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Editor’s Note: As we head into the hectic and exciting back-to-school season, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the many ways teachers impact our lives. We reached out to local residents and asked them to share their stories. Thank you to those who took the time to highlight a teacher who made a difference in their lives. Let’s keep the conversation going - we’d love to hear your stories as well on our social media channels. “My 3rd grade teacher, Mary Baldus, had a significant impact on me. Looking back, she had her work cut out for her, given the group of boys that were in her class that year. Yet, I remember her only as patient and kind. She invested in each of us and encouraged my singing and writing, including entering my writing in a contest, which I did, earning a ribbon. She was the first person outside my family who showed they believed in me, and it made a difference.”
“Mr. Bertum Cowley, who was the band instructor at Van-Far High School for decades. I had classes with him from the 6th grade through my senior year. His passion for his craft helped foster an appreciation of music in my soul, and I can’t help but think of him every time I see a marching band take the field. He hounded us daily about “practice makes perfect” and had a way of exposing you when you had not followed his directive. It took me years to realize that adage would not only apply to mastering a musical instrument, but in so many other things in life as well. Unfortunately, he passed away shortly after he retired, and I never got the chance to tell him thanks for sharing that life lesson with me.”
“Mrs. Young was my middle school homeroom and high school drama teacher. She taught me to embrace my strengths and walk in them proudly - but also to not be afraid of my weaknesses. That we don't have to be perfect, but we can get a little better every day!”
“My high school English teacher saw my love for storytelling before I even recognized it myself. She encouraged me to join Speech and Debate and the drama club my senior year, even though I was a shy student. That encouragement set me on a path to earn a communications degree in college, become a radio news anchor and sports reporter before moving on to something else.”
”A teacher that had a huge impact on me was Randy Littrell, my high school science teacher and basketball coach at North Davies’s High School in Jameson, MO. My junior year, I had an injury that took me out of basketball for 3 months. He told me I was going to be back for the end of the season so he wanted me to sit on the bench & help at practice like an assistant coach because he didn’t have one. He also started having me help him in the classroom like a TA even though I wasn’t really his TA. It was then that I started thinking about becoming a teacher and coach which had never crossed my mind before. I was pretty upset after the injury, but he went out of his way to keep me involved and in doing so, opened new doors and set me on the path that I’m on now. I owe so much of who I am, where I am, and with who I am today to Coach Littrell and kindness. I hope as a teacher and coach that I’ve done the same for some of my students in the past and into the future.”
“Mrs. Ina Hire, my fourth grade teacher made learning a game. When she called roll each day (even though she could just look up and see who was absent) she didn't have you say "here." Your answer was a multiplication number or a verb conjugation, or a state capitol. We were constantly made to reinforce our learning, but as 9 year olds, it was a game!”
“Miss McClure taught English in my Kansas high school, in a community similar in many ways to Grain Valley. She made a lasting impression. She expected order in the classroom, but also was committed to seeing that each student made progress in appreciating and learning language skills, particularly when applied to our written work. I have marveled over the many years that have followed how fortunate I was to have a strong foundation in English when it came time for more advanced course work in college and when these skills were needed in the workplace. Miss McClure — Hazel Dean "Deana" McClure — at one time was named as Kansas Teacher of the Year. She lived to be 104. She died last year at a retirement home in Olathe. And I learned something I had not known — she loved to dance, starting at an early age, and left a generous estate gift to the Kansas City Ballet. This reminds me that our teachers contribute greatly in the classroom, but often they have even more to offer if we take the time to know them as a person.”
