized Matt Wilson as the 2023-2024 Support Staff Employee of the Year. Wilson is a paraprofessional for the essential skills and resource classrooms at Matthews Elementary School. “Mr. Wilson works hard each day, helping students to reach their full potential by finding solutions to many challenges that they face,” Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle said. Moving on from recognitions, the board discussed the draft of the new safety priorities plan. In the interest of privacy, the board voted to enter into a temporary executive session to discuss specific details of the plan. After spending nearly an hour in executive session, the board returned and moved onto the curriculum report. The curriculum review committee reported that most of the curriculum, with a few tweaks, is ready for approval from the board. Just two content areas need some additional time to continue working. The board will have time to look over the curriculum before it is brought back at a later date for approval. Following this, Dr. Welle gave the board his monthly report. Welle began with thanking the community for their support, expressing his appreciation for the passing of the new tax levy. New this school year, Welle highlighted, is a “Senior Walk” for high school graduates. Seniors will have the opportunity to walk the halls of their former elementary school, dressed in caps and gowns for a full circle moment of their academic careers. The board also discussed possible solutions for school lunch debt such as text messages to parents and holding students back from some non-mandatory privileges. Next, the board moved into unfinished business, starting with discussion on progress made with the annual priorities. According to Assistant Superintendent Dr. Amanda Allen, the district has made good progress with most of its literacy priorities. The only piece that is lacking is the updated comprehensive literacy plan. The district had a rough draft prepared in October with the understanding that the state would put out guidelines but they have not yet been released. Allen says she sees that being rolled into next year. Assistant Superintdent Dr. Nick Gooch said the priority relating to facility updates will evolve in the next six to twelve months as the district keeps getting new data from its upcoming demography study as well as information from the district’s architecture firm. For the priority regarding constructing a district safety plan, Gooch said that the district is in a good spot, mentioning how the board was able to look over a draft earlier in the meeting. Next steps involve receiving input from community and family members on what is most important to them. The final priority has been completed, and that was the passing of the new tax levy. Next, the board discussed the first look of the 2024-2025 budget. Director of Finance Aaron Hooper presented the draft to the board. Hooper said that the budget is still a work in progress as he is still waiting on numbers from a few departments but will have a final version of the budget ready to go in June. Following this, the board moved into new business. The board began with discussing contract language for administrators for 2024-2025. Welle said that there is not a lot of new information being put into contracts but more rewording certain sections and making sure certain policies are in writing. Next, the board discussed a letter from the board to be included in the next issue of the district’s magazine. The letter from the board president will thank the community for their support on the tax levy vote. It will also highlight some important things that the board has focused on in the past year. Topics such as community engagement, addition of a new school resource officer, the broadcast of meetings, and implementation of engagement committees will all be discussed. The board then moved onto two items of new business that were added via an agenda amendment. The first item related to the purchase of new serving equipment for the cafeteria in the high school. Any revenue generated by the food service department must go back into the purchase of items or upgrades within the food service department. Though there is a large amount of school lunch debt, the rules prohibit using any of this money to offset that debt. Because of this, the purchase of this serving equipment would be funded directly from the excess revenue from the food service department that must be spent on upgrades within that department. The next item was the response from Newkirk Novak on the possibility of these upgrades. Since Newkirk Novak is already in the high school working on the other pieces of construction and remodel, the district reached out to them on their thoughts on the possibility of adding the upgrades to the construction. Newkirk Novak responded with confidence that it would in no way delay the completion date of the project as a whole, Gooch said. Both of the items were passed. Gooch said that the new equipment will be installed and ready before the first day of school in the fall. The next Board of Education meeting will take place at 5:30pm on May 16th in the Jan Reding Community Room at Grain Valley High School.
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The Grain Valley School Board met April 11th for a workshop meeting, accepting April 2nd election results, installing one new member and electing board officers, and approving the 2024-25 salary schedule following successful passage of a levy to increase salaries in an effort to remain competitive with area districts.
