Maryville Schools

After two months, nearly a dozen meetings, and multiple reversals, the St Joseph School District Board of Education says it has committed on a vote to close Lafayette High School and convert the building to a middle school beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The vote will occur at their board meeting on Nov. 24, which has been the board’s self-imposed deadline to decide on a school consolidation plan as it faces a funding crisis.

Last month, the St. Joseph School District Board of Education unanimously adopted a grassroots plan to preserve all three of the city’s high schools, despite facing enrollment declines and a budget crisis. That plan is no longer.

A community-driven effort to preserve three high schools and seek cost-savings elsewhere is the latest plan to bring the embattled school system back to health.

The Northwest Missouri State University Board of Regents met on Oct. 24 with an agenda light on business but heavy with ceremony ahead of the university’s homecoming festivities.

As many as 4,000 students and nearly 500 staff members in the St. Joseph School District are unsure where they will attend or teach in the 2026-2027 school year.

Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released a set of policy guidelines over the summer on the use of Artificial Intelligence in k-12 classrooms.School districts in our region are now deciding how approach to the technology.