Grain Valley News writer Bill Althaus shared a special tribute to Truman High School journalism teacher Ron Clemons. “For more than 50 years, I have been a sports writer in the metro area. I started as a weekend sports anchor at KQTV-2 in St. Joseph, Mo., for three years, the worked at the Kansas City Kansan for another three years before joining the sports staff at the Examiner, where I worked 43 years as a sports writer/columnist. I owe my passion to the profession to my Truman High School journalism teacher Ron Clemons. My junior year I was part of the class that would make up the journalism staff my senior year. I was co-sports editor and our paper was named the outstanding high school news paper in the nation - an award that was presented by late Sen. Robert Kennedy's widow Eunice. Mr. Clemons was simply the best - the best teacher I ever worked with an one of the best teaching journalists in the nation. When I was an intimidated junior, he terrified me. He wore the finest in clothing - his shoes cost more than my entire wardrobe. And he was a master of his craft. I loved sports, was probably the most un-athletic student in the high school, and being a part of the newspaper staff meant two things: It helped me break out of my fear of talking to strangers along with being able to attend every sporting event at our high school, without having to pay for a ticket. And that was a big deal to a kid with very little money is his billfold. I attended Northwest Missouri State University and was the sports editor my freshman year. I went on to earn many other positions on the staff, but when I graduated in 1976, there were no journalism jobs available. So I took the news/sports anchor role at KQTV-2, waiting for my chance to follow my real dream. While I lost contact with Mr. Clemons for many decades, we re-united when I was covering Kansas City Mavericks hockey games and Comets indoor soccer games. Like with all true friendships, it was like I'd just stepped out of his class into the real world. We are now great friends and I always visit with him at the games I am covering. I've told him many times, but I hope he reads this note and realizes the impact he made on my life. Mr. Clemons, you're the best of the best - both in the classroom and in your favorite seats at Mavericks and Comets game. I am blessed to have you as a part of my life.”  A familiar and welcomed crew of visitors pulled up to Matthews Elementary Wednesday morning. Volunteers from Valley Community Church arrived at their first stop of the day with a trailer filled with school supplies for each of the district's kindergarten classrooms. Around 350 students throughout the district's four elementary schools are supplied through this drive. Pastor Jason Williams with Valley Community Church said the church has embraced the mission as a way to support local families and the teachers who serve them. "This is one way that we can tangibly help many families in the community and do something for each family that really impacts them. School supplies are getting more and more expensive every single year. We'd love to be able to do it for every grade, but we just see it as our mission to be able to make a difference in the lives of those families who are sending their kids off to school for the first time," Williams said.   Top photo: Volunteers from Valley Community Church begin to unload supplies for kindergarten classrooms at Matthews Elementary School on Wednesday morning. Bottom photo: A determined volunteer carries supplies into Prairie Branch Elementary School. Photo credit: Grain Valley News  Student scores on Missouri’s standardized test remain below pre-pandemic levelsby Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent Students are showing “positive momentum” on state standardized tests, state education officials said Tuesday, though the results remain below pre-pandemic levels. Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger told the State Board of Education Tuesday that she was glad to see an end to the “nosedive” that scores took between 2018 and 2023. But she knows the state can do better. “Now we are seeing an uptick. It takes a lot to see even a percent of an uptick,” she told the board. “Are we where we need to be? Absolutely not.” Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge, a board member from Pasadena Hills, said she hoped to see more improvement. “This just feels like we need to revisit our growth targets, understand what worked and figure out where we need to turn up the dial to our growth,” she said. The results of the Missouri Assessment Program come in four categories: advanced, proficient, basic and below basic. Grade-level equivalence, which is required to be reported in next year’s results, contains scores in the basic and proficient ranges. In English language arts, 44% of students scored proficient or advanced, compared to 49% in 2019. Math performance improved, with the lowest number of students scoring “below basic” in recent years. As a whole, 44% of students scored in the proficient or advanced range in math, beating 2019’s level of 41%. But the achievement gap remains wide. The state education department tracks the scores of students who are Black, English learners, free-and-reduced lunch recipients, Hispanic or those with an individualized education plan as a group. The group scores in the proficient or advanced range at less than half the rate of students outside those groups.