Newly elected board member Aaron Scully took the oath of office, and the following officers were elected: Jeff Porter, President; Jared English, Vice-President; Dr. Julie Taylor, Secretary. Voters approved a levy issue April 2nd to support increases in teacher and staff pay. In a comparison of 2024-25 Grain Valley salaries to peer districts 2023-24 salary levels, the increases generally maintain Grain Valley salaries in the middle of area districts. A starting teacher with a bachelor’s degree will make $41,900 in Grain Valley starting in the 2024-25 school year, an increase of $1,900. This places Grain Valley 5th in a comparison of local districts (when compared to other districts’ 2023-24 salaries). North Kansas City tops the list, with a 2023-24 starting salary of $44,000. Neighboring district Lee’s Summit ranks third, with a 2023-24 starting salary of $42,370. A $1.50 increase in the bus driver starting pay (from $17.33 to $18.83) places Grain Valley in the middle of area districts, taking it from the lowest paid in 2023-24. Smithville and Kearney top the list, paying starting bus drivers $20/hour. Grandview is at the bottom, with a 2023-24 starting salary of $17.78/hour. The district also made strides in improving paraprofessional pay compared to peer districts, raising tier 1 paraprofessional starting pay from $11.87 (the lowest compared to area districts) to $15.47 in 2024-25. This places Grain Valley near the middle when compared to area districts 2023-24 starting salaries. The next meeting of the school board will be held Thursday, April 18th at 6:00pm at the district Leadership Center. Missouri Independent: Missouri Senate amends House bill to ease passage of K-12 tax credit expansion4/18/2024 Missouri Senate amends House bill to ease passage of K-12 tax credit expansionby Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent The Missouri Senate voted Wednesday night to ensure homeschool families are allowed to own firearms. On a 27-4 vote, lawmakers approved legislation that originally was focused on cleaning up issues with Missouri’s virtual school program. But over the course of a five-hour recess in the Senate Wednesday, Republicans turned that legislation into a catch-all measure aimed at ensuring the House approves an even larger education bill approved by the Senate last month. The bill approved Wednesday night was crafted to ease House concerns about a 153-page bill that passed the Senate to expand Missouri’s private school tax credit program and allowed charter schools in Boone County, along with other provisions aimed at bolstering public schools. That bill’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. Andrew Koenig of Manchester, told The Independent he would prefer the House pass the Senate’s education bill without changes and send it to the governor’s desk. Any changes in the House would bring it back to the Senate for debate, putting its changes at risk. After the Senate passed Koenig’s legislation last month, criticism began popping up on social media and in the Capitol about a myriad of issues — primarily that homeschooling families may face additional government oversight. Despite assurances from gun-rights groups, one concern focused on the idea that homeschoolers’ inclusion in the private school scholarship program would result in home educators being subject to laws banning guns in schools. The Missouri Firearms Coalition made a statement that it felt that gun-ownership was not threatened in the bill. And an attorney for Home School Legal Defense Association Scott Woodruff was adamant that he was not concerned about the provision. “The idea (the bill)…. would make the criminal penalties of (state firearm code) apply to home schoolers with guns in their home is supported, at best, only by a long, thin string of assumptions and implications,” he wrote. But House members were flooded with emails and social media messages expressing concerns, putting the bills’ chances of passing without being altered at risk. Koenig said Wednesday that the ability to own a gun was not threatened by his bill. “I don’t know that it was a problem, but this definitely makes it a lot stronger,” he said. “Anytime we can clarify something in statute, then we make sure that interpretation is stronger.” The bill applies the existing homeschool statute to particular sections of state law — avoiding applying the definition of a “home school” to the state code that prohibits firearms on school grounds. The legislation approved Wednesday night expanded beyond virtual schools to include changes such as connecting funding for K-12 tax-credit scholarships to state aid for public schools’ transportation. This is current state law, but Koenig’s bill separated the two. The bill also exempts Warsaw School District from taking a vote to reauthorize the district’s current four-day school week. If Koenig’s bill passes, school districts that have switched to a four-day week in charter counties or cities with at least 30,000 residents will have to hold a vote to continue with an abbreviated week. Similar provisions are included in amendments to Koenig’s bill filed by House members. Fifty-three amendments have already been filed on Koenig’s bill in the House. House Majority Leader Jon Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, told reporters on Monday that he would prefer to pass the Senate’s version of Koenig’s bill but there was not a guarantee to do so. 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Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and Twitter. Do you love gardening and want to share your passion with others? Become an Extension Master Gardener and join a vibrant community dedicated to learning and teaching the best practices in horticulture.
