Missouri NEA Weekly Legislative Update
Week 4, January 31, 2025
By Otto Fajen
MNEA Legislative Director
CAPITOL ACTION DAYS BEGIN!
Capitol Action Days are part of the Association's plan to promote positive policy for public education. MNEA's Capitol Action Days occur regularly on Wednesdays during legislative session and begin next week on February 5th! For more information and to register for your Capitol Action Day, please visit https://www.mnea.org/CAD
STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
Governor Mike Kehoe delivered his first State of the State Address to a joint session of the House and Senate in the House Chamber on January 27. The Governor made several proposals regarding education funding and policy.
Kehoe made two proposals to expand school choice. Kehoe urged the General Assembly to pass a voluntary open enrollment program in public schools. In addition, Kehoe's budget would allocate $50 million in general revenue funding to bolster the state's ESA style tax credit voucher program. The program was enacted in 2021, and participation has been limited by lack of donations to the private entities granting the vouchers. The Association opposes expansion of the tax credit voucher and diversion of state general revenue to fund private schools.
The budget recommends a $200 million increase for the Foundation Formula. This increase essentially funds only the increases created by SB 727 and does not fund the $300 million increase in the State Adequacy Target for the next school year, leaving the formula roughly $300 million short of full funding. The budget includes $370 million allocated to continue full funding of pupil transportation. Kehoe also allocated $33 million to fund teacher salaries, $30 million for Small School Grants, and $15 million for career and technical education centers.
Governor Kehoe also created a task force to recommend changes to the school funding formula.
OPEN ENROLLMENT
The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee heard HB 711 (Brad Pollitt) on January 29. The bill would create a public-school open enrollment program. The Association believes that public school choice plans with state funding may harm students and our public schools unless essential criteria are in place for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating their effectiveness. The Association opposes HB 711 based on this concern.
The bill lacks specific provisions to mitigate increased racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic segregation, though DESE is required to track and annually report the impact of the program in increasing segregation. Experience from other states has shown that open enrollment, particularly if including charter schools, tends to further increase segregation.
The bill allows a student to be denied a transfer in some instances, based solely on a student's IEP. This provision could limit participation of students with special needs and could leave school districts subject to litigation regarding denial based on a student's disability.
The Association remains concerned that some students may be left behind in such a transfer plan, particularly if funding is not provided to support the participation of students with special needs and at-risk students. Ongoing appropriations to the state fund created to support those transportation and special education expenses would be needed to implement such a bill.
HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The committee also heard HB 538 (Dane Diehl) on January 29. The bill would modify background check requirements for school bus drivers.
The committee will meet on February 5 and hear the following bills:
HB 31 (Bishop Davidson) to revise certain paperwork requirements for home school students. The bill removes the requirement to provide a notice of enrollment to the county recorder of deeds and requires a prosecuting attorney to have probable cause of a violation in order to inspect home school education records.
HB 712 (Brad Pollitt) to make three changes for K-12 schools. The bill requires DESE to determine a student's grade-level equivalence on the MAP test, extends the option for PSRS retirees to work as a substitute teacher while receiving their PSRS pension, and removes the CPI adjustment to the minimum teacher’s salary enacted in SB 727.
HB 854 (Ed Lewis), HB 408 (Jamie Gragg), and HB 306 (Kathy Steinhoff) would each require public schools to maintain policies that restrict student cell phone use during instructional time, with limited exceptions.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
The committee met on January 28 to hear testimony from DESE Commissioner Karla Eslinger and departmental staff regarding education issues in Missouri.
The committee will meet on February 4 to hear several bills:
SB 49 (Rusty Black) and SB 118 (Mike Moon) would each authorize school districts and charter schools to employ or accept chaplains as volunteers.
SB 150 (Jill Carter) to establish the Career-Tech Certificate Program Fund to reimburse students' tuition, books, and fees to certain postsecondary training programs and programs of study.
SB 55 (Mary Elizabeth Coleman) to prohibit K-12 schools and higher education institution from being members of athletic organizations that allow students to use performance enhancing drugs.
SB 80 (Kurtis Gregory) regarding compensation of high school athletes.
SB 63 (Ben Brown) to allow home school students to participate in activities sanctioned by statewide activity organizations, such as MSHSAA.
SB 42 (Angela Mosley) to require DESE to make sure that safety assessments are conducted on all public schools located in St. Louis City or St. Louis County.
HOUSE PENSIONS COMMITTEE
The committee heard HB 657 (Bill Owen) on January 30. The bill would enact additional provisions regarding the investments of all Missouri public pension systems, including PSRS and PEERS, regarding proxy voting and their fiduciary investment priority.
The PSRS Board of Trustees has a fiduciary duty to invest for the benefit of the members of the system. The bill would prevent pension systems from considering environmental, social or governance factors in a manner that would override their fiