Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Contact: Spence Jackson, (573)751-0290
Blunt Signs Formula Focused on Missouri School Children’s Needs
JEFFERSON CITY—Gov. Matt Blunt today signed SB 287 defining an education funding formula that will ensure every Missouri child receives a world class education and that increases education funding by $800 million over the next seven years.
"This is one of the most important pieces of legislation I will sign as Governor and as a parent. I commend Senator Charlie Shields and Rep. Brian Baker for their role in crafting a formula that is easier to understand, provides increased funding to our schools without a tax increase, and most importantly, focuses on what is paramount–the needs of our students." Blunt said. "By focusing on the needs of Missouri school children rather than the tax capacity of a school district, the bill I signed today, ensures a more equitable distribution of dollars statewide."
Missouri’s new school funding formula delivers more money to classrooms, which will allow parents, teachers and school administrators to ensure that children succeed. The formula defines a target spending amount of $6,117 per student and recognizes the additional costs associated with educating students with special needs.
In addition to crafting a new formula, the Governor and Legislature have secured a $158 million funding increase for education, without increasing taxes on Missouri's hard working families. According to simulations conducted by Senate Appropriations and confirmed by Department of Elementary and Secondary Education no school will receive less funding under the new formula than they did in the previous year.
Parents, teachers, school board members and other administrators across the state, including the Missouri State Teachers Association and the Missouri School Boards Association, have expressed appreciation for Blunt's leadership in passing a formula that is equitable, that provides significant funding for Missouri schools, and that lives within the taxpayers’ means.
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