Education
Missouri lawmakers send bill to increase funding for charter schools to governor
Missouri charter schools will see millions in increased funding under a bill headed to Gov. Mike Parson’s desk with provisions protecting money allocated to local school districts. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, has been a three-year effort by charter school proponents to obtain more funds for their students. The bill also […]
With open enrollment dead, Missouri lawmakers push carve-out for some property owners
A statewide open enrollment system that would allow students to attend a school district outside of one in which they reside is likely dead with just three days left in the legislative session. But proponents are optimistic a much more narrowly-tailored version focused exclusively on people who own multiple properties in different school districts is […]
‘Crescendo of craziness’: Missouri legislature enters final week with long to-do list
Missouri lawmakers enter the final week of the legislative session Monday with a laundry list of unfinished business and long-simmering tensions threatening to derail any hope of progress. After finishing work on the largest state budget in Missouri history last week, GOP super majorities in the House and Senate hope to begin ticking through election-year […]
Judge dismisses Missouri AG’s mask lawsuit against St. Charles school district
A St. Charles County Circuit Court judge dismissed Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s lawsuit Thursday against the local school district’s now-rescinded mask mandate, leaving few cases from Schmitt’s legal blitz remaining. The City of St. Charles School District was one of 47 districts Schmitt sued earlier this year over mask mandates, and it was one of […]
Legislature on the verge of requiring Missouri schools test, filter water for lead
Missouri lawmakers are poised to require schools test and, potentially, filter drinking water to prevent lead poisoning, making the state one of just a handful that require administrators to meet standards stricter than federal regulations. The state offers grants for schools to pay for water testing, but there is no requirement to test, and only […]
William Jewell has two groups doing slavery research. Some say that’s a problem
This story was originally published by The Kansas City Beacon. William Jewell College brands itself as “The Critical Thinking College.” Three “key questions” are central to the curriculum of the Liberty, Missouri, institution: What is real? What can we know? How should we live? But as a student- and faculty-led group called the Slavery, Memory and Justice Project applied critical […]
Bipartisan literacy bill grows to include open enrollment after Missouri House passage
A bipartisan bill aimed at improving student literacy morphed into an omnibus education package after it was passed out of the House Monday night with amendments dealing with open enrollment, school protection officers and school board meetings. Senate Bill 681, sponsored by Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin, R-Shelbina, initially aimed to boost students’ reading comprehension by requiring […]
Few mask lawsuits remain as Missouri AG asks legislature to clarify law behind legal blitz
Three months after Attorney General Eric Schmitt launched a legal blitz against 47 school districts across the state, nearly all the cases have petered out as COVID infection rates plummeted and mask mandates were lifted. But four cases live on. While he’s moved to drop nearly every lawsuit he filed, Schmitt has opposed attempts by […]
Missouri Senate overwhelmingly approves bill requiring schools test, filter water for lead
Schools in Missouri would be required to test drinking water for lead, and install filters if it’s above safe levels, under a bill that won near-unanimous approval Monday in the state Senate. The proposal, amended onto a separate bill by Sen. Jill Schupp, D-Creve Coeur, passed on a 32-1 vote. “Let’s make sure our students, […]
Missouri Senate passes charter funding compromise, moving bill step closer to governor’s desk
A bill that would infuse charter schools with additional state funds is one step closer to becoming law after concerns about the proposal’s cost were overcome. On Wednesday, senators passed the bill by a vote of 29 to 5. It now heads back to the House, where the chamber can either vote to send the […]
Record Missouri budget grows as Senate adds spending, House works on $1B tax credit plan
Missouri would pay its full share of public school transportation costs for the first time in more than 20 years under a budget proposal approved Tuesday by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The committee added $214 million for school transportation to the $114 million included in the record-setting $46.5 billion budget plan approved by the Missouri […]
Student literacy bill winning bipartisan support among Missouri lawmakers
What started as a bipartisan effort to improve Missouri’s literacy rates through a children’s book has evolved into legislation that lawmakers hope will boost students’ reading success. A bill heard Tuesday in the House Education Committee would require schools to start assessing students on their reading levels in kindergarten and ensure students who are behind […]