COLUMBIA — The Columbia School Board unanimously approved a $390.7 million budget for the 2026-27 school year at its meeting Monday.

Chief Financial Officer Heather McArthur presented a summary of the proposed budget again, as she did at a public hearing June 3. The vote was one of the last items on the Monday meeting’s agenda.

According to previous KOMU 8 reporting, the budget predicts spending to be nearly $11.7 million above expected revenue for next year.

Columbia Public Schools is planning to dip into reserves to cover the rising costs. Columbia School Board President John Lyman said he doesn’t know how much is in the reserves, but that the district is always watching to make sure there is enough money.

“A big part of the budget that we do is making sure that we always have at least three months worth of reserves in there,” Lyman said. “You’ve got to make sure you have those cash reserves for those expenses and things that you have.”

Lyman said one of the biggest changes from last year’s budget are the resources that are no longer granted by funding from the federal government. 

“So rather than cutting those services, cutting those programs and things for our students— we’re rolling that into our budget, so that we can keep that educational experience going,” Lyman said.

Health Science High School

The school board also heard a presentation from Director of Workforce Development Katie Siegel about the new Health Science High School that could be implemented as soon as Fall 2027.

The new school would partner with MU Health Care, and it would be considered a lottery status school. This would be the first high school lottery school in the district.

Before the presentation, Superintendent Jeff Klein noted the initiative is still in an ongoing process, but the steering committee overseeing this program wanted to share their progress and get more feedback.

Columbia Public Schools currently has five lottery schools that each have a specialized focus:

• Ridgeway Elementary School, which has individually guided education and multi-age classrooms
• Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary School, an arts school
• Two Mile Prairie Elementary School, a school with an agriculture focus
• Benton Elementary School, which emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math
• Jefferson Middle School, a STEM and arts school (STEAM)

According to a presentation at Monday’s meeting, the curriculum for the school would be designed to support a healthcare-focused learning experience. This would include simulation labs, introduction to healthcare pathways and hands-on learning.

“The students would be arriving in their scrubs and their classes would be seen through a healthcare lens,” Siegel said. “In addition to the healthcare curriculum focus, they would also be visiting the hospital, they’d be doing job shadowing and they would also have a mentor through the MU Health Care system.”

Siegel said the small pilot program would launch in the 2027-28 school year and would be housed at one of the existing high schools.

For the past three or four years, Columbia Public Schools has been looking to have a new high school with a focused curriculum, district spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said. It wasn’t until six months ago that a steering committee started to put this plan into action.

Siegel noted the school would be modeled after other similar out-of-state programs, including a school in Houston.

According to Siegel’s presentation, MU Health Care and Columbia Public Schools will identify the pathways students will train for based on workforce shortages and community needs.

“As part of our workforce development implementation, we want to provide choice for our students,” Siegel said. “We’re looking to increase that local talent pipeline into healthcare right here in our community of Columbia.”

Lyman said he believes this program would be a good opportunity for the Columbia community.

“A lot of folks have family members who are in the medical field,” Lyman said. “So, bringing that down into our schools to where they can start to have some of those experiences to get ready for potentially going out and getting jobs in those fields, is a cool thing.”

Siegel said the next steps in developing the Health Science High School is to get community feedback and spread the word about this program by meeting with parents, surveying students and informing to incoming high school classes about the program. 

The cost of the new program is uncertain, as it is too early in the process to give an estimate, according to Baumstark.

The Missouri Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal to a case against a proposed constitutional amendment that aims to eliminate the state income tax by expanding sales and use taxes to make up for lost revenue.

That means Missouri voters will decide on the Aug. 4 primary election whether to give lawmakers the ability to expand those taxes.

In May, Gov. Mike Kehoe announced the proposed amendment, titled Amendment 5, would appear on the August ballot instead of the November one.

A lawsuit filed against the amendment argued that it improperly amended Missouri’s constitution. It also called the ballot’s summary statement misleading.

Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh rejected those arguments last week. The plaintiffs appealed the ruling.

On Friday, the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals also ruled that the amendment will remain on the August ballot.

However, the court reversed Limbaugh’s ruling on the summary, saying it must be changed because it did not provide enough information.

The new summary, put forth by the Court of Appeals, will now say:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

• Require legislative phase-out of the individual state income tax based on revenue growth, and authorize the expansion of sales and use taxes;
• Curtail constitutional limits on taxing goods and services; and
• Require local tax rate cuts without reducing school funding if local sales tax revenue increases?

Despite succeeding on the ballot summary portion of the lawsuit, the plaintiffs in the case further appealed the decision to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Because the Missouri Supreme Court decided not to hear the case, the Court of Appeals ruling stands. That means the amendment will be listed on the August ballot.

The courts had a tight deadline to rule on this case. State law requires all changes to the primary ballot to be finalized on Tuesday, June 9.

In addition to Amendment 5, three other proposed constitutional amendments will appear on the same ballot, including one that aims to make it harder to amend Missouri’s constitution through the initiative petition process.

Missouri voters have approved constitutional amendments brought forward via initiative petition in prior elections, including overturning Missouri’s near total abortion ban and legalizing recreational marijuana.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has announced five appointments to state boards and commissions, including one reappointment.

Rachel Beushausen of Springfield was appointed to the Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board.

Beushausen previously served as an organizational and talent development assistant in the human resources department at Missouri State University. She is an advocate for foster care and currently serves as secretary of the Southwest Missouri Foster and Adoptive Parent Advisory Board. She earned an associate degree from Ozarks Technical Community College and later received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Drury University.

Alice Fuerst of Blue Springs was appointed to the State Oil and Gas Council.

Fuerst has taught geology as a part-time instructor at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City since 1997. She is a member of the Association of Missouri Geologists and serves as secretary and treasurer of the Missouri section of the American Institute of Professional Geologists. Her previous public service includes roles as a member and chairperson of the Blue Springs Solid Waste Management Commission, vice chairperson of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Well Installation Board, and geologist with the Environmental Protection Agency. Fuerst earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from Stephens College and a master’s degree in geology from the University of Missouri.

Jennifer “Beth” Houf of Jefferson City was appointed to the Children’s Trust Fund Board.

Houf serves as principal of Capital City High School in the Jefferson City School District. She is a member of several organizations and boards, including the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals, and Lincoln University’s REGAL Advisory Board. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in education curriculum and instruction, an educational specialist degree, and a Doctor of Education in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri.

Drew Lock of La Plata was appointed to the State Soil and Water Districts Commission.

Lock serves as president of Lock Farms Inc. and manager of Lock Land & Livestock LLC in northeastern Missouri. He is involved in agricultural and community organizations, including the Missouri Farm Bureau Board, where he serves as a member, and the Adair-Schuyler County Farm Bureau, where he serves as president. He is also a member of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and the La Plata FFA Advisory Board. Lock earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science from Northwest Missouri State University.

Craig Stevenson of Hallsville was reappointed to the Missouri State Foster Care and Adoption Board.

Stevenson serves as population health strategy manager for Home State Health and previously worked as director of policy and advocacy for Kids Win Missouri. He also serves on the stewardship committee of Centralia United Methodist Church and is president of the Hallsville R-IV School District Board of Education. Stevenson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Missouri.

Post Views: 1

Related