The Missouri Budget Project, a nonprofit group that analyzes state budget, tax and economic issues, has issued a new report – Cutting to the Chase: What Multi-Year Budget Reductions Mean for Missourians. As examples of how recent budget cuts have affected the delivery of services, the report cites the loss of K-12 public school classroom teachers, a decline in funding for state higher education institutions with an increase in student tuition, and much less funding for mental health and Medicaid services to the poor. To read the report, click here.

Does More Funding Improve Public Schools?

The Missouri Budget Project’s recent report (Cutting to the Chase; see above article and link) documents how K-12 public schools have experienced a number of funding cuts in recent years. But would more funding of public schools lead to better academic performance by students? Some studies answer “yes,” funding makes a big difference, but the Heritage Foundation doesn’t buy the “more funding = better schools” argument. See its report: Does Spending More on Education Improve Academic Achievement?

Meanwhile Other School Options Are Ignored

Despite the dismal performance of Missouri’s urban school districts, especially the City of St. Louis and Kansas City, the Missouri General Assembly stubbornly refuses to entertain creative ideas that would allow students to attend other schools that offer quality education, such as Catholic schools. When the 2013 session of the general assembly convenes in early January, the Missouri Catholic Conference will once again support legislation that offers school choices to students trapped in failing public schools.