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Below the overview of the district are links to KBIA's coverage of Columbia 93 district schools, updated as more stories are published. Columbia 93 at a glanceThe Columbia 93 school district currently includes 32 different schools. In 2014, the district had a k-12 enrollment of 17,204 students, which is 2% of the total k-12 enrollment for the state. Enrollment has been slightly increasing in recent years, 2% since 2011. While a small percent, that amounts to almost 400 more students. There have also been major re-drawing of attendance areas with the addition of Battle High School. Middle school attendance areas shape high school boundaries 00000178-cc7d-da8b-a77d-ec7d2f9e0000The changes have affected all schools in the district, including causing high school attendance to increase and overcrowding at one middle school at least.

Columbia School Board supports raising state's cigarette tax

A report says one in four US high schoolers smoke first cigarettes before turning 18.
Sudipto Sarkar
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A report says one in four US high schoolers smoke first cigarettes before turning 18.

Columbia's school board has come out in favor of a state ballot measure that would raise the state's cigarette tax and possibly bring money to public schools.

Proposition B is a proposed tobacco tax on November's ballot. It would raise taxes on cigarettes purchased in Missouri, which is currently ranked 11th in smoking rates and has the lowest cigarette tax of any state. The proposed tax would move Missouri to 36th place in nation-wide cigarette taxes and some of the money collected would be used to fund public schools.

Columbia School Board member Jonathan Sessions says the money will be appreciated but he is more interested in the impact on smoking rates.

“Evidence shows that this price increase could be a barrier to youth beginning smoking at such an early age, and that’s my primary reason for being in support of Proposition B," Sessions says.

The school board approved the motion to officially be in favor of the bill by a vote of 7-1. School Board President Tom Rose dissented, saying he felt there wasn’t enough opportunity for public comment on the issue.

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