Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the K 12 Education Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Missouri House approves $47.9 billion operating budget but debate centers on K‑12 funding
Summary
Lawmakers passed the chamber’s operating appropriations package including record investments in K‑12 education but divided over whether the foundation formula was fully funded and a related expansion of private-school support.
The Missouri House of Representatives on April 2 passed the chamber’s operating appropriations bill and several companion spending bills, approving what the budget chairman called a $47.9 billion operating budget that he said leaves $2 billion on the bottom line.
The House committee substitute for House Bill 2, the K‑12 appropriations bill, passed on third reading with a recorded vote of 95 yeas, 34 nays and 25 present. The motion for third reading and passage was made by the budget chairman, the Gentleman from McDonald. The bill includes what the budget chairman described on the floor as roughly $4,000,000,000 in funding for public education and specific line‑item increases tied to last year’s education package, Senate Bill 727.
The bill funds multiple elements tied to SB 727 and increases transportation reimbursements, but some lawmakers said the package falls short of fully funding the foundation formula at the level they expected. Representative from Jackson criticized the measure for not fully restoring the foundation formula after last year’s expansion of parental choice programs, saying the shortfall effectively shifted the burden to local taxpayers. Representative from Randolph, who serves as vice chair of the appropriations education subcommittee and chair of the education policy committee, said the provisions of SB 727 were funded where the statute required and that the bill “funds the foundation formula at the SAT level that is the call for 2025.”
Supporters pointed to new and continuing funding lines. The budget chairman said the bill increases the foundation formula by a record level and includes $15,000,000 for K‑12 transportation reimbursement for fiscal year 2026, and described the overall package as a balanced, sustainable budget. Lawmakers who opposed the bill cited cuts or relative reductions in the foundation formula, reduced childcare subsidies and the timing of other policy choices.
Debate included multiple specific concerns. Representative from Saint Louis City argued the bill “is a choice to leave public schools behind,” while the Representative from Greene County noted the budget funds transportation at the maximum statutory reimbursement (75% of eligible miles) and said fully funding that line benefits more districts than a straight foundation increase. The Representative from Saint Louis urged members to consider impacts on school food programs and said the bill
