Gov. Kehoe attended the inaugural Task Force meeting, held on Monday, June 2, 2025, at the Harry S. Truman Building in Jefferson City, to introduce the work and thank the members for their participation. DESE Deputy Commissioner Dr. Kari Monsees provided a high-level overview of the language in the Missouri Constitution regarding education and a history of school funding in Missouri since the last formula rewrite in 2005. Dr. Monsees, while retiring at the end of June, will remain part-time with DESE to complete the work with the Task Force.
“Per Executive Order 25-14, theTask Force shall submit a final report to the governor by December 1, 2026, detailing recommendations for potential state funding models for K-12 public and charter schools. The report should include up to three alternative recommendations or components of the recommended model, as well as a summary of feedback garnered through the work of the Task Force from stakeholders” (DESE)
There will be four task force subcommittees, which will meet separately with subject matter experts, who will bring back knowledge and direction to the whole task force. The subcommittees will focus on the following:
- Funding targets.
- Student counts.
- Performance incentives.
- Local effort factors.
The task force will receive additional information in later meetings regarding current funding/expenditure data by LEAs, student demographic information, state revenue forecasts, state appropriations process, and Missouri-specific studies related to funding.
Two primary questions emerged from the meeting:
- Is this task force rewriting the school funding foundation formula in its entirety, or are they adjusting the current formula?
- How do school choice options fit, if at all, in this work?
The next meeting of the Task Force will take place from 1-3 p.m., Monday, June 23, in Jefferson City. MNEA staff will be present at this and all Task Force meetings.
“The Missouri NEA believes that equitable and adequate funding is critical to the future of public education in Missouri. The total wealth of the state should be distributed as equitably as possible for the public education of each child in Missouri. State support for public education should be no less than one-third of the state general revenue. Local school tax levies and bond issues should be passed by a simple majority. Property values should be fairly assessed and regularly reassessed. Assessor’s offices should have adequate resources, data and professional staff and be held accountable to regular review by the state.
“The Association also believes that state and local revenues should be partially derived from a progressive, broad-based system of personal and corporate income tax, which reduces the heavy reliance on property taxes and protects the property of those on subsistence income.
“The Association strongly opposes Tax Increment Financing (TIF) that decreases local funding for school districts. The amount of state and local money designated for education shall not be decreased when monies from other sources are allocated to public education.
“The Association further believes that state support must be predictable for long-range and year-to-year planning. If the foundation formula is changed, no district should receive less money per eligible pupil than in the last year prior to implementation of the change (A-11.”