Equity & Diversity State of the States

K-12 Programs Eyed for Spending

By Debra Viadero — January 13, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

• Missouri
• Gov. Matt Blunt

Gov. Matt Blunt, in his State of the State Address on Jan. 11, vowed to continue his efforts to make education his No. 1 budget priority for Missouri.

BRIC ARCHIVE

In his proposed $7.8 billion fiscal 2007 budget, the governor calls for boosting state spending on education by $325 million, or 4.4 percent over the current level.

Spending Equity: The increase would fully fund the school spending formula lawmakers approved last May. Aimed at making school spending more equitable across the state, the formula set a minimum funding level of $6,117 per pupil. (“Missouri OKs School Aid Plan; Likely Plaintiffs Unimpressed,” May 25, 2005.)

Read a complete transcript of Gov. Matt Blunt’s 2006 State of the State address. Posted by Missouri’s Office of the Governor.

A video of the governor’s speech is also posted. (Requires a media player.)

Gov. Blunt, a Republican, said the proposed increases include raising state aid to schools by $167 million; an additional $1 million for Missouri’s Parents as Teachers program for new parents; $6.1 million in additional aid to reimburse districts with high-cost special education students; $1.8 million more for the state’s A+ program, which underwrites the first two years of community college for students who meet certain requirements; and $17 million, or 1.9% more for state colleges and universities.

Spending Efficiency: Mr. Blunt, in his second year as governor, is also proposing a plan to ensure that school districts spend at least 65 percent of their budgets on teachers and students. That echoes a proposal being advanced in a number states around the country.

“We should ensure that as many of these new dollars as possible reach the classroom,” Mr. Blunt said. “I do not believe that it is acceptable to lag behind nearly every other state in teacher salaries, or for some districts to spend only 53 cents of every education dollar on student instruction.”

Related Tags:

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Equity & Diversity Trump Admin. Vows to End School Desegregation Orders. Some Say They're Still Needed
Civil rights activists say it would leave families with little recourse when they face discrimination.
6 min read
A person walks inside a barbed wire fence inside Ferriday High School in Ferriday, La., on May 22, 2025.
A person walks inside a barbed wire fence inside Ferriday High School in Ferriday, La., on May 22, 2025.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Equity & Diversity Opinion Let DEI Practices Die. Replace Them With Something Better
Individual student agency enabled by strong families and schools can lead students to success, writes a researcher.
Robert Maranto
5 min read
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon meets with students during a visit to Vertex Partnership Academies in New York on March 7, 2025.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon meets with students during a visit to Vertex Partnership Academies in New York City on March 7, 2025.
Courtesy of U.S. Department of Education
Equity & Diversity Opinion Boys Are Struggling in School. What Can Be Done?
Girls outpace boys at nearly every level of academic achievement. Author Richard Reeves shares his thoughts.
6 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Anti-DEI Policies Are Ramping Up—With Big Implications for College Access
A new study looks at how students of color could be affected by policies that ban DEI efforts.
6 min read
Three high school boys and one high school girl work together on an experiment in AP chemistry class.
Three high school boys and one high school girl work together on an experiment in AP chemistry class.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed