Thursday, May 3, 2007
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Helps Kick Off Mid-Missouri Show-Me Scholars
New Education Program to Challenge Students
JEFFERSON CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt today helped launch the Show-Me Scholars Initiative for Mexico and Houston school districts. The program brings local business leaders into eighth-grade classrooms to motivate students to take challenging classes in high school.
“The Missouri Chamber of Commerce shares my commitment to helping Missouri students reach their full potential,” Blunt said. “Education is my highest priority as Missouri’s governor, and I am pleased business leaders and professionals are lending their talent through Show-Me Scholars to encourage students to work towards excellence as they begin to shape their education and their future.”
Blunt joined junior high students from the Houston R-1 and Mexico Public School District for today’s Mid-Missouri kick off event. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry spearheaded Show-Me Scholars to encourage students to reach their full potential, initially introducing the program in the Rockwood and Jennings School Districts.
The program is designed to challenge students to take difficult classes and to help them understand how the challenging courses will help them succeed after high school. The Show-Me Scholars Initiative will begin with four pilot school districts. The Missouri Chamber will work to extend this program to one-fourth of Missouri's school districts by 2010.
The program is modeled after a national program, the State Scholars Initiative, and is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
Blunt has helped ensure education is the state’s highest priority. He has increased funding for elementary and secondary education every year he has been in office. His proposed budget for next year combined with past increases totals more than one half of a billion dollars in funding for education in the last three years. His leadership has allowed for the expansion of Missouri's nationally recognized Parents as Teachers program and increased funding for A+ Schools. Blunt has also pledged that he will never withhold money approved for Missouri classrooms. He continues to identify ways to enhance Math, Engineering, Technology and Science (METS) learning in our state and hosted the first comprehensive summit to bring stakeholders together to identify solutions to current challenges in METS. In addition, his early childhood initiatives are working to ensure Missouri's youngest students get a head start on lifelong learning.