Month: December 2025

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools filed a lawsuit Monday that claims the establishment of charter schools in Boone County is unconstitutional, with district leaders talking to reporters about the issue in a news conference afterward.

The lawsuit names the state attorney general and the Missouri State Board of Education.

It focuses on one of two groups that want to create a Boone County charter school — Frontier. The Columbia Board of Education has written to the state board opposing Frontier, Columbia board member Suzette Waters said.

“These actions are protecting constitutional principles, ensuring that public education decisions in the county are made by people who are accountable to the voters and the families that live here,” CPS Board President John Lyman said.

CPS argues that the state’s Republican-led legislature purposely targeted Boone County for the expansion of charter schools through Senate Bill 727, which was signed by Gov. Mike Parson in May 2024.

While SB 727 does not call out Boone County by name, a rule in it mentions that charter schools may be operated only in counties “between 150,000 and 200,000 inhabitants.”

According to census data, Boone County is the only county in the state that matches this description.

According to court documents, CPS adds that demographers expect Boone County will exceed 200,000 residents in five years, exceeding the rule.

“The pretextual population bracket lacks elasticity and cannot operate as a general law over time. The application of the classification to population trends throughout the state demonstrates that the population bracket included in the Boone County Provision was crafted to reach Boone County and Boone County alone. That is a violation of the Missouri Constitution,” according to court documents.

Sponsored by Saint Louis University, Frontier’s school would serve pre-K through fifth-grade students. Frontier Schools already operates a 1,595-student school in Kansas City and aims to expand educational choices for families in Boone County. The group’s application was approved by the Missouri Charter Public School Commission in November.

“We respect the legal process and will continue to follow all applicable state laws and guidance from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as our application proceeds,” Frontier said in a statement. “We believe families in Columbia deserve access to additional high-quality, tuition-free public school options.”

Job Point, another organization, has also expressed intentions to open a charter school in Boone County. Job Point’s proposed school would focus on vocational skills for high school students through its established YouthBuild program.

The Missouri Charter Public School Commission unanimously approved Job Point’s letter of intent on Oct. 9, inviting the group to apply to establish the charter school, which aims to open for the 2027 school year.

Frontier has an application in for its school, while Job Point does not, Waters said.

She said Frontier plans to open a selective school, even though charter schools are supposed to be open to all.

Plaintiffs Verified Petition for Declaratory Judgment and Injunctive ReliefDownload

Waters also said the charter school took no local public input and did not plan to have offices in Boone County, adding that charter schools do not participate in screening students for learning disbilities through Missouri’s MAP-A test.

“Frontier plans to open a selective school funded by your tax dollars for children whose parents are currently paying private school tuition,” Waters said.

CPS leaders said the Columbia Board of Education unanimously approved of the lawsuit.

“We are confident that the points of our litigation are solid and that we have good standing,” Waters said.

The charter school commission sponsors 21 charter schools in the state, primarily in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. YouthBuild has also partnered with charter schools in other states, including California, where it operates 18 school sites.

DESE declined to comment. ABC 17 News also reached out to the Attorney General’s Office and SLU but did not hear back.

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Haley Swaino

EDITOR’S NOTE: Old data has been removed.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri is set to host its 19th annual One for One Holiday Food & Fund Drive on Wednesday. Items gathered will provide food to families in need during the holiday season and beyond.

The Food Bank has more than 145 partner agencies and 200 partner schools that help distribute food in its 32-county service area.

“It’s a very big operation,” Community Engagement Specialist Carlos Byrd said. “Our team down at the warehouse has got a big calendar with all of our partners in it, and every year we do a big round of scheduling everyone’s pickups and deliveries.”

The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri serves 32 (dark purple) of Missouri’s 114 counties. [Courtesy: The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri]

In Boone County, more than 30 agencies partner with The Food Bank, including Aging Best, Hogan House, In2Action, Powerhouse, Tiger Pantry, True North, Turning Point and Welcome Home.

Byrd is the community engagement specialist for Boone County, where he said the need for food is high.

“In our service area of Boone County, in Columbia specifically, is the highest population area and specifically the highest food insecure population. So this is really where we are seeing the most need,” Byrd said.

Columbia’s Hogan House Food Pantry started in the winter of 2020. Do Something Right Now Executive Director Sue Riley, a nonprofit which Hogan House falls under, said The Food Bank helped get the pantry started.

“Our very first donation from was from them [The Food Bank], and it was this beautiful refrigerator,” Riley said. “And we were so excited to get it because it was our first steps.”

Back then, the Hogan House was providing 200 food boxes a month.

Five winters later, and Riley said the pantry serves about 150 families each weekend.

She said items are delivered daily through The Food Bank’s retail rescue program.

“It’s a huge blessing because this week, every time we emptied our shelves, we got a retail recovery and that filled them back up,” Riley said.

Byrd said The Food Bank has many retailer partners from grocery stores to restaurants that donate food nearing its expiration.

He said Columbia’s new Trader Joe’s has been a great donation partner this season.

“On Hogan House’s first pickup from Trader Joe’s, they got an entire van full when they went. It was really lovely,” Byrd said. “Later in the day, the store captain over at Trader Joe’s called the contact at Hogan House and said, ‘Hey, do you want to come get an entire other van full?’ So they got a whole other round of food and donations for that day. And that meant that their donation distribution to neighbors the next couple of days had a lot of really great fresh produce.”

Boone County isn’t the only area in need.

In Cole County, The Food Bank has 11 partner agencies, including Building Community Bridges, Catholic Charities, First Christian Church Food Pantry, Rape & Abuse Crisis Services, Salvation Army and the Samaritan Center.

The Food Bank’s interactive map can help people find partner agencies or schools distributing food near them.

The most needed items at the One for One Holiday Drive are canned meat/protein, canned fruits and vegetables, canned soups/chilis/stews, boxed meal kits, cereal, peanut butter and pasta, according to The Food Bank’s website.

The Food Bank also welcomes monetary donation. $1 helps The Food Bank provide three meals, according to spokeswoman Katie Geisler. That means a $25 donation will provide at least 75 meals.

Food and funds can be donated at two locations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday — the Columbia Mall and Buchheits in Jefferson City.

Firefighters from Columbia Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 1055 will volunteer during the One for One drive. The 12-hour event will also have fire engines, music and Santa.

People interested in donating can visit sharefoodbringhope.org for more information.

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