The board, with a tone of disappointment, spent part of Tuesday’s meeting examining ways to improve student achievement. The discussion often veered to low attendance rates. “We have school districts with 49% attendance and that, to me, is not acceptable. So we’ve got to do something about attendance,” Eslinger said. Her main areas of focus, she said, are literacy and attendance as mechanisms to boost performance. “We need to truly, truly work on attendance and literacy,” Eslinger said. “And then I do think that we need to look at how we measure progress.” The current way of measuring performance is too slow, she said, adding that she wants more granular data. Educators have long been expressing the same sentiment. Standardized test results are one of the factors that determine school districts’ state accreditation and are often cited by lawmakers and researchers to advocate for policy change. But educators compare the test to an “autopsy,” showing what has happened in the past but not providing real-time performance data. School leaders have advocated for a shift to benchmark assessments, instead of the MAP’s summative format. And schools in the Success Ready Students Network, which is exempt from the state’s accreditation process, have been testing new ways to monitor student performance. At the end of July, the department announced that the whole state will move toward benchmark tests as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority Program. The program will allow the state to pilot a new assessment system beginning in the 2025-26 school year. The department is planning on a “small-scale pilot of approximately five (schools) serving an estimated 100 students each in grade four English language arts and grade five Mathematics,” according to its application submitted earlier this summer. The new test, which the department is calling the Success Ready Student Assessment, will have a minimum of three checkpoints throughout the school year and is intended to provide more timely feedback to educators and students. “It just gives us a lot more information,” Eslinger said. “It is so much better for our kids to be able to have that opportunity to really see what it is that they’ve learned and what they need to learn next.” Support Local JournalismAs a nonprofit newsroom, our articles are free for everyone to access. Readers like you make that possible. Can you help sustain our watchdog reporting today?
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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: [email protected]. 
The inaugural Missouri Civics Bee was held Wednesday, August 6th at the State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia, and three local winners of the local competition held in Grain Valley were among the finalists competing yesterday. Middle schoolers put their civic knowledge to the test after winning local competitions hosted by the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce, Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce and Harrisonville Area Chamber of Commerce. Three local students, Ruslana T. from Ray Pec East Middle School, Loula B. from Grain Valley North Middle School, and Anthony W. from Grain Valley North Middle School, were the top three winners in the local competition hosted by the Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce on May 1st among those competing on Wednesday in Columbia. Anthony W. of Grain Valley North Middle School was among five finalists in the state competition. The 2025 Missouri Civics Bee Champion, Konnor C., was presented with a trophy and a cash prize of $1,000. Konnor will represent Missouri at the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C. The National Civics Bee is an initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's The Civic Trust. The application window for the 2026 competition will open in September. For more information, visit Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce - National Civics Bee.   Top photo: Anthony W., a student at Grain Valley North Middle School, was among five contestants who competed in the final round of the Missouri Civics Bee on Wednesday, August 6th in Columbia. Photo credit: Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce Bottom photo: Contestants prepare for the beginning of the inaugural Missouri Civics Bee. Photo credit: Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce by Cole Arndorfer, Grain Valley News The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, July 17, for its monthly meeting. The agenda included discussion of six reports, three items of unfinished business, five items of new business, and three sets of board policies. After opening the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle presented highlights from his monthly superintendent’s report. He noted that the district’s financial standing—including health premium overages—looks very strong at this time. The second report focused on a summer school update. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Amanda Allen recognized the summer school administrative staff for their efforts, noting the many compliments received from students, parents, and fellow staff members. Welle then reviewed the district’s financial summary and addressed the ongoing issue of student lunch debt. He outlined several potential solutions, including:
Next, the board briefly reviewed exit interview summaries from the past school year. The final report addressed annual staff training modules for the upcoming year. The board then moved into unfinished business, beginning with the search for a new superintendent. The district’s request for proposals (RFP) for a search firm closed on July 3, with six firms nationwide submitting proposals ranging from $7,800 to $40,000. The board selected three firms to bring in for presentations and interviews:
