funding

Mo. Lawmakers Considering Performance-Based Funding For Universities, Community Colleges

Marshall Griffin — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:14:52 +0000

A group of Missouri lawmakers is considering an overhaul of how the state’s colleges and universities are funded each year.

A first draft of recommendations was released today, and it includes basing 10 percent of an institution’s state funding on performance standards such as graduation rates for seniors and retention rates for freshmen and sophomores. State Senator David Pearce (R, Warrensburg) chairs the Joint House-Senate Committee on Education.

Suburban & rural Senators battle over K-12 funding in Mo.

Marshall Griffin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:14:13 +0000

The Missouri Senate is wrestling with legislation that would tweak the state’s public school funding formula.

The bill is pitting rural and suburban senators against each other. David Pearce (R, Warrensburg) chairs the Senate Education Committee and represents part of rural west central Missouri. He sponsors the bill that would more evenly spread K-12 funding by siphoning it off from richer suburban districts, primarily those near St. Louis.

Morning headlines: Friday, February 24, 2012

Alex King and The Associated Press — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:53:54 +0000

Mo. Senator seeks to transfer funding to U.S. road repair

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill says she will try to amend a transportation bill to strip funding for large construction projects in Afghanistan. The money would instead be used for roads and bridges in the U.S.

McCaskill hopes to attach her proposal to legislation re-authorizing the federal highway funding program.

Highway funding bill on fast track in Mo. Senate to avoid losing federal dollars

The Associated Press — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:26:12 +0000

Legislation is on a fast track in the Missouri Senate to bring the state into compliance with federal standards for commercial truckers and drunken driving penalties.

Missouri risks losing tens of millions of federal road construction dollars if it does not change its laws to match the federal mandates.

On Wednesday, the Senate Transportation Committee took the unusual step of hearing testimony and approving the bill on the same day. Chairman Bill Stouffer says he hopes the legislation can be brought up for debate by the full Senate next week.

Morning headlines: Friday, December 30, 2011

Julie Bierach, Bill Raack, WBEZ and The Associated Press — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:53:23 +0000

Mo. lawmakers to consider changes to school funding formula

Legislative leaders say addressing Missouri's school funding formula is one of their top priorities for the annual session that starts Wednesday.

Because of tight budgets there has not been enough money in recent years to fully fund the education formula. That has prompted concern that the distribution of the money could benefit certain districts at the expense of others.