Weekly Update

May 17, 2024

Out of chaos comes opportunity

Despite the political theatrics that characterized much of this year’s session in Jefferson City, our team at Aligned concluded that this was indeed our organization’s best year yet. Despite the noise by a few, it was the good work of many that led to some of the most substantial investments in public education Missouri has seen in recent years.

We cannot thank our legislative leaders enough for prioritizing students and making investments in education that will impact generations to come.

Year after year, we have focused on celebrating incremental wins.

In 2014, Aligned worked with lawmakers to put a Pre-K funding framework in the foundation formula for K-12 education.

In 2016, only two public schools were able to utilize state aid for Pre-K programs. However, in 2018, the General Assembly's full funding of the foundation formula was a game-changer. This action triggered a provision that now allows all public schools to draw down Pre-K dollars, benefiting students who qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This significant shift is a testament to the positive impact of legislative decisions on our Pre-K programs and K-12 education.

As of FY23, nearly 6,800 students in Missouri are receiving a free Pre-K education with state funding. Because of the provisions passed this year in SB 727, which potentially doubles the number of students that districts can serve, we can expect that number to rise in the coming years.

We are excited to watch and report on the implementation of high-quality early childhood programs throughout the state. We want to thank Senators Karla Eslinger and Lauren Arthur, as well as Representative Brenda Shields, who have been committed to early childhood policies throughout their legislative tenure.

This year, the legislature also passed provisions to bolster teacher recruitment and retention.

Aligned was proud to champion differentiated pay, which gives districts more flexibility to address teacher compensation and to support the improvements to the state’s teacher scholarship program. A big thank you to Representative Ed Lewis for his work crafting a comprehensive teacher recruitment and retention package.

Thank you also to our staff for their dedication over these past months and to our board and supporters for making our work possible.

Read our 2024 End-of-Session Report.

NOTE: This is our last weekly newsletter of the year as we shift to monthly reports until next January.

About Aligned

Aligned is the only state-wide non-profit, nonpartisan business group working in Kansas and Missouri on educational issues impacting the full development of our children, from supporting high-quality early learning to solid secondary programs that provide rigorous academic programs and real-world learning opportunities.

Our vision is that our public education systems in Kansas and Missouri have the resources and flexibility to prepare students to pursue the future of their choice.

We are currently focused on education policies that will strengthen early childhood education, teacher recruitment and retention, and school finance reform.

Learn more about our work.

Missouri News

Senate Democrats work in pairs to block controversial resolution

For much of the week, 50 straight hours to be exact, the Senate chamber was sparsely populated as the Senate Democrats expertly conducted a filibuster to keep the House version of SJR 74 (Initiative Petition Reform) from passing. Working in two-hour shifts, a pair of Senators held the floor discussing everything from their objections to the legislation to the most memorable scenes from Goodfellas.

We will spare you all the details of what ensued after Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, the resolution's sponsor, withdrew her amendment. You can read all about it here and here.

But save for a few more diatribes from the disgruntled few, legislative work in the Senate ceased to exist this week.

Due to the Senate shutdown, the House was forced to consider bills that needed only one more vote for final passage,

Bills that made it over the finish line on the final day included:

SB 756 (Luetkemeyer) - a property tax credit for certain seniors
SB 895 (Trent) - a bill relating to landlord-tenant actions
SB 802 (Trent) - provisions related to business incentives
SJR 78 (Brown) - provisions related to elections
SJR 71 (Black) - the levying of certain costs and fees to support the salaries and benefits of sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys
SB 1388 (Raser) - sales tax exemption for certain nuclear facilities
SB 872 (Eslinger) - provisions relating to the taxation of utility infrastructure
SB 894 (Fitzwater) - provisions related to the promotion of business development
SB 1111 (Black) - provisions related to the regulation of childcare
SB 754 (Luetkemeyer) - provisions related to public safety
SB 751 (Brown) - provisions related to the distribution of 340B drugs

Reports

We do not have a full legislative report today because the Missouri House and Senate were in session.

See all tracked legislation here.

Budget Update

At its monthy meeting held this week, the State Board of Education received an update on the education budget for PK-12 from Dr. Kari Monsees, Deputy Commissioner of Financial & Administrative Services for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

See the report here.

Dr. Monsees explained that due to provisions in SB 727, a supplemental bill was likely to be needed to cover the increase in funding for the small schools grant from $15 to $30 million and the bump in Pre-K authority from 4 to 8 percent of a district's free and reduced-lunch population.

Board president Charlie Shields added that because of the deletion of federal authority, his gut is that "probably later this summer, we will see the 'mother of all supplementals' in a special session."

Definitely stay tuned on that front.

In other news

Kansas News

Kelly signs bill to fully fund K-12 education plus a boost for special ed

This week, Governor Laura Kelly signed House Substitute for Senate Bill 387, which fully funds K-12 education for the sixth year and provides additional funding for BASE State Aid in accordance with the Gannon mandate.

The bill allocates $6.6 billion to K-12 public schools, including an additional $75.5 million in additional state aid for special education, which is comprised of $65.5 million in new State General Fund support, $2.5 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, and $7.5 million appropriated in 2023 for the upcoming school year.

Investing in special education benefits all students by lessening the need to allocate general education funds toward covering special education expenses. Consequently, school districts can explore options such as boosting teacher salaries, broadening career and technical education offerings, and bolstering literacy instruction support.

In addition to the funding for K-12 education, the bill also contains the following:

$5 million for the creation of a public-private partnership that supports childcare providers in rural and frontier communities in northwest Kansas.
$23.7 million from the Children’s Initiatives Fund (CIF) for the Early Childhood Block Grant, which supports child development programs and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program.
$1.3 million for an early childhood educator mentorship program
$1.8 million for teacher professional development
$5 million for school safety grants

“Kansas’ public schools and students are foundational to ensuring our state has a bright future,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I am proud to fully fund our public schools for the sixth consecutive year. By collaborating in a bipartisan manner, we’re equipping all of our students and educators with the resources they need to succeed in the classroom.”

Governor Kelly line-item vetoed a provision that would have altered the School Safety and Security Grant Program into a no-bid contract for one company to provide services to schools.

Special session in the works

Governor Kelly vetoed Senate Bill 37, the Legislature's latest tax cut package, which had passed the Senate 25-9 and the House 108-11. The bill was estimated to cost the state $2.34 billion through fiscal year 2029. Kelly deemed the fiscal impact unsustainable, emphasizing the necessity of tax relief while maintaining fiscal stability. She indicated that she will announce plans for a special session next week to address the issue and aim for comprehensive, sustainable tax cuts, asserting that an affordable bipartisan plan could be passed swiftly with cooperation.

Republican leaders have criticized the vetoes. Senate President Ty Masterson expressed confusion over Kelly's rationale, noting the state's surplus funds. "Her shifting reasons for vetoing tax relief have now morphed into the absurd," he stated. House Speaker Dan Hawkins also expressed disappointment, accusing Kelly of rejecting sustainable, bipartisan tax relief and focusing on a "needless and spiteful special session."

In other news