JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Citing the hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding public schools could miss out on were it to become law, Gov. Jay Nixon today vetoed Senate Bill 586.
Senate Bill 586 would cut the target to fully fund Missouri’s K-12 foundation formula by approximately $456 million according to projections from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Meanwhile, the General Assembly is also considering a slate of special interest giveaways that would reduce state revenues by more than $1 billion annually if passed and fully implemented.
“This cheapening of the foundation formula results in a broken promise to our local schools and the students they educate and cannot receive my approval,” said Gov. Nixon. “By giving future governors and legislators a passing grade for a lower score, Senate Bill 586 would provide cover for legislators to turn their backs on our local schools by passing even more reckless tax breaks that will further erode funding for education and require local taxpayers to shoulder more of the financial burden to provide our children with a quality education.”
The Governor’s full veto message can be found here.
Gov. Nixon has made public education a top priority of his administration. The Governor’s budget for Fiscal Year 2017 included an increase of $150 million for local public schools, including $85 million for the K-12 foundation formula. This would have represented an increase of $400 million over the amount that was invested in the K-12 formula in 2009.
“This cheapening of the foundation formula results in a broken promise to our local schools and the students they educate and cannot receive my approval,” said Gov. Nixon. “By giving future governors and legislators a passing grade for a lower score, Senate Bill 586 would provide cover for legislators to turn their backs on our local schools by passing even more reckless tax breaks that will further erode funding for education and require local taxpayers to shoulder more of the financial burden to provide our children with a quality education.”
The Governor’s full veto message can be found here.
Gov. Nixon has made public education a top priority of his administration. The Governor’s budget for Fiscal Year 2017 included an increase of $150 million for local public schools, including $85 million for the K-12 foundation formula. This would have represented an increase of $400 million over the amount that was invested in the K-12 formula in 2009.
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