The St. Joseph School District has released the student achievement portion of the Annual Performance Review.

Subjects covered under the report data include English, math, science and social studies.

“Generally we’re pleased with the scores on the new assessments which would encompass the English scores and the Math scores largely because we exceeded the national performance predictions that were generated from field test data,” said Dr. Kendra Lau, Assessment Dir. “We did not exceed the state-wide averages except for math in sixth grade.”

Statewide, Missouri students exceeded projected performance in the first assessment of new standards for English and math (science and social studies content standards were the same). The 2015 spring assessments represent the first time Missouri students were tested on new standards in English and math.

“While we celebrate this performance, the St. Joseph School District seeks to continually improve student achievement performance and thus, we acknowledge a need to grow,” Lau said. “The differences between the state and the SJSD were less than 5%. So while these percentage differences are real, they are at the same time realistic hurdles to be overcome with the hard work of improving student learning and achievement performance.”

When the data is broken into grade level achievement scores, the majority of the results (Percent Advanced or Proficient) trend slightly below the state results. Sixth grade math exceeded the
state average by 4.5%. In addition, Algebra 2 students exceeded the statewide average by 17.4%. However, a smaller group of students took the Algebra 2 test as compared with the other grade levels reported.

“Areas of focus for continued hard work include math in grades 7, 8, and Algebra 1, as the results show the St. Joseph School District performed under the state average by 8.7%, 9.2%, and 11.6% respectively,” Lau said. “While we are focused on these areas, the St. Joseph School District acknowledges students in the lower grades have been using the standards throughout their educational “careers” and thus may show higher levels of proficiency than students in the upper grades.”

She said this is due to students in the upper grades experiencing curricular changes during their careers and this type of trend (higher proficiency levels in elementary grades) was also observed statewide.

The district said it serves a diverse community and continues to work to close the performance gap among races and income levels. However, the results show that the gap in the St. Joseph School District continues at 11% percentage points. At the same time, this is less than the statewide gap of 13%.

2015 SJSD Achievement Level 4 Chart[2]

2015 State Achievement Level 4 Chart[2]

Burglary charges led investigators to search a home and seize Marijuana plants in Livingston County.

William Shaffer, 37 of Ludlow and Gary Calvert, 21 of Chillicothe are both charged with five felonies, one for burglary, three counts of theft/stealing and one for possession of burglary tools and a misdemeanor for property damage in Daviess County. The suspect were charged in connections with the alleged burglary and stealing from a business in Daviess County.

The individuals were charged July 27. Two days later the Livingston County Sheriff’s department searched a home in the 8000 block of Liv 525. According to court documents Calvert lived at a location in the 8000 block of Liv 525. LCSO said after searching the residence officers recovered an alleged stolen Stihl Chainsaw and Toolbox with various tools and seized several Marijuana plants.

LCSO said potential additional charges are pending in Livingston County.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The St. Joseph City Council is considering an ordinance to end some court fees.

The discussions, scheduled for Monday, are in response to newly signed legislation limiting cities’ ability to profit from traffic tickets and court fines.

The legislation was an effort to address concerns raised after last year’s shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson.

Supporters of the legislation have said it will address the predatory revenue-generating practices of Ferguson’s police and court system that were detailed in a Justice Department report. But St. Joseph leaders say one other effect has been that the new law no longer authorizes cities to collect certain fees.

Under consideration for possible elimination is a $25 failure to appear fee and a $50 warrant processing fee.

The Highway Patrol is planning a safety initiative to focus on drivers engaging in risky driving behavior in every state where I-35 and/or I-80 pass through.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol the  I-80/I-35 Border-to-Border traffic safety initiative will run from August 28-30.  During that time  motorists will notice state troopers and other law enforcement officers out in full force in the 16 states where I-80/I-35 pass through. The troopers will be strictly enforcing all traffic laws and providing assistance to motorists when needed.

Both I-80 and I-35 have high volumes of traffic. In Missouri, this initiative will take place in the Troop H area on Interstate 35.

“Driving is a full-time job,” said Captain McDonald, commanding officer of Troop H. “Please put your cell phone away, be a courteous driver, and pay attention when you’re on the road. Troopers are pleased to join the I-80/I-35 Border-to-Border initiative by providing additional officers on I-35.”

From 2009-2013, 73 people were killed nationwide in traffic crashes during the month of August while traveling on I-35. Of the 73 killed nationwide, four were killed in crashes occurring on the portion of I-35 that runs through Missouri.

The border-to-border traffic safety initiative was developed by the Iowa State Patrol and supported by the National Highway Safety Administration.

A free workshop to promote children’s literacy is being held next week by local agencies.

United Way Success By 6® and St. Joseph School District Parents as Teachers is offering FREE READ from the START Parent Training Opportunity.

