Missouri Lawmakers Look At Education For Missourians In The First Quarter Of 2024

Education may become a major part of this year’s regular legislative session.

Lawmakers have several definitions of success on this topic when it comes to education.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Brown of Columbia says he is for school choice….“There’s no reason why a kid in Columbia should have access to something that a kid in Texas County doesn’t, right? I mean, I think that’s the entire point of providing more choices for kids and parents.”

Part of this may hinge on legislation that would extend the current rules governing ESA’s.

Missouri Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo of Independence says he does not believe the solutions can be found in Senate Bill 727 or Senate Bill 729, both of which were heard in the Missouri Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee this past week…”The two education bills we heard this week in committee would blow a somewhere between 900 and $1.5 billion hole in our budget.”

Neither Senate Bill 727 nor Senate Bill 729 has yet been voted out of committee.