The Missouri House has passed a bill that would give some state funding to private schools.
Teachers union officials say this move could have a particularly negative impact on rural public schools.
Missouri State Teachers Association spokesperson Todd Fuller said the provision isn’t fair because private schools are not held to the same test score standards as private schools.
“There’s not always equity there between private schools and public schools in terms of how you get your funding based on the kind of testing that takes place,” Fuller said.
Fuller said rural school districts depend more on state funding than city districts because their population base and property tax income are smaller than in urban districts.
Missouri public school districts are funded by a combination of federal, state, county, and local taxes. Under the bill, some of that funding would be siphoned off for Missouri private schools.
Sedalia School District Superintendent Todd Fraley said this legislation, if passed, is likely to have dangerous ripple effects.
“What it’s gonna end up eventually causing is lack of upkeep on buildings, you could end up with staff cuts, you could end up with larger class sizes," Fraley said. "Because of it, you’re doing more with less, it’s essentially gonna destroy the system from within, so to speak.”
Fraley said he’s also concerned eliminating state income taxes would leave even less state funding available to public schools.
