Good morning. Earlier this morning, I held a conference call with leaders of groups representing teachers, administrators and board members all across our state. I told them about my grave concerns that when it comes to public education, this legislature is once again veering dangerously off course.
I’ve said it many times: education is the best economic development tool there is and it’s a value we share as Missourians.
We know that the investments we make in our students and schools will strengthen our communities today and pay enormous dividends for our economy in the future.
That’s why the balanced budget I presented to the General Assembly included record funding for our K-12 classrooms, with a $150 million increase for local public school districts. Under my budget, foundation formula funding will be $400 million above where it was when I became governor.
My budget also included an additional $56 million in higher education performance funding, bringing institutional funding to an all-time high and allowing our colleges and universities to once again freeze tuition for Missouri undergraduates.
Missouri is number one in the nation in holding down college tuition increases at our public universities, and with my budget we’ll stay number one this year.
These investments are smart, they are fiscally responsible and they are necessary, if we’re going to prepare our students for the demands of the 21st century economy.
Unfortunately, there are those who don’t share this priority.
And with the legislative session not even halfway over, I’m deeply troubled by a trend that’s already developing: a repeated failure to prioritize public education, and a cynical effort to hide it.
First, yesterday afternoon, the House approved a budget that falls short of my proposal for K-12 classrooms.
The House budget also completely zeroes out the general revenue increase for higher education performance funding. Unless the Senate takes action to reverse these cuts to higher education, our colleges and universities will receive no increase in GR performance funding next year – and it’s students who will be left picking up the tab through higher tuition and fees.
Hiking up the cost of college would be bad for students, and terrible for our economy, and I’m urging the Senate to put these dollars back in the budget so that Missouri can remain a national leader in college affordability.
The House’s budget also raids general revenue to patch potholes – a dramatic and dangerous departure from how we’ve funded transportation in this state. In Missouri, we have always funded transportation through dedicated taxes and user fees – not from the general revenue we use to fund priorities like public education and mental health. Redirecting this revenue to roads is wrong – and we know where it will lead: less money for public schools.
At the same time, legislators are once again pushing forward another cavalcade of special interest tax breaks, which would further undermine our ability to fund public education now and in the future.
After enacting a half-billion-dollar Kansas-style tax cut over my veto in 2014, now they’re at it again. We’re not even halfway through the legislative session, and there are dozens of special tax breaks advancing, which would take hundreds of millions more dollars from our public schools.
All told, there have been more than 40 tax breaks filed this session. Many of them would begin to kick in immediately – and none of them have been accounted for in the budget.
In total, if all these special interest giveaways were to pass – they would reduce general revenue by more than $700 million each year when fully implemented and more than $140 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1 – and not a penny of it accounted for in the budget passed by the House.
These tax breaks aren’t paid for, they won’t benefit most Missourians, and they won’t move our state forward.
Given all this, it’s no wonder they’re also rushing to pass a bill that would cut the amount of education funding called for under Missouri’s K-12 foundation formula.
Senate Bill 586, which passed the Senate unanimously last week, would lower the bar we’re supposed to meet to fully fund our schools – to the tune of $300 million.
The legislators supporting this bill have tried to say it’s an effort to support our schools, but by any measure it’s a step backwards, and I cannot support it.
Cutting back on the formula for K-12 education funding is a cynical attempt to shield legislators from the consequences of their own reckless tax breaks and budget gimmicks, 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 that they can be prepared for whatever the future brings.
Underfunding our schools…Increasing college tuition… Passing more irresponsible tax breaks…
Weakening the foundation formula for our K-12 classrooms…Taking money from school kids and using it to fund potholes.
That’s just not what you do when public education is your top priority.
And that’s why I’m urging the legislature to put students first: adopt my recommendation for K-12 and higher education. Stop trying to send money from classrooms to fund road. Abandon these irresponsible tax breaks, and set aside this effort to lower the foundation formula.
Together, I’m confident we can invest in our local schools, keep college affordable – and continue building a brighter and more prosperous future for all Missourians.
