Some recent news from the state left Ben Rubey overjoyed. The Excelsior Springs Career Center director learned the center had been approved for a $546,070.75 grant offered through Missouri HB 3002, legislation designating educationrelated appropriations. Per Section 2.120 of the bill, the state government earmarked $5.5 million for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to offer school districts “for the design, renovation, construction and improvements of career (vocational) technical schools” via 50/50 matching grants. Rubey shared the news with school district leaders during the Oct. 10 Board of Education meeting at the Support Services Center shortly before the board approved accepting the funding and utilizing it for facility renovation and expansion. He was “pretty excited about” the amount received, given the amount of funding available, he said. “So we got roughly 10 percent of the overall grant … That w...