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Limited spots available! Apply by August 2nd. Cost: $200 (scholarships available) More information: http://www.mggkc.org/about-us/become-a-master-gardener/ or contact Tamra Reall (ReallT@Missouri.edu) As the April 2nd municipal election draws close, Valley News reached out to the candidates running for the Grain Valley School Board to answer a series of questions to learn more about their background and priorities.
Four candidates have filed for two open seats on the Grain Valley Board of Education. Current board members Jared English and Eddie Saffell have filed for re-election. Aaron Scully and Paul Trusler have also filed. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, and other than minor spelling or grammatical corrections, the candidates' responses are provided as written. Jared English Please tell us about yourself (work background, volunteer service, elected positions held, etc.). I’ve been a resident of Grain Valley for roughly 20 years. My wife and I have two elementary-age children in the district. My work background is risk management. I was on Grain Valley Park Board for roughly 9 years. I also served as the treasurer for the Pathways of Honor, which is a Veterans group in Grain Valley. I’ve been on the School Board in Grain Valley for 12 years. Why do you want to serve on the Grain Valley School Board? I think that we have a great district, focused on the education of our children. As an experienced board member with strong ties to the community, I think I’m well-suited to partner with leaders in our district to ensure we continue to keep education our focus. The levy proposal on the April ballot seeks to address teacher and staff pay in the district. Teacher pay is often cited as a reason why districts struggle to attract and retain teachers. What other factors, besides teacher pay, do you feel are critical to address in the district to retain quality teachers and staff? In a word: Culture. Employees, regardless of industry, typically stay with an employer because the culture of the organization aligns with their values. I think the administration in Grain Valley has done an excellent job creating a culture that our staff value. We may never pay more than some of our neighbors, even with the levy. I think the key to successfully retaining employees (teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, facilities workers, etc.) is to maintain a culture of respect that employees value. How would you assess the levels at which students are achieving academically in the district? What are areas of concern? The district has several methods of gauging success of our students. MAP tests are a good indicator of how the district performs compared to other Missouri schools. As I reviewed the data provided to the board, one area that jumped out at me was the “Class of 2027 Math” results. While there are several reasons for why the scores look low, this is area I’m concerned with and watching closely. Other tests provide additional insight as to how our overall school population is performing academically. I think its also important to identify those who are falling behind. Our board motto is, “every student, every day.” We mean that. We have a small percentage of students who struggle every day. We need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support those kids and give them the education they deserve. What are the top issues the board should focus on in the next 3-5 years? Education should remain our number one priority over the next 3-5 years. The board approves a comprehensive plan every year. That plan also includes other key initiatives, such as facilities, security and communications with our patrons. I think all of these issues are important. The board receives regular updates from the administration on progress in these key areas. Another big issue is the continued growth of our community. Grain Valley continues to expand. This puts a great deal of stress on our district. Continuing to monitor growth and ensure we’re allocating resources to accommodate growth across the district is key to a good education. Eddie Saffell Please tell us about yourself (work background, volunteer service, elected positions held, etc.). I spent 40 years in the fire service, 10 as a volunteer in Harrisonville and the last 30 with the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District (CJC), retiring as a deputy chief. During that time, I have served as the president of the Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce and a Grain Valley / Blue Springs advisory board member to Truman Heartland Community Foundation. I have also served on numerous community project committees such as the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast (Blue Springs) and the Truman Heartland Scholarship Committee. I am completing my 12th year as a member of the Grain Valley Board of Education. Why do you want to serve on the Grain Valley School Board? My commitment to the school board comes from two points: my belief that education is critical to our community's success. A strong school system brings families, which in turn brings business which strengthens our community and allows for better resources and programs for our families and business owners. I received my graduate degree later in life, so my belief that education is key doesn't stop at high school, but continues throughout life. To instill that mindset in our children, we have to give them the best education we can from the beginning and I believe I have, and will continue to help Grain Valley Schools to build that success. Second is my dedication to public service. I have been in some form of public service my entire adult life and I have been interested in local government special districts (school, fire, library) the entire time. I currently work for the City of Grain Valley