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Teachers in two metro-east school districts will lose their jobs because of budget cuts. School boards in both Collinsville and Belleville District 201 voted for layoffs Monday night.

Collinsville schools will be hit the hardest, with district officials voting to eliminate 16 full-time and three part-time teaching positions.

The Belleville district will cut three full-time teachers and one part-timer.

Both district boards say they have no choice but to make the cuts because the State of Illinois has failed to meet their financial obligations to the districts.

Missouri voters may be asked to amend the state Constitution to make prosecuting child sex offenders easier.

A 2007 Missouri Supreme Court ruling had banned prosecutors in child sex abuse cases from using "propensity evidence," which is often used to show a suspect has a proclivity to do the alleged crime. The ruling made Missouri the most restrictive state in the nation by banning such evidence as prior convictions.

Representative John McCaherty, a High Ridge Republican, filed a bill that would allow prosecutors to use prior convictions, along with findings by the state Children's Services Division indicating that sexual abuse of a child did occur, even if there were no charges filed.

The measure has already cleared the House and is now in the hands of the Senate.

A group of metro-east high school students will vie for the national title in the U.S. FIRST Robotics competition. Team 1208 from O'Fallon Township High School took first place in the weekend competition, along with its alliance partners Teams 3284 and 2408.

More than 40 teams from Missouri and four surrounding states participated in the event at the Chaifetz Arena.

The national championship competition will be held at the Edward Jones Dome in April.

This is the 24th year for the contest which is aimed at encouraging young people to be science and technology leaders.