KANSAS CITY, Mo — The new year is less than two weeks away and a community advocate is already celebrating.

Kevin Morgan, founder of Sent1One Ministries and Lean on Me Ministries, got a pardon from Missouri Gov. Mike Parson this summer.

He’s been keeping the news private to think about how he wants to make a difference.

Morgan spent nine years on supervised probation for drug crimes.

For the past 11 years, he’s been hoping to get another chance, but the journey there took a lot of work.

He had three cases involving drug possession and drug trafficking but could only pick one to be expunged.

“They said, ‘Hey, in the state of Missouri, you are only allowed one felony to be expunged a lifetime,” Morgan said. “I knew I couldn’t die come back and get another one.”

Morgan spent seven months going through the process for a pardon.

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, “a full pardon does not remove the conviction from the individual’s criminal record. A full pardon restores all rights of citizenship and removes any disqualification or punitive collateral consequence stemming from the conviction without conditions or restrictions.”

When he received the news that a pardon was granted in the mail, Morgan immediately gave thanks.

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“I just got on my knees, prayed and thanked God. I was in amazement. I told God he can have all of me,” he said.

Morgan’s life has always come down to choices.

Now, he’s chooses to continue being example for other men in the community.

“I’m not that person anymore,” Morgan said. “Whatever struggles I was dealing with then — that’s gone. I’m a new man.”

From here on, he wants to continue serving men through his ministries, work with the city on homeless initiatives and eventually create a pathway for other people to have their record expunged or pardoned.

“I can see myself in some of the people I serve so I want to get them to where I am,” he said.

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KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including neighborhoods in Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. Share your story idea with Alyssa.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KY3) – Missouri’s top education official is worried about funding for teacher pay as the state’s budget shrinks.

In three weeks, Jefferson City will once again be bustling with lawmakers as they decide which policies will affect the future of Missouri. With about 150 bills already filed on the topic, lawmakers are sure to discuss K-12 education at length.

The passage of an expansive education bill this year came with a big price tag — one that has people like Matt Michelson with the Missouri Teachers Association worried about funding. Gov. Mike Parson said that education bill will cost $400 million more than anticipated. It includes raises for teachers and incentives for schools to stay in session five days a week.

“We have growth in current programs, and if we’re not seeing growth in the economy, where are those cuts going to come from? We know in the past, many of those cuts have come from K-12, transportation and even the foundation formula,” Michelson said.

One of the things that new law promises is a starting salary of $40,000 for teachers. That starting salary briefly changed Missouri’s status as the lowest paying in the country, but only if the state can keep up with it.

Missouri put $4 million toward raising that teacher pay in the most recent budget, but lawmakers will have to renew that grant every year for it to continue. The state would pay for 70% of the salary while the school districts must cover the rest.

This year, several Missouri lawmakers did try to implement the teacher salary grant permanently, but it never got past committee.

Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Karla Eslinger is preparing for her first state legislative session in a new position. She knows the state is facing a tighter budget next year. Small districts are only able to afford the new pay bump with the help of a state grant, but Eslinger is already thinking of sacrifices that might have to be made to protect that grant.

“If we’re not funded, I could act adequately, then obviously we’re not going to be able to do that, so other areas will probably have to be put aside or or not fully funded,” Eslinger said.

Eslinger is also focused on retaining quality teachers. In an anonymous survey conducted by the Missouri State Teachers Association, 70% of educators said they have seriously considered leaving the profession. The top reasons are stress, student behavior and lack of pay. According to the anonymous survey, a common reason for teachers to be stressed is low staffing.

“It depends on the quality of that teacher, then as far as what’s happening with the classroom and how successful the kids are,” Eslinger said. “So we’re again focusing on those pieces and hoping that we see some legislation that will help us to recruit and retain some really, really high fliers to meet the needs of our kids.”

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One week after entering the transfer portal, backup quarterback Beau Pribula has found a new home in the Show-Me State, joining the Missouri Tigers:

Pribula entered the portal on December 15 ahead of Penn State’s first round matchup with SMU. The York native played a vital role in Penn State’s rejuvenated offense in 2024, including an impressive second half performance at Wisconsin while Drew Allar was injured. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Current Missouri starting quarterback Brady Cook is out of eligibility after the season, giving Beau a solid chance to earn the starting job in 2025. After an 11-2 season in 2023 that featured a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State, the Tigers went 9-3 this season and finished No. 23 in the final CFP rankings, which earned them a bid in the Music City Bowl against Iowa.