so, even in retirement, I remained in community service in a different form. The levy proposal on the April ballot seeks to address teacher and staff pay in the district. Teacher pay is often cited as a reason why districts struggle to attract and retain teachers. What other factors, besides teacher pay, do you feel are critical to address in the district to retain quality teachers and staff? Finances are always the easiest to blame and sometimes the hardest to fix. The levy will allow us to make a large impact on the teacher salary and benefit issue, but we also have to think out of the box and find ways to entice teachers to come to Grain Valley and then stay. Ensuring a positive culture of respect and trust has little financial impact in comparison to other components, but can keep a teacher, or any other staff member, in our system. Wanting to go to work and enjoying where you work are critical to our success. If we give our staff members the support and resources they need daily, such as monitoring and maintaining class sizes, it can make their work less stressful. Open and honest 360 degree communication can improve morale. This starts at the top and moves through all levels of the organization. How would you assess the levels at which students are achieving academically in the district? What are areas of concern? In general, our students perform well at all levels. When we look at high school graduations, scholarships, college applications and so on, Grain Valley continues to perform at a very high level. In all elementary and middle school grades, Grain Valley continues to perform above others, especially across the state. My main concerns will always be in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) components because these are the keys to today's business world. We have identified, through standardized testing, some areas we could improve on and are always working on programming and instruction to address those areas. What are the top issues the board should focus on in the next 3-5 years? As always finances will be a topic of concern. As Grain Valley grows and our student population increases, we will need additional, or expanded, facilities and staff to continue to offer programs to continue to provide our students and families the best educational experience we can. School safety and security is a priority. The world we live in dictates we continually adjust our security for buildings and events to ensure everyone's safety. This has many levels and requires open-minded and forward thinking to accomplish. Staff recruitment and retention is key. As mentioned, finding ways to not only compensate our staff, but also give them a work environment they can be happy to be a part of and proud of. Aaron Scully Please tell us about yourself (work background, volunteer service, elected positions held, etc.). I am an RN and work full time at the Kansas City VA. I am also a member of the Missouri Air National Guard as a critical care air transport team nurse. I have not held any elected positions. My wife and I volunteer within our church in a variety of areas: medical team, security team, and membership class. We also have 5 children, and currently have foster children in our home. We have been foster parents for almost 4 years. Why do you want to serve on the Grain Valley School Board? I want to serve on the school board, because I have a vested interest in the education of my children. I desire to see the overall success of children, to see them succeed in whatever path they choose, and to see them become productive members of this community and our society. The levy proposal on the April ballot seeks to address teacher and staff pay in the district. Teacher pay is often cited as a reason why districts struggle to attract and retain teachers. What other factors, besides teacher pay, do you feel are critical to address in the district to retain quality teachers and staff? I got an opportunity to hear a presentation at a board meeting from a couple of teachers, and during their presentation, another point was mentioned which was their days off (sick days, personal days). They would like to see a PTO (paid time off) time of leave system in place, and I could see the benefit of moving to that type of system, if it were to be a desired benefit of the educators and staff. How would you assess the levels at which students are achieving academically in the district? What are areas of concern? I believe the district is tracking the academic success levels to a degree, and I recall seeing some of the results at a board meeting several months ago. I would reiterate that the goal of the district should be to see each child succeed in whatever chosen path, and become productive members of our community. An upcoming concern that I have will be the use of AI (artificial intelligence), and how it will impact education. What are the top issues the board should focus on in the next 3-5 years? Top issues for the next 3-5 years: continued improvement of safety for staff and students; budget deficits and finding a way to eliminate them; that the district continues to maintain the priority of school is, an education; and that teachers will want to stay in the district. Paul Trusler Please tell us about yourself (work background, volunteer service, elected positions held, etc.). I'm a devoted husband to I believe the most beautiful, loving and intelligent women I know. I'm a father of 7 kids (4 boys, 3 girls.) Grandfather to one boy. All of which are either currently in or have graduated from GVSD. I've been a member of the ironworker local union 10 for over 25 yrs. I'm a member of First Baptist Church of Grain Valley where I've served in many aspects of the church and have served as property chair for over 5 yrs. Why do you want to serve on the Grain Valley School Board? To be more active in my community. To better