Following this, the board approved the meeting calendar for the upcoming school year and discussed health benefits for staff. In the new business portion of the meeting, Dr. Welle outlined the district’s CSIP (Comprehensive School Improvement Plan) priorities for the 2024–25 school year. He emphasized an increased opportunity for community engagement compared to previous years. The board also discussed issuing key cards to board members for access to the Leadership Center. Additionally, the board considered implementing background checks for current school board members and future candidates. Next, the board reviewed changes to the district’s policy on administrative cell phone use. Rather than issuing phones to certain administrators, the district will now provide a stipend to cover business use of their personal devices. The meeting concluded with a brief review of three sets of board policies before the board adjourned into executive session. WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Karrie Snider, Ph.D., associate professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Central Missouri (UCM), has been named the 2025 Missouri Head Start Children’s Champion by the Missouri Head Start Association (MHSA). The State Children’s Champion Award is presented to individuals who make valuable contributions to the lives of Head Start and Early Head Start children and families across Missouri. The award recognizes individuals with outstanding leadership, commitment and service who ultimately make a difference. Snider was nominated by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), an organization she has collaborated with for more than a decade. She was recognized in May during the MHSA conference and again in June when she received the Region VII Head Start Association’s 2025 Missouri Children’s Champion award during the Region VII conference, which included attendees from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. “None of these things can ever be accomplished in isolation. It represents so many more people than myself,” Snider said of receiving the award. “It represents, in some ways, the culmination of things, but in many, many ways, we have just scratched the surface. It really means we have more work to do, but it does reinvigorate you and opens up conversations that can lead to even more opportunities.” From her first job in a kindergarten classroom to training the next generation of teachers at UCM, Snider has been a Missouri educator and leader for more than 30 years. As of July 1, Snider is the associate dean of the College of Education. Snider has served on numerous committees and task forces through UCM, Head Start and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), earning a reputation as someone who can turn talk into action. After many MARC committee discussions about workforce development, Snider recognized the need for a new program. She collaborated with Ann McCoy, Ph.D., former dean of the College of Education and current vice provost for Academic Programs, and Natalie Tye, Ph.D., associate professor of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, to develop the model for UCM’s Early Childhood Education certificate program. It has since become one of the options within the Grow Your Own program. “This initiative includes stackable certificates that encourage students who work full-time, are non-traditional or face barriers to education,” Tye said. “Dr. Snider provides instruction through evening Zoom meetings to accommodate working students and supports them with motivation, course design and partnerships that secure scholarships and reduced tuition. She collaborates with faculty across campus with varying backgrounds to support students with diverse challenges in obtaining their education.” Snider has helped lead multiple research projects and program evaluations with MARC Head Start that demonstrated the effectiveness of the Project Approach, a fundamental curriculum component for MARC Head Start. She teaches the Project Approach at UCM and co-created the Project Approach Interest Forum through the National Association for the Education of Young Children. “I have a lot of passions in early childhood and teacher education, and strive to support children to get the most out of learning and teachers to get the most out of teaching,” Snider said. Snider’s nomination highlights numerous other contributions to early childhood education, such as:
The award application required nominators to describe three traits that stand out about the candidate. MARC Head Start Program Director Kasey Lawson chose passionate, innovative and collaborative when writing about Snider. “Karrie is dedicated to promoting developmentally appropriate and effective practices with young children,” Lawson wrote. “In her career, she has served as a teacher, administrator, practicum student supervisor, professor, researcher, consultant, presenter, author, editor, as well as president of the Missouri Association for the Education of Young Children. In each of these roles, she has worked tremendously hard to promote meaningful teaching and learning. She is accountable, thorough, and consistent in developing high-quality products and initiatives.” McCoy said that Snider is focused on removing barriers to education for both children and adults. Through her work with Head Start and UCM’s certificate program, Snider has made education more accessible and opened doors to new opportunities. “Karrie is inspiring. She works tirelessly and is passionate about early childhood education and improving educational outcomes for children,” McCoy said. “She encourages others around her to think deeply, remain open to new ideas, and to consistently keep our students – and their future students – at the forefront of all we do.”  Karrie Snider, Ph.D., associate professor of Early Childhood Education, left, accepts the 2025 Missouri Head Start Children’s Champion Award from Tina Bernskoetter, Director-Executive Services of the Missouri Head Start Association. Photo credit: UCM
