Nixon's Missouri Promise faces grim budget realities
Republicans would support greater education access if the budget allows it.
Published Dec. 2, 2008
After a landslide victory in this year's election, Gov.-elect Jay Nixon promised to bring in money for health care, the state economy and education, but some programs face serious financial problems.
One such program, called the Missouri Promise, is an expansion of the state's A+ Schools Program for college students, which awards scholarships for two-year degrees at community colleges and technical schools.
To qualify for the Missouri Promise, students would have to attend a community college or a technical school in the state for at least two years, earn a 3.0 grade point average and complete 50 hours of community service per year of the program.
The program would offer all Missouri high school seniors the chance to sign a contract with the state, guaranteeing them a scholarship for the final two years of their bachelor's degree at a state public college or university.
Former State Sen. Jim Mathewson, D-Sedalia, and State Treasurer-elect Clint Zweifel, endorsed Nixon's proposal.
Mathewson is the author of the original A+ Program legislation and Zweifel, who was in the Missouri House before getting elected treasurer in November, proposed legislation calling for a program similar to the Missouri Promise.
Zweifel said Nixon's plan gives more aid to students who have earned it through their academic work.
For a family of four with one child already in college, the income cutoff for participation in the Missouri Promise would be about $80,000.
But due to the recent economic downturn, Missouri is expected to have about $300 million less in state revenue to cover expenses already in the budget. That raises serious questions about the $61 million of additional spending that the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education estimates Missouri Promise will require.
Rep. Maynard Wallace, R-Thornfield, who sits on the Joint Committee on Education and the House Committee for Elementary and Secondary Education, said he would support expanding the A+ program, but cautioned against increasing the budget deficit.
"It's good for these young people going through higher and secondary education to know that there is money there for them," Wallace said. "The issue is going to be strictly whether the money is there or not. We'll make it through this year, but next year I see us struggling to meet obligations that we've already committed to."
Further complicating the budget balancing are the tax cuts that Nixon proposed on the campaign trail. Nixon said before the election that he wants to increase both taxes cuts and state spending.
Nixon said he wants to eliminate the state marriage penalty and give a property tax exemption to senior citizens who own their homes. Nixon said he wants to roll back budgetary cuts made to the state's Medicaid program in 2005, which total about $1.5 billion.
MU political science professor John Petrocik said scaling back on the Missouri Promise to make ends meet in the state budget may hurt the new governor's approval ratings, but only if the voters who fueled Nixon's victory made it a major priority.
"It will depend on how salient this issue was to the electorate, whether organizations with a stake in it will attempt to hold him to his promise, and whether he can offer a convincing explanation for not implementing this campaign proposal," Petrocik said.
Some Republicans support such a proposal in spite of the fiscal hurdles it would face. Rep. Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, who was elected majority floor leader last month, said he supports increasing education funds provided the budget deficit does not also increase.
"I'm a big supporter of the A+ program," Tilley said. "I'm open to any way to expand the program as long as they can find a way to pay for it."
