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Legislation
Legislation
MSTA Action
Click on the PDF icon for a complete copy of the May 21, 2010, FINAL ACTION
Document(s) in pdf format. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat®.
| Budget dominates session but more cuts to come | Charters, open enrollment are non-factors | Bills passed this session | No changes to formula, summer school | Ed. departments to remain separate | School safety measure finally passes | Parents as Teachers changes due to cuts | Career Ladder survives tight budget |
Budget dominates session but more cuts to come
Ethics reform, autism insurance coverage, tax-credit reform, and a reboot of state government all had high profiles in the 2010 General Assembly, but they all took a back seat to the $23.3 billion state budget.
Legislators appropriated $5.4 billion for K-12 education in the state budget, but the overall state budget is still not final. Funds were tight as Missouri experienced a 12 percent drop in state revenue this year. In addition, lawmakers ended the session without approving many of their own money saving ideas.
About $350 million must be cut to balance the budget by the start of fiscal year 2011, which falls on July 1, 2010, Gov. Jay Nixon said Tuesday. The governor will announce the specific cuts in June when he signs the appropriations bills.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education budget holds flat the formula funding for school districts, but it would require a $105 million increase for full funding. Legislators have not decided how to distribute the formula in years when it is not fully funded.
Career Ladder received full funding and will be paid for with state dollars. Lawmakers made clear this is the last time the program will be funded in arrears, or after the work has been done for each school year. In the future, Career Ladder funding will be approved before work begins. This means there will be no state funding for Career Ladder in the 2010-11 school year. Districts could pay for the program, though.
Special education and early-childhood education were the only areas to receive an increase, including $11.6 million in new funding for early-childhood special education.
Transportation and Parents as Teachers received large cuts for the next year. Both programs had funds withheld this year and those cuts will become permanent next year.
The budget eliminates state funding for the Missouri Scholars and Fine Arts academies. This program is funded in the critical needs line of the budget along with school board training and the Regional Professional Development Centers. The budget includes level funding for both programs. Funding for eMINTS and St. Louis City transportation were also eliminated for next year.
The virtual school, Missouri Assessment Program, character education, early-grade literacy and charter schools also received cuts. Funding for customized training and A+ was transferred from DESE into the departments of higher education and economic development.
DESE administration also received cuts of nearly $600,000 and 7.5 full-time equivalent employees. These cuts could cause delays in services to school districts and possibly slow the certification process.
