Just days before the Missouri legislature approved the state budget on Friday, a committee of Senators and Representatives decided to fully fund public schools.
In January, Governor Mike Kehoe recommended only adding 200 million dollars to state funding for public education. That was almost 300 million dollars short of what the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education had requested under a formula previously approved by
the legislature.
House Democrats aligned with the Senate in final budget meetings and increased the funding to the amount that DESE initially requested.
Democratic Representative Betsy Fogle from Springfield tells the Missouri News Network that House Democrats have been supportive of the full funding from the beginning of the session.
"Our country was founded on this belief that all children should have access to quality and free public education and I was really proud for House Democrats to play a part in making sure that continues on into the future," said Fogle.
The budget also allocates money towards private school vouchers, a choice that some Democrats disagree with.
(Story by Olivia Mizelle, Missouri News Network)
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