Blunt discusses K-12 education funding
Gov. Blunt spoke to about 25 people at the Columbia Regional Airport.
Published Nov. 4, 2005
Gov. Matt Blunt spoke at the Columbia Regional Airport on Thursday as a part of a five-city tour to discuss a K-12 education initiative that would require schools to spend more money in the classroom.
The Our Students First-First Class Education for Missouri program would require each school district in the state to budget 65 cents of every state tax dollar that goes to education to direct instruction in the classroom.
Direct instruction includes teacher salaries, textbooks, classroom supplies and technology.
It also includes athletic programs and extracurricular activities, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
"Missouri taxpayers and parents expect their money to be spent on students, not bureaucracy," Blunt said. "This initiative gives voters the chance to put our students first and ensure their tax dollars are being spent where they will directly impact our young people - in the classroom."
Of Missouri's 524 school districts, only 112 districts meet the 65-cents-per-dollar requirement benchmark, according National Center for Education Statistics.
On average, Missouri schools allocate 61 percent toward classroom expenses.
Blunt said the regulation should put an additional $272 million, or $304 per student, into classrooms without a tax increase.
"We're going to ensure those school districts spend that money well," Blunt said. "The 65 percent requirement is a reasonable one to ask administrators to get to."
Rep. Ed Robb, R-Columbia, said neither Columbia Public Schools nor the Southern Boone County School District would be greatly affected by the increase. He said both districts were in the 61 to 63 percent range.
Robb said with all the funding disparities examined by the Special Committee on Education Funding last year, the wide range between what districts spend in the classroom was eye opening.
"When you think that more than one-third out of every dollar is going to overhead, I don't think you could run a business that way, and I don't think you can run a school that way," he said.
Last year, the state overhauled the educational-funding policy in hopes of ensuring increased tax dollars to local school districts over the next seven years.
Robb said the state didn't tell schools how to spend the money.
If the initiative passes, the state would tell districts to spend $2 out of every $3 on instruction.
Rep. Judy Baker, D-Columbia, said the state has better options.
"Where to draw the line is usually a local decision," she said. "We'd be better served to consider real solutions instead of moving money around. Instead we should focus on smaller classes and teacher retention."
Blunt said the initiative, which he hopes will be on the November 2006 ballot, would include a waiver as long as districts prove they are making reasonable progress.
"There is a provision that allows districts to get to that threshold," he said. "We recognize that it doesn't need to happen all at once."