JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The House debated and passed two education bills, SBs 586 and 651, Tuesday morning that some Democrats argued lower the ability to fully fund schools, while Republican supporters said it would make funding goals more achievable.
Republicans, including the bill’s handler Rep. David Wood, R-Versailles, said it was necessary to put in a five percent cap on the foundation formula to make it possible to fully fund education, saying “it’s probably the most necessary thing we’re going to do for education this year.”
However, Democrats, including Rep. Michael Butler, D-St. Louis, argued that it limited the amount of money that could be spent on schools and that it was a short-sighted plan that might help schools today, but hurt them a decade from now.
“My school district will lose out on about $3 million a year,” he said. “We need those [funds] for better teacher salaries. We need those [funds] for early childhood education…The school districts that will lose the least are the ones that don’t need it…Why are we making decisions today, in an election year, to fully fund an education system that hurts us 10 years down the line.”
But Rep. Kurt Bahr, R-St. Charles, said it was important to recognize that this bill meant more money for schools.
“Passing this bill actually means more money for schools next year,” he said. “We’re simply putting a reasonable growth into this formula.”
Other supporters of the bill said schools should learn to work with what they have before asking for more money and the opposition was more of a territorial battle over funding.
“Ask your superintendent if they were fully funded would they not ask for another nickel?” said Rep. Mike Lair, R-Chillicothe. “We need leadership. We give those folks money. We give them enough money to get a teacher and put folks in a chair. .. Quit whining about ‘they get more than we do, we get less than them.’”
Gov. Jay Nixon called last Friday for the House to act against the bill, saying it cut the foundation formula and would hurt schools.
“As Governor, I’ve increased the amount we’re investing annually in the formula by $400 million, and with our economy moving forward and revenues up, now is not the time to back up on our commitment to fully funding our public schools,” he said Friday. “Cutting back on the K-12 formula is the wrong policy at the wrong time, and it flies in the face of the message we’re trying to send our kids: that in a global economy we must continue to raise the bar, so they can be prepared for whatever the future brings.”
However, despite the Nixon’s opposition and robust debate from Democrats, the bill passed with 116 votes, well over the number needed to overturn a veto.
