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Mo. Senate stalls on K-12 funding formula changes

Legislation that would tweak Missouri’s funding formula for public schools has stalled in the State Senate on Wednesday, April 18, 2012.
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Legislation that would tweak Missouri’s funding formula for public schools has stalled in the State Senate on Wednesday, April 18, 2012.

 

Legislation that would tweak Missouri’s funding formula for public schools has stalled in the State Senate.  

The bill would more evenly distribute revenues among rural, urban and suburban K-12 schools.  St. Louis area senators from both political parties are opposing the bill.  Republican Eric Schmitt of St. Louis County said 90 percent of the funding for public schools in his district comes from local taxpayers.

“In the bill that’s being proposed right now, this shifts 60 million dollars away from districts that haven’t gotten any new money from the foundation formula…I don’t think that’s an equitable approach to deal with this issue…I think we ought to look at the entire formula, take a look at everything:  the cost of living difference between St. Louis and other parts of the state," Schmitt said.

The bill is sponsored by fellow Republican David Pearce, who represents portions of rural west central Missouri.  He says the lack of revenue makes it necessary to more evenly distribute K-through-12 funding among all public schools in Missouri.

 “There’s 522 school districts, and when you’re trying to come up with state policy you just can’t look at your own line item from back home…you have to see what’s good for the entire state, and that’s what this bill is all about," Pearce said.

The bill was debated for nearly two hours Wednesday morning before being laid aside.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.