Missouri Governor signs bipartisan education legislation into lawby Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent There could be more retired teachers returning as substitutes and more home-schooled students will be able to participate in sports and other school activities, thanks to a stack of bipartisan education bills signed Wednesday by Gov. Mike Kehoe. Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed 13 bills Wednesday, including numerous education provisions passed in a handful of bipartisan bills. Several more bill signings are planned before all work on legislation from the 2025 session hits a Monday deadline. State lawmakers this year debated a number of controversial proposals, like opening up school district enrollment boundaries or allowing for alternative methods of school accreditation. But the majority of education legislation that made it to the governor was widely supported on both sides of the aisle. “From implementing distraction-free classrooms to expanding school safety efforts, the legislation signed into law this afternoon impacts both K-12 students and Missourians pursuing higher and career technical education,” Kehoe said in a news release. Here are some of the provisions Kehoe signed into law: Encouraging retired educators to substitute teachRetired teachers may continue to fill in as substitutes on a part-time or temporary basis until 2030 without losing their benefit from the Public School Retirement System. The legislation is an extension of a 2022 law that was due to sunset this year. Three years ago, lawmakers saw a need to bring retirees into classrooms as COVID-19 reduced the teacher workforce and put a 2025 expiration on the provision. But the need for substitutes still exists. In the 2023-24 school year, 4,500 retired educators served as substitutes, according to data from the Public School and Education Employee Retirement Systems of Missouri. State Rep. Ed Lewis, a Moberly Republican and House Education Committee chair, told The Independent last month that the law helps keep trained teachers in front of students. “There would be open positions that would not get filled around the state (if the provision didn’t pass),” he said. “Many of them we would have completely unqualified people in those positions, when you have perfectly qualified people who might be a little bit older but have tons of experience.” This legislation applies to part-time and temporary substitutes. A different statute allows a handful of retirees to work full-time. Since 2003, retired teachers have been able to return full-time for two years, which lawmakers increased to four years in 2023. Cell phone limitationsSchool districts will be required to establish policies for the upcoming school year that restrict cell-phone usage during the school day with few exceptions. Students with a disability that requires use of a mobile device are exempted, and cell phones are allowed during safety emergencies. Otherwise, including during lunch and between classes, students will be expected to keep their cell phones stowed unless told otherwise by a teacher. Roughly 53% of school leaders believe that cell-phone usage has hurt students’ learning abilities and 72% say it has negatively impacted mental health, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. A St. Louis University/YouGov poll earlier this year found 76% of Missourians favor restrictions for elementary students, 75% for middle school and 70% for high school. State Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, a Democrat from Columbia, filed the bill this session with a proposal only to ban cell phone use during instructional time. Lawmakers ultimately passed a more restrictive policy, and Steinhoff believes kids will benefit. “The statistics really do hold that if we do the (full day), bell to bell,” Steinhoff told The Independent in May. “That’s going to have the biggest turnaround.” GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
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Homeschoolers in extracurricular activitiesHome-educated students will be able to join public schools’ extracurricular activities in the upcoming school year. The legislation, proposed for over a decade in Missouri, will require public schools to allow homeschooled students to try out for sports teams and join clubs beginning in August. Previously, the Missouri State High School Activities Association allowed homeschoolers to join public-school teams if they were enrolled in two classes at the school. Districts could have more restrictive policies, with many denying access to those who weren’t publicly educated full-time. For years, families with young athletes and performers have testified at the State Capitol for access to extracurricular activities. Some lawmakers worried about homeschooled students having separate academic and attendance standards, saying their participation could be unfair. But ultimately, it passed the Senate 30-3 and the House 94-44. School chaplainsA new law will allow school districts to hire chaplains or accept them as volunteers. The bill was not as widely accepted as some other education provisions passed this year and drew criticism from lawmakers who worry chaplains would use the opportunity to evangelize students instead of comforting those who already share their faith. The bill’s sponsor state Sen. Rusty Black, a Chillicothe Republican and former educator, said he filed the bill to help students’ and teachers’ wellbeing. “Allowing a school district to employ or have a chaplain as a volunteer would benefit students and faculty who are struggling mentally and spiritually,” he said in the Senate’s discussion of the legislation in February. During the bill’s hearing in the Senate Education Committee, a minister with the Satanic Temple of Missouri Virgil Ovid said he would welcome the opportunity to become a school chaplain. Lawmakers then added language that would limit chaplains to those that are members “of a Department of Defense listed religious-endorsing organization recognized by the Armed Forces Chaplains Board,” which excludes satanic ministers. CROWN ActLegislation also signed Wednesday will ban hair discrimination in educational settings. Dubbed the “CROWN Act,” which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, the law is part of a national movement to protect textured hair. The cities of St. Louis and Kansas City have protections for natural hair textures, and at least 27 states have enshrined the CROWN Act. The bill’s sponsor state Sen. Barbara Washington, a Democrat from Kansas City, told the Senate in May that she has seen people treat her and loved ones differently based on hair texture. She hopes students can be free from the pressure to change their hair and should not lose out on opportunities “simply because they chose to wear their hair in braids or an afro or dreadlocks.” The legislation bars educational institutions receiving state funds from placing restrictions on natural styles “commonly associated with a particular race or origin.” Safety measures, like requiring hair nets, are permitted. Missouri State University may offer PhD programsLawmakers chipped away at the University of Missouri System’s exclusive rights to certain degrees, opening the doors for Missouri State University to offer doctoral degrees. State law has historically limited certain degree programs in public universities, giving the University of Missouri System dominance over PhD programs and research doctorates. But the changes will let Missouri State offer doctorate of philosophy degrees in subjects other than engineering. “This legislation marks a significant milestone for Missouri State University,” Missouri State President Richard B. Williams said in a May press release. “The ability to independently offer doctoral programs will help us better meet regional workforce needs across southwest Missouri and the state.” Career-technical education scholarshipsMissouri high school graduates will be able to attend career-tech programs using a grant mirrored after the state’s A+ Program beginning in the 2026-27 school year. Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar, will use state funds to help students pursue careers in fields like agriculture, nursing, cosmetology and other areas with career-certificate programs. “This will increase (the workforce) astronomically,” Kelley told The Independent. “And it’s great for the kids who are in those career-tech programs. It gives them another avenue to make themselves better.” To qualify, students will need to graduate high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, at least 95% attendance rate, 50 hours of unpaid tutoring and achieve proficiency in the Algebra I end-of-course exam. Students with high school career-tech certificates will also be eligible. Universally transferable associate’s degreesState-funded colleges will expand the number of courses universally transferable in Missouri with a charge from lawmakers to collaborate on five 60-credit-hour degree programs. Since the 2018-19 school year, students have been able to transfer 42 credit hours between community colleges and universities that receive state funding. The new law will add 18 more transferable credit hours in the programs of business, biology, elementary education, psychology and nursing. Community colleges spoke in favor of the legislation in a House hearing, while representatives from four-year institutions said they hoped existing articulation agreements could stand. Colleges must have the degree programs negotiated and ready by the 2028-29 school year. “If you go to a community college in southeast Missouri and you transfer to a four year school in northwest Missouri, we want it to be a seamless transition across the state,” the bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Cameron Parker of Campbell, told The Independent. “So if you go to any community college, you will know what any of the four-year schools are going to take.” YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
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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: [email protected].
by Cole Arndorfer, Grain Valley News The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, June 26 for its June monthly meeting. The board began with recognitions, recognizing this year’s speech and debate state qualifier, Special Olympics medalists, and seal of biliteracy qualifiers. Following recognitions, the board moved into reports. Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle started by giving the board an overview of the report on prioritized facility needs. Near the top of the list would be traffic flow solutions around Matthews Elementary, while the need for a new elementary school is not deemed currently necessary. Another need noted by Welle is next level secure vestibules to provide a greater security to the schools. After reports, the board moved into action items under unfinished business beginning with approving the 2025-2026 budget. The board then approved the salary schedules for 2025-2026. The board then moved into new business, starting with the new superintendent search following Dr. Welle’s retirement announcement. The board approved budget transfers for 2024-2025 as well as a budget amendment for 2024-2025. Next, the board approved the revised 2025-2026 school district calendar and discussed the 2025-26 school board meeting calendar. After discussion on the meeting calendar, the board moved into executive session for 45 minutes. For the final item of the meeting, the board approved a multi-functional printing contract. Following this, the meeting was adjourned into executive session again. The next Board of Education meeting will be held on July 17 at 6:00pm in the Leadership Center. In this three-part workshop for teens from July 21 - 23, 2025, Bram Stoker-nominated young-adult and middle-grade author Sarah