Examining the impact of shifting educational funds from public to private schools in the new state budge
New Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe proposed a state budget on Jan. 28 that would shortchange local public school districts by $300 million while providing $50 million in direct taxpayer funding for private school tuition vouchers, a plan that appears to violate a state constitutional prohibition against granting public money to private entities.
Basic state funding for local K-12 schools is distributed in accordance with a complex formula established in state law.
The central feature of the formula is the “state adequacy target,” which is the amount of per-pupil funding deemed necessary under the law for students to achieve performance goals. In his budget plan, Governor Kehoe opted not to fund the adequacy target for the upcoming fiscal year. However, Kehoe is proposing a $200 million increase in formula funding to account for costs enacted last year to bolster funding for public schools as part of a legislative deal to secure passage of an expansion of Missouri’s private school voucher program.
But by not funding the adequacy target, the state will still fall $300 million short of hitting the minimum amount of K-12 funding called for under state law. Because the Missouri Constitution prohibits lawmakers from directly granting public money to private organizations or individuals, the state’s school voucher program currently is exclusively funded by private donations.
In exchange for those contributions, however, donors receive tax credits that reduce their state tax liability – and thus the amount of money coming into the state treasury.
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Office: MO House of Representatives • 201 West Capitol Avenue • Room 130-DA • Jefferson City MO 65101
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