Contact: Scott Holste, (573) 751-0290
Channing Ansley, (573) 751-0290
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 24, 2014
Gov. Nixon visits Webb City to discuss making public education the state’s top priority
Governor applauds school district for scoring well on more rigorous state standards
WEBB CITY, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon today visited Webb City to meet with students and discuss the importance of making public education the state’s top priority. Earlier this month, following the defeat of a package of special interest tax breaks that would have drained money away from public education, the Governor announced the release of $143.6 million for local school districts and higher education institutions, including $567,975 for the Webb City R-VII School District.
“We know that quality public schools are vital to the success of our students and the strength of our economy, and that’s why public education needs to be the state’s top priority,” Gov. Nixon said. “Providing the kind of world-class education our kids need and deserve isn’t free, so I thank members of the legislature for joining me in getting these resources out to our classrooms and campuses.”
In addition, local schools will be spared an additional $93 million cut to their Proposition C sales tax revenues that would have resulted from these tax breaks becoming law.
Reiterating his commitment to high academic standards and strong accountability, the Governor also applauded Webb City schools for making solid progress on this year’s Annual Performance Report, increasing its score by 7.5 percentage points from 2013 to 2014, for a score of 95.0. In all, 56.6 percent of Missouri school districts this year increased their scores on the new, more rigorous standards recently implemented by the state.
In June, Gov. Nixon vetoed bills containing more than a dozen special tax carve-outs and loopholes passed by the legislature in the final hours of the legislative session. These provisions, which were not accounted for by the General Assembly in its budget, would have reduced state and local revenues by more than $776 million annually, including $93 million annually from dedicated Proposition C sales tax revenues for local schools.
The funds released earlier this month by the Governor include $100,200,000 for the K-12 foundation formula and $43,396,533 in performance funding for the state’s public colleges and universities.
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