| NEWS | Missouri General Assembly
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 11, 2014
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CONTACT: Rep. John J. Diehl, Jr.
573-751-1544
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House Leadership Stands United in Defense of Vital Education Funding
Pleads with Governor to Maintain K-12 Education Funding Increase
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In anticipation of withholds from the state budget, leadership in the Missouri House is asking Governor Nixon to protect education funding. For the past several years Governor Nixon has withheld funding to education, and is anticipated to do the same this year as state revenue falls short of projections.
Earlier in the year the governor insisted on what the legislature believed to be overly optimistic revenue projections. Gov. Nixon insisted on a figure of 2.8 percent growth while the legislature crafted the budget based on a more realistic projection. Revenue numbers released last week showed revenue growth of only 0.2 percent through the first 11 months of the 2014 fiscal year.
“With state revenue growth considerably less than what Nixon’s office predicted, we know this will again open the door for the governor to target funding for vital state services like education and mental health,” said Speaker Pro Tem Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg. “All we are asking is the Governor defend our state’s top priority—the funding of K-12 education.”
This year the General Assembly’s passed the largest K-12 budget in state history, increasing funding by as much as $278 million if state revenues reach projections. Hoskins and Majority Leader John J. Diehl, Jr. said the lower revenue numbers mean the governor will need to work hard to find ways to protect the state’s investment in education.
“An investment in quality education for our state is an investment in a better future for Missouri,” said Diehl, R-Town and Country. “This year the legislature showed their dedication to education by passing the largest increase in K-12 funding in state history. I implore the Governor to put his money where his mouth is and honor the state’s primary responsibility of funding education.”
Diehl added, “The governor has a history of withholding hundreds of millions from our K-12 education system and it is time for him to break from tradition by standing up for our young people and protecting the funding our schools need to provide a quality education.”
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