Parents and other caregivers of young children are invited to attend a free session about early literacy on Wednesday, Aug. 19 from 6 to 8 pm at Rolling Hills Consolidated Library, 1912 N. Belt Highway.

Children who grow up hearing stories and looking at books fall in love with language. READ from the START is a reading program that teaches parents and caregivers the joy and benefits of reading to children from birth to five years old. Attendees will learn how reading to children helps strengthen the parent/child bond, prepares children for future learning and helps children fall in love with books and stories.

Limited, free childcare will be provided during the program by St. Joseph School District Parents as Teachers with advance reservation. Light refreshments will be served and attendees will receive five award-winning books. Reservations can be made by calling (816)364-2381.

St. Joseph, Mo. – Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) foresters say homeowners in northwest Missouri may want to make plans now on protecting or replacing ash trees. The Missouri Department of Agriculture recently reported that the emerald ash borer, an insect that kills ash trees, was found for the first time in Buchanan County.

Adult emerald ash borers were collected at three locations: near Faucett, Mo.; at MDC’s Pigeon Hill Conservation Area, and on the eastern edge of St. Joseph. The collections were not unexpected since their populations have been rapidly building in the south in Platte County, said Rob Lawrence, MDC forest entomologist. The destructive borers have also been found in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. They are confirmed in 13 Missouri counties, and they have been found in Kansas.

Emerald ash borers are an Asian beetle that tunnel under the bark of ash trees, which disrupts the flow of water and nutrients and eventually kills the tree. The metallic, dark-green beetles are about one-inch long when fully developed. Larvae leave S-shaped tunnels under bark. Adults leave D-shaped exit holes in bark when they emerge. As their numbers grow, they cause more damage to a tree.

Homeowners will want to decide if they want to save a valued ash tree by beginning treatments next spring, or if they instead want to plant another tree species as an eventual replacement, said Lonnie Messbarger, an MDC resource forester based in St. Joseph.

Ash trees can be treated to protect them from the borers. Treatment costs vary by the size of tree and type of treatment used, Lawrence said. Treatment costs can be as little as about $25 per tree for a do-it-yourself treatment on a small ash tree that must be repeated annually. But treatments can range up to a few hundred dollars for a large ash tree that is treated by a professional arborist on one- to three-year intervals, depending on type of treatment. Large ash trees cannot be effectively treated on a do-it-yourself basis.

The emerald ash borer populations will have to build for a few years before many trees are actually killed, Messbarger said. Also, it is too late this year to consider treatment, because insecticides are most effective in spring and early summer when adults are active and larvae are beginning to develop, generally early May to June. But some treatments may need to be applied earlier in spring.

Most movement of emerald ash borers to new regions throughout the United States has been caused by people moving firewood. MDC foresters urge that firewood not be moved from one local area to another to help slow the spread of the pest. Those burning wood, including campers, are urged to buy locally harvested wood.

All Missouri counties are now under a federal and state quarantine preventing the movement of ash nursery stock, any parts of ash trees, and hardwood firewood out of the state of Missouri.

The man accused of shooting and killing a man in broad daylight in St. Joseph earlier this month made his first court appearance today.

Charles Leroy Coats Jr., 32 of St. Joseph is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Jason Ginn, 32 of St. Joseph.

According to court documents on August 1 witnesses saw Coats on the front porch of his residence get into a verbal argument with Ginn and as Ginn started walking away witnesses said Coats pulled a handgun and began firing.  An autopsy found Ginn suffered four gunshot wounds to various parts of his body and died from a fatal gunshot wound to his head.

Police said Coats fled the area after the shooting.  He surrendered to law enforcement in Columbia, Mo. five days later.

 

Route H in Agency reopened for travel Thursday after being closed due to flooding.

The Missouri Department of transportation announced that crews were able to reopen the road in Buchanan County at noon.

It’s the last road that was closed in northwest Missouri to reopen.

The St Joseph School District will turn a profit on a controversial painting purchased for the office of a fired administrator.

The bidding has already topped the purchase price in an auction on the Web site eBay.  The painting by Thomas Kinkade is called “City by the Bay: Sunset on Fisherman’s Wharf.”

It was purchased for $1,500 during an office upgrade for district’s fired Chief Operating Officer Rich Hartigan.

Last week, the district announced it was putting the painting up for auction on eBay (read our coverage here).

The bidding started Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the auction site had recorded 18 bids, and the current bid was $1,825.  (Get the latest auction info here)

The description on eBay is telling:  “Originally purchased for executive office decoration, the painting was identified in the 2015 Missouri State Audit Report as an item that “appears unreasonable and/or does not appear to benefit the school district.”  Proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to the St. Joseph School District. – Certificate of Limitation & Authenticity along with descriptive owner’s manual included.”