Braun budget proposes major K‑12 increase, fully funds Medicaid growth and expands school choice while cutting administrative costs

Secretary Lisa Hirschman, the governor's Secretary of Management and Budget, and State Budget Director Chad Rainey presented Governor Braun's recommended biennial budget to the House Ways and Means Committee, saying it preserves a structural surplus while prioritizing education, Medicaid and tax relief.

The administration's proposal invests roughly $540,000,000 in new K‑12 funding over the biennium, fully funds close to $1,700,000,000 in projected Medicaid growth, expands the Choice Scholarship (voucher) program to all families, and seeks to eliminate the childcare subsidy wait list with a $312,000,000 appropriation for early childhood learning and $46,000,000 for a pre‑K pilot. Secretary Hirschman said the budget also includes significant tax relief initiatives and aims to keep the state's AAA credit rating.

Why it matters: The presentation frames the package as balancing competing pressures: slowing revenue growth, rising Medicaid costs and a desire to deliver tax relief and education investments. Rainey repeatedly said the administration…