Budget & Finance

Mo. House OKs Bill Sparing Some Schools From Cuts

By The Associated Press — March 18, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Missouri House endorsed legislation Wednesday that would shield more than one-quarter of Missouri’s public school districts from a midyear funding cut caused by state budget troubles.

Declining state revenues prompted Gov. Jay Nixon to conclude Missouri wouldn’t have enough money to make midyear payments to districts totaling $43 million. The payments weren’t included in the state’s budget but were called for under its school financing formula.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education had planned to divide the shortfall among all 523 school districts. But legislation given first-round House approval exempts about 150 districts from funding reductions. The bill needs another vote to move to the Senate.

The exemption would go to districts that didn’t benefit from an increase in state aid under the funding formula developed in 2005. They include the state’s two largest districts of St. Louis and Kansas City, as well as some of the largest suburban districts and a mixture of small, rural districts.

But many rural lawmakers contend the legislation unfairly leaves some school districts absorbing budget cuts that should be shared by all. The House rejected 83-73 an amendment that would have split the funding cut among all districts.

Rep. Rachel Bringer, who represents a relatively rural area in northeast Missouri, pointed to a map showing the state’s school districts to highlight her point that wealthier districts were getting a boost at the expense of others. Bringer referred several times to schools in the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood, which she said spends twice as much per student as some rural schools.

“It’s just completely adding insult to injury to ask the rural districts that are on the formula to take the cut that the districts that should have been cut years ago refuse to take today,” said Bringer, D-Palmyra.

Rep. Rick Stream, a Republican who served more than a decade on the school board in Kirkwood, said residents chose to pay more in local taxes to help their schools. They did not benefit from the funding increases that went to most schools under the state financing formula, he said.

Associated Press Writer Chris Blank wrote this report.

Related Tags:

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
IT Infrastructure & Management Webinar
The Reality of Change: How Embracing and Planning for Change Can Shape Your Edtech Strategy
Promethean edtech experts delve into the reality of tech change and explore how embracing and planning for it can be your most powerful strategy for maximizing ROI.
Content provided by Promethean

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

Budget & Finance Districts Won’t Owe Extra Overtime Costs After Court Nixes Federal Rule
The incoming Trump administration is not likely to appeal the decision.
2 min read
Image of a clock, calendar, and a pencil.
Tatomm/iStock/Getty
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Budget & Finance Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About STEM Funding?
Answer 6 questions about funding STEM education.
Content provided by PLTW
Budget & Finance No More School Lunch Fees for Low-Income Families, USDA Says
Districts have until 2027 to eliminate processing fees for students who get reduced-price meals.
3 min read
TIghtly cropped photograph showing a cafeteria worker helping elementary students select food in lunch line. Food shown include pizza, apples, and broccoli.
iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance Don't Forget About Money for Schools: How Public Education Fared at the Polls
Voters approved billions for school construction bonds in California—but rejected more than $4 billion in bond spending in Houston.
5 min read
Photo collage of U.S. currency and stock market trading graph.
Getty