serve in the school system in which my children and grandchild attend. To be a voice for teachers and students. The levy proposal on the April ballot seeks to address teacher and staff pay in the district. Teacher pay is often cited as a reason why districts struggle to attract and retain teachers. What other factors, besides teacher pay, do you feel are critical to address in the district to retain quality teachers and staff? Pay may be one of the leading factors for teachers leaving, but they are also one of the highest stressed professions. One way to help this would be for the schools to be consistent in the rules and punishment they have. Another way is to recognize teachers constant struggles. Teachers are the backbone of the school system. We should empower them to do their job to the best of their abilities. I've found most teachers are self-driven individuals. We need more people like them. How would you assess the levels at which students are achieving academically in the district? What are areas of concern? For the most part I believe the district to be doing well academically. I would like to explore better ways of instructing kids who learn with their hands (kinesthetic learners) or who are visual learners. What are the top issues the board should focus on in the next 3-5 years? The board should focus on safety and success of the children and teachers. Area adults interested in a new career or job advancement now have the opportunity to obtain a variety of services related to workforce development and training at a recently opened satellite office at the University of Central Missouri’s Lee’s Summit campus. Representatives from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) as well as the Full Employment Council (FEC) will operate out of UCM’s Missouri Innovation Campus from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Services available to both adults and students through these organizations include daily workshops on how to successfully create a resume, job interviewing skill sessions and quarterly hiring fairs, all at the Lee’s Summit location. In addition, the satellite office offers monthly testing through WorkKeys, an assessment designed to help people determine their best choices for career success. “MDHEWD is very excited about the opportunity to be part of the Missouri Innovation Campus,” said Julie Carter, director of the Office of Workforce Development. “This satellite office provides an opportunity to serve all students on campus and offer the community access to invaluable free job center services.” FEC representatives will also work with individuals to help them learn if they are eligible for scholarship funding for the University of Central Missouri’s industry-recognized certificate programs. Previously, those interested in scholarships had to travel to the organization’s Kansas City location for assistance. The new satellite office is designed to provide a one-stop, more convenient location for residents of Eastern Jackson County, Cass County and other areas outside the metropolitan area. All services are offered free of charge. For more information about the new satellite office, please email workforce@ucmo.edu Photo credit: UCM
by Cole Arndorfer
The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, March 14th for its monthly business meeting. To start the meeting, the board recognized boys and girls wrestling state qualifiers. Ten qualifiers were recognized as well as coach Donald Horner. Girls swim and dive state qualifiers were then recognized. 11 qualifiers and head coach Julie Reilly were honored by the board. Following recognitions, the board moved into reports starting with the teacher salary and benefits report from Kourtney Michael and Michelle Kennedy of the Salary and Benefits Committee. Kennedy told the board that the committee is proposing reclassifying leave and increasing payout for leave. Currently, staff members are given nine sick days and three personal days each year. By reclassifying leave, the committee would like to drop the designation of “sick days” or “personal days,” leaving staff members with 12 days of paid leave each year. Kennedy emphasized that the committee is not asking the board for more days off, rather just dropping the classifications of the existing days. As for the increased payout for leave, the current payout is $60 per day. Michael said that the committee is proposing an increase in that payout to $180. The goal of this is to make those saved leave days a financial benefit to teachers rather than it being more of a benefit to use all of them, thus creating a strain on the substitute needs in buildings. Following this, Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle gave his monthly report to the board. Welle opened by highlighting the fact that the April 2 election including the district’s tax levy measure is quickly approaching. Welle said that the feedback they have received from the public so far has been positive in nature. Welle also reported the high school is looking forward to taking possession of the new weight room in April. When the high school moves into the new weight room, the current temporary weight room will be updated into the new varsity locker room. Welle also raised school lunch debt for discussion. The board as well as Dr. Gooch will be brainstorming ideas to help lower the debt in this area. Finally, Welle highlighted the safety audit. Certain findings were highlighted and at a future meeting the board will attempt to have a representative present to go over the findings in depth and answer questions from the board. Next, the board moved into unfinished business with an action item on the board scholarships for this year. After reading through 48 applications, 16 winners were chosen and the board approved 16 awards of $1,000 scholarships. The winners will be announced in a ceremony in