Job Point seeks permission to build Boone County charter school
Marie Moyer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Employment and education center Job Point hopes to establish a charter school in Boone County.
The organization has submitted a letter of intent to the state-run Missouri Charter Public School Commission, which will be voted on Thursday.
If approved, Job Point will be invited to apply to establish a charter school.
Job Point has been in operation since 1965 and provides services like affordable housing, disability services and job assistance. The center helps connect people to certification and technical skill programs.
Losing federal funds is Job Point’s YouthBuild program, which provides on-site construction training to at-risk and low-income youth aged 16 to 24.
“This would be doing what we’re doing, just finding a way to keep it going,” Job Point President and CEO John Scalise said.
According to Job Point, YouthBuild has nationally served over 200,000 young people who have built over 36,000 affordable housing units. The organization claims 75% of U.S. YouthBuild participants have reported earning a diploma or credential, and 45% reported transitioning to jobs or postsecondary education.
Scalise adds that the program has sees around 80 students annually. Job Point also partners with Hallsville, Southern Boone and Columbia Public Schools through the program.
“A lot of the youth that we’re working with may be dealing with some significant adult life situations, even though they’re still youth, and don’t have the time to spend in school,” Scalise said.
Scalise said in an email to ABC 17 News that operating as a charter school would be a viable option for continuing the program because of federal funding issues through the Department of Labor.
“The grant funds are in the last cycle and will be used by 2028,” Scalise said. “There presently are no funded future grants for YouthBuild. We see this change as an opportunity to pursue opening the Charter School.”
According to Job Point’s letter of intent, the YouthBuild Workforce Charter School of Columbia will “pair YouthBuild’s existing vocational training and educational programs with the Missouri Option Program (MO-Options) for high school graduation.”
YouthBuild will help provide vocational and construction training, while MO-Options helps students navigate high school diploma and career guidance.
The letter states that students who are at-risk or have dropped out of high school will be the focus of enrollment. During its first five years of operation, the school will serve students in grades 9 through 12, with plans to eventually offer technical school apprenticeships for individuals beyond high school once it reaches full capacity. The charter school will also continue its current partnership with local public schools.
“What they have told us so far shows us that it is worth our time to take a look at a proposal from them, and we don’t do that with everybody,” MCPSC spokesperson Jeff Rainford said.
Job Point expects to have an enrollment of 45 students in the first year, 95 in the fifth year of operation, and over 200 students when at capacity.
YouthBuild has also partnered with charter schools in other states, including California, where it operates 18 school sites.
According to Job Point, the YouthBuild program has a $600,000 annual budget. The organization expects operating costs to increase when partnering with MO-Options.
YouthBuild Workforce Charter School is currently the only application submitted from the Columbia/Boone County area.
The charter school commission sponsors 21 charter schools in the state, primarily in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. Six schools have an approved letter of intent and are in various stages of the application process.
Democratic Representative Kathy Steinhoff of Columbia is supportive of Job Point’s work but hopes the center works with Columbia Public Schools to be a sponsor.
“When the school district is the sponsor, the locally elected school board continues to make the decisions about local funds and is accountable to the public,” Steinhoff said.
The YouthBuild charter school would open for the 2027 school year.