Henning will share tips, tricks, and insider knowledge on how to spin an idea from “just vibes” into a story readers can sink their teeth into. This series of workshops is intended for teen writers, not adult writers of teen literature. Registrants will be enrolled in and expected to attend all three parts. This class will be held in person as well as virtually via Zoom simultaneously. An email address is required when registering to attend on Zoom. To register for the Teen Story Camp, visit Teen Story Camp | Mid-Continent Public Library. Missouri lawmakers create pathway for free career-tech educationby Annelise Hanshaw, Missouri Independent Missouri high school graduates may soon be able to attend career-certificate programs for free after state lawmakers passed a bill creating a reimbursement process for career and technical education. The legislation now awaits Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature or veto. “This will increase (the workforce) astronomically,” said state Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar. “And it’s great for the kids who are in those career tech programs. It gives them another avenue to make themselves better.” Kelley, who filed the bill in the House, told The Independent that she got the idea for the legislation after talking to a student. He was eligible for the state’s A+ Program, which pays for two years of public community college, and he wanted to use the funds to train for his commercial driver’s license. But his goal of operating a dump truck business was derailed when he realized that the state’s program wouldn’t cover the type of education he needed. So Kelley proposed a new program — one with eligibility requirements mirroring the A+ Program but to fund career-certificate programs. To qualify, students will need to graduate high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, at least 95% attendance rate, 50 hours of unpaid tutoring and achieve proficiency in the Algebra I end-of-course exam. The Missouri Senate added another path to eligibility, opening the door to students with high school career-tech certificates. “Currently a student who wants to obtain a certificate or license right out of high school… must pay for these out of pocket because the courses are too short to qualify for the A+ reimbursement program and are not Pell eligible,” Kelley said in a committee hearing in February. “These students are typically ones who are not interested in going to a two-year or four-year school.” GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
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Some students use the state’s Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant to pay for training and licensing, but the program requires participants to be at least 25 years old. Some students take jobs outside their career path to pass the time and avoid shelling out thousands for their certificate, Kelley said, but this legislation seeks to “fill the gap.” To pay for the grants, the bill sets up a fund managed by the State Treasurer’s Office. Funding would have to be appropriated annually by the state’s general assembly, though the fund would also be open for donations. The state estimates a cost of up to $3.3 mil in 2028, according to a fiscal note. Kelley is “positive” that Kehoe will sign the bill given his vocal support for career-tech initiatives. In his inaugural State of the State speech in January, Kehoe placed an emphasis on career and technical education and called for a work group to bolster CTE programs. The legislation has also generated support from advocacy groups. In committee, lobbyists from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Missouri National Education Association spoke in favor of the idea. “Skilled technical talent is a major asset to Missouri employers across all industries,” the chamber of commerce’s lobbyist Cade Tremain said in a hearing in February. The legislation received wide support, drawing just two “no” votes in the House and one in the Senate. It ultimately passed as part of a large higher education package with bipartisan support. Support Local JournalismAs a nonprofit newsroom, our articles are free for everyone to access. Readers like you make that possible. Can you help sustain our watchdog reporting today?
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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: [email protected].
 Grain Valley Schools Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle has announced he will retire following the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. Welle has worked in public education for 33 years, serving as a school or district leader for 28 years, the past 19 of which in Grain Valley. Welle has served as superintendent since July 2022. In a district release, School Board President Jeff Porter expressed the Board’s appreciation, stating, "On behalf of the school board, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Welle for his leadership and service. His focus on ensuring a positive learning environment for students and a supportive culture for teachers and staff has contributed to the overall success of our school district." In a letter to the district staff, Welle reflected on his opportunity: “What a privilege it has been to serve alongside such a tremendous team of teachers, staff, and leaders! Together, we have learned and adapted for the benefit of our students. I am excited for the great things that lie ahead for you and the district.” "We have something very special in Grain Valley, and it has been a privilege serving the children and families of this community. This is a place where supportive families and dedicated, caring educators come together – and the result is a tradition of excellence." Welle will continue as superintendent for the upcoming school year. The search for the next superintendent for the district will begin this fall. WARRENSBURG, MO – The following Grain Valley