Issue Position: Education
Issue Position
Providing quality, appropriate education opportunities to every child from pre-school through college must remain the highest priority for the State of Missouri.
The legislature must fully fund the existing Foundation Formula. Schools about the state deserve to have the legislature keep the promise made when the formula -- facing a court threat -- was restructured.
At the same time, changes to enhance Missouri's long-term commitment to early childhood and K -- 12 education funding must be made, including
Develop a simpler, predictable formula for distributing funds to school districts;
Require Certificates of Value and scheduled State Auditor reviews of each county's assessment practices to insure all counties provide fair data to the state; and,
Eliminate the school district share of property taxes from Tax Increment Financing districts.
Every young child must have access to affordable, quality early childhood instruction. No longer can kids wait till their fifth or sixth year to begin their lifetime of learning. Efforts to move from a K -- 12 funding structure to a Pre K -- 12 structure in all districts must be supported.
Missouri invested generations of effort to build a system of state-supported colleges and universities. The ability of these institutions to provide quality, affordable instruction has been threatened by inadequate support and legislative meddling in the operation of these schools.
It is appropriate for the legislature to insure that tax dollars are well spent and that Missouri colleges are meeting the needs of students. It is not appropriate for elected representatives to interfere with personnel decisions or use funding as a coercive threat against particular administrators.
Community colleges serve as a critical resource for economic development in Missouri. These local institutions can quickly adapt to provide training for new employment opportunities of new and mature workers. The community colleges must also remain as the flexible, affordable schools for young people beginning their professional lives.
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