JEFFERSON CITY—In 2005, Missouri passed a sweeping and bipartisan new foundation formula that provided rules for how more than $3 billion in taxpayer dollars are distributed to more than 520 school districts across the state for K-12 education.  In Fiscal Year 2013, this money represented the single largest appropriation in the state budget. 

In light of the decisions made by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to change how it implements spending money appropriated for K-12 education, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R- Glendale, released the following statement:

“This summer unelected bureaucrats at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) decided, without authority from the General Assembly, to willfully ignore the foundation formula law and illegally shift upwards of $136 million as they saw fit. This move was made against state law and without even so much as a vote from the state school board.

This unconstitutional power grab is a violation of the law, the foundation formula, and of the separation of powers.  DESE’s dereliction of its duty to enforce the law as written is at the cost of our children’s educational opportunities.

Examples can be found all across our state:  Special School District of St. Louis was robbed of more than $3 million for FY 2013. Another $11.5 million this year alone was diverted from the already struggling St. Louis Public School District.  Rolla School District will see its funding cut by more than half-a-million dollars this year.  Further, Fort Osage School District stands to lose $1.5 million this year at the hands of DESE.  This is critical money that could have been spent to give those children in desperate need of a quality education a real fighting chance.  Instead, school districts will now have to make cuts to classrooms.

I believe investing in Missouri’s children is the most important investment we make as a state, and their educational opportunities must be protected.  This is why I have continued to press DESE to follow the law of the foundation formula until or unless it is changed by the Legislature.

Protecting our children’s education and their future will continue to be one of my priorities, and I will be relentless at holding DESE accountable to following the law in how our education system is funded.  It is time our students come first instead of politics.”