students have earned a spot on the University of Central Missouri (UCM) Dean’s List for the Spring 2025 semester. The Dean’s List includes undergraduate students who achieved a grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 or above. Grain Valley Jake Allen Mattie Allen Cayden Antrim Isabelle Bailey Sarah Ball Ethan Barnett Maya Bartlett Jacob Brenner Isabelle Chambers Ella Clyman Morgan Darling Aubrey Davies Benjamin DeMonbrun Cooper Dieckhoff Krista Farnsworth Samuel Foster Cory Gray Marie Hall Shelby Henry Jillian Hight Haylie Jennings Jamarion Kolb Taylor Lackey Arthur Lewis Logan Long Riley Marshall Cora Mayernik Lilly Ogle Abigail Pascoe Michael Pirch Kira Potter Megan Prier Collin Raymond Adison Richardson Hayden Rowland Trae Selemaea Morgan Solomon Roman Tinoco Olivia Webb Delaney Wendleton Ian Worley The Mid-Continent Public Library's (MCPL) Summer Reading Challenge begins June 1st for readers of all ages. The 2025 Summer at MCPL program invites artists of all ages and abilities to showcase their creations, encouraging them to explore their imaginations. By participating in the Summer Reading Challenge, kids, teens, and adults can earn rewards and win prizes for daily reading and attending Library programs. Caregivers will value a program that keeps children engaged and learning outside the classroom, while kids will love the stories and activities that spark their creativity all summer long! Summer at MCPL begins June 1 and runs through August 24. The Summer Reading Challenge encourages families to spend at least 20 minutes a day reading or engaging with literacy. Readers will log each day that they read to receive a daily reading badge. When readers aged 0-19 complete 20, 40, and 60 days of reading, they will earn a prize book from their local branch. Readers who are registered in Beanstack will also be eligible to earn prizes from our community partners. Adults aged 20+ can earn prizes, too! All adult readers who log 60 or more days will earn a Summer at MCPL: Blank Canvas commemorative glass. For more information on the Mid-Continent Public Library's Summer Reading Challenge, visit Summer at MCPL | Mid-Continent Public Library.  WARRENSBURG, MO – Jackson County, Missouri, residents were among approximately 2,200 individuals who met graduate and undergraduate degree requirements and were eligible to participate in the University of Central Missouri’s (UCM) 2025 Spring Commencement exercises on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 in the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center. Students who completed their degree requirements by the end of the fall semester were eligible to participate in ceremonies that marked more than 154 years of "Education for Service" at UCM. Below is a list of area students who met degree requirements at UCM. To be eligible for graduation with honors, an undergraduate student must have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 and completed a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit at UCM with a GPA of 3.50. Those with a grade point average of 3.50 to 3.74 graduate Cum Laude; 3.75 to 3.84, Magna Cum Laude; and 3.85 and above Summa Cum Laude, based on whichever GPA is lower, their cumulative GPA or their GPA at UCM. Grain Valley undergraduate degrees: Isabelle Bailey, BS Jacob Brenner, BS Cullen Cearnal, BM, Cum Laude Isabelle Chambers, BS Cory Gray, BA, Cum Laude Marie Hall, BS, Summa Cum Laude Jamarion Kolb, BS Arthur Lewis, BSBA Lilly Ogle, BSBA, Summa Cum Laude Adison Richardson, BSE Rebecca Rubak, BS, Cum Laude Ian Worley, BS, Cum Laude Graduate: Marisa Abundis Hines, MS Jessica Dornes, MAT Hannah Yardley, MSE Key to abbreviations BA-Bachelor of Arts BFA-Bachelor of Fine Arts BM-Bachelor of Music BME-Bachelor of Music Education BS-Bachelor of Science BSBA-Bachelor of Science in Business Administration BSE-Bachelor of Science in Education BSW-Bachelor of Social Work MS-Master of Science MSE-Master of Science in Education MAT-Master of Arts in Teaching  by Cole Arndorfer, Grain Valley News The Grain Valley Schools Board of Education met on Thursday, May 15 for its May monthly meeting. This month’s meeting consisted of seven recognitions, two reports, four items of new business, and discussion over two board policies. To start the meeting, the board began by recognizing middle school National Civics Bee state qualifiers, followed by HOSA future health professionals state qualifiers, then FBLA state qualifiers and DECA state qualifiers. The board then recognized 11 all-state choir members, 12 Missouri Seal of Biliteracy qualifiers, and district staff leadership seminar participants. Director of Transportation Shawn Brady presented his biennial report of the highlights of the department. Brady reported an increase in 127 daily riders since 2023. Additionally, the department has experienced a 26% decrease in turnover in past year. Brady also noted the implementation of new technology, including live GPS tracking and live video. Superintendent Dr. Brad Welle then went over the highlights of his monthly report, noting the district is near its 90% district attendance goal with a current rate of 89.1%. Welle noted the end of year is a difficult time for attendance, so it is possible the district may fall just short of its goal of 90% attendance, but Welle praised staff and leadership for their efforts to address student attendance. The board then moved into new business, starting with approving two full-time paraprofessionals and one full-time technology system administrator for next school year. The board then approved the Valley Teacher Academy/Grow Your Own Teachers Program. Next, the board approved the purchase of property near North Middle School along Pink Hill Road for $250,000 in order to provide improved access to the existing property. The next Board of Education meeting will take place on June 26 at 6:00 pm at the Leadership Center. |
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