More Than Half-a-Billion Dollars Increase for Missouri Students

by Brian L. Baker

President John F. Kennedy once stated, “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation."

Gov. Matt Blunt recently visited Missouri schools to announce his successful effort to provide more than half a billion dollars in new funding to Missouri students and classrooms over the last three years.

The Governor and the Legislature have made education the most important investment our state makes and is our highest priority. The Legislature gave Gov. Blunt a budget that he signed, delivering to Missouri classrooms more than half a billion dollars in new funding over the last three years. This action demonstrates the resolve of the General Assembly and the Governor to ensure our children receive the world-class education they must have in order to reach their full potential.

House Bill 2 that provides a significant increase in state funding to Missouri’s public school system. House Bill 2 includes an additional $132.6 million for the school funding formula, $27.9 million for the School District Trust Fund, $3.6 million increase for the A+ Schools Program, and a $2 million increase for the Parents as Teachers Program. The legislation also includes more than $500,000 for Character Education Programs that focus on school safety issues. The significant funding increase brings total funding allocated to education in Missouri to just more than $5.2 billion.

I attribute our success to a working partnership between local public schools and state government. House Bill 2 addresses children’s needs from birth to college and we know a child’s education begins long before they walk through the door of an elementary school.

The Legislature and Governor Blunt continue to identify ways to enhance Math, Engineering, Technology and Science (METS) learning in our state. His budget includes increases to fund 100 technology classrooms in 100 schools and to expand quality after-school programs for students to participate in math and science activities. Both the legislature and Governor Blunt have also secured funding to encourage more students to take advanced placement (AP) courses by paying a portion of the test fee for all students that take AP math and science exams.

Missouri officials also made successful effort to create a higher education reform package. The package increases funding for higher education, provides tuition stabilization, and increases scholarship funding from $27.5 million to $72.5 million.

President Kennedy was right...education is a “benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.”