the spring. Then the board moved into new business. The first item in this section was the intent resolution of $3 million. Dr. Welle explained that with the passage of this item, the board is essentially giving consent to administration to continue paying for the projects around the district with the understanding that they will issue $10 million in bonds in April. The next item in new business was the setting of the preliminary non-binding tax rate. Welle explained that this is something that is required of the board by Jackson County and it will not necessarily be the binding tax rate that will be set in the fall. The board set this initial rate at the 2023 tax rate with the understanding that it will likely change by the time they are required to set it in the fall. The third item under new business was an action item to commission a demographic study by Business Information Services LLC. This item was approved. The final item under new business was a discussion over the 2024-2025 budget projection. The board was presented with an outline of expenses the district knew they were going to incur such as the need for a new custodian at the high school, increases to teacher salaries, and the addition of various safety upgrades. Some of these items the district is unsure of the dollar amount at this time, but the goal is for the board to receive a solid idea of the budget proposal as soon as April before the final vote at the end of June. Following new business, the board moved into the board policies section. In this section, the board heard the third read on a series of policies recommended by the Missouri School Boards’ Association. The main updates in these policies are to reflect the changes in laws regarding medical marijuana. The general theme for these policies is that whether one is a staff member, student, or visitor, they are not to be in possession or under the influence of drugs. This series of policies was approved. Following this, the board moved into executive session. The next Board of Education meeting will be held on Thursday, April 18, at 6 pm in the Leadership Center. FAFSA delays cause financial uncertainty among Missouri studentsby Lydia Williams, Missouri Independent For many students, the excitement of deciding where to attend college is being met with concern over whether they’ll receive the financial aid they need. This year, FAFSA delays have left guidance counselors, students and administrators wondering whether financial aid offers will be received before deciding where to go for college. “If I fill out the FAFSA now, my information is only getting sent in May,” said Lindsey Brink, a senior at Battle High School. “I’m supposed to be registering for orientation and doing all those things.” FAFSA, which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is usually launched on Oct. 1, but last year the U.S Department of Education announced that the application would be available on Dec. 31. This was due to a bumpy rollout of a new, simplified FAFSA form mandated by Congress in 2020, according to Federal Student Aid . The overhauls were intended to make the application easier and expand access with fewer questions, allowing users to transfer tax data directly from filed IRS forms and make more students from low-income backgrounds eligible for more aid. However, some changes to the application unintentionally made the process more challenging. The U.S. Department of Education announced that since the form went live, fewer than five million forms have been submitted so far. That’s a fraction of the almost 18 million forms previously submitted by students during the 2020 to 2021 application cycle, according to Federal Student Aid data. Keri Gilbert, director of financial aid at Stephens College, said not many students have been filing the FAFSA and the steep decline is “concerning.” “We do know that nationally, FAFSA filing is down about 42%, and in the state of Missouri, it’s down about 38%. So, we know that not as many students are filing the FAFSA,” Gilbert said. “That could absolutely end up impacting all across the nation how many students end up going to college next year.” Melissa Patterson, a college and career counselor at Battle High School, worries that underrepresented populations will be disproportionately affected financially. “We have a population of first-generation students that are underrepresented, and the FAFSA is really how they can pay for school,” she said. “The delays in processing the application have really caused a lot of anxiety for our students.” On top of causing uncertainty, they’ve also had trouble filling out the form. Some students had trouble understanding the wording of certain questions, getting in touch with the FAFSA help center and making changes or edits on completed forms. “I have not had any students successfully reach the FAFSA support by phone,” said Anna McMillen, director of counseling at Douglass High School. “You call, it goes through a menu, and then it tells you, ‘We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes, please try again later,’ and hangs up on you. There isn’t even an option to wait in line on hold or get a return call.” Students with parents who don’t have Social Security numbers are also having trouble receiving financial aid. They are able to submit the form without their parents’ information but are later required to go back and edit that information before actually receiving aid. “It is very complex and complicated, and they have not announced necessarily when the actual fix in the FAFSA form will be available for those students,” Gilbert said. Patterson emphasized that better communication from Federal Student Aid would have been “helpful.” “The process as far as what students need to do, being able to make changes, that kind of thing, that was not communicated very well,” she said. “That’s something we just kind of find out when you start filling out the application.” Christian Basi, university spokesperson at MU, said the FAFSA delays will not impact university operations such as housing, parking, orientation and scheduling of events. Currently, deposits for the upcoming school year are up 9% over the same time last year, according to a Monday email to the MU community. “The only thing the FAFSA is impacting is our and every other universities’ ability to get out to students their financial aid packages for the upcoming year prior to our deposit deadline, so that those students can make a decision on where they want to go to school,” Basi said. Students and families can access the net price calculator to get a personalized estimation of their financial aid to attend Mizzou. Emmalee Djerf, a psychology major at Stephens College, said she’s worried about the possible amount of student loans that she has to take out with the delays. “I already have several loans from being here in my undergraduate,” Djerf said, “so I’m hoping for something that would reduce the amount if I did need to take a loan out.” While Djerf said students are in limbo over these delays, it’s important to not put blame on college financial aid offices. “Students I’ve talked to on campus or heard about online, they’re really struggling because they don’t know when they’ll receive the information from the school because of the delay, and (it’s) causing kind of an uprise within students,” Djerf said. “So, I just hope that financial aid offices aren’t flooded with tension towards them because it’s not something they can handle themselves.” This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online. Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and Twitter. Metropolitan Community College-Blue River’s 13th All for the Children family resource fair and egg hunt will start at 10 a.m. and run to about noon on Saturday, March 23. The MCC-Blue River campus is at 20301 E. 78 Highway, Independence.
The event starts with carnival-type activities, a variety of costumed characters, giveaways, a caricature illustrator and spray-on tattoos created by artists with BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse). The fair culminates in a massive “eggstravaganza” for children with 10,000 candy-filled eggs. Family resources will include child ID kits, dental screenings for the whole family provided by University Health, and information and entertainment booths staffed by MCC students. “Each spring we look forward to inviting the community to our campus to enjoy this fun-filled event that celebrates children,” says MCC-Blue River President Sue Gochis. All for the Children is free and open to the public. Started by Blue River psychology instructor Kimberly Glackin, All for the Children aims to improve the quality of life for children and families through education, community engagement and celebrating the magic of childhood. Learn more at mcckc.edu/events/all-for-the-children.aspx. The University of Central Missouri is now offering several new online certificate training programs designed to prepare adult learners for careers in Missouri’s rapidly growing cannabis industry. In collaboration with Green Flower, a national leader in cannabis education, UCM’s three certificate courses will start in April.
The programs, which can be completed in nine weeks, cover advanced dispensary associate skills training, cannabis manufacturing and cultivation. Courses are currently open for enrollment, and students can register online for classes starting April 15. Fee for each course is $750, and adult learners registering for an April course will receive a $150 discount by using the code UCMFIRST. “Many Missourians are using CBD and THC products as holistic solutions for addressing challenges like insomnia, depression and pain management,” said Clarinda Dir, UCM Center for Workforce and Professional Education program manager. “It is essential that these products are of the highest quality and that the professionals assisting these individuals offer accurate guidance on both products and their usage. Our three comprehensive certificate programs, available online and self-paced, allow individuals to enhance their expertise in the cannabis field at their own pace, offering flexibility in learning and application.” Since Missouri initiated adult-use cannabis sales on Feb. 3, 2023, more than $1.4 million worth of marijuana has been sold through dispensaries, according to Greenway magazine, with new opportunities emerging in fields such as cultivation, retail, extraction and product. Daniel Kalef, Green Flower’s chief growth officer, said his company is excited to work with UCM to offer the cannabis courses to the public. "Green Flower is thrilled to be partnering with the University of Central Missouri to offer our three cannabis industry training certificate programs,” Kalef said. “As stated in their mission, UCM 'disseminates knowledge that transforms students into leaders who possess the aptitudes, skills and confidence to succeed.' We believe with such a mission and focus on student success, the university is uniquely positioned to help people enter and grow in the ever-expanding and rapidly growing cannabis industry.” Upon completion of each course, graduates earn a certificate from UCM and a digital badge from Credly as well as receiving access to Green Flower’s employer network. “Like other highly regulated industries, the need to have expertise in material handling, quality control, patient care, security, transportation, horticulture and more is vital to the success of all aspects of the industry and all things people will learn in these programs,” Kalef added. These new online courses are each priced at $750 and include:
To learn more about UCM’s new cannabis certificate programs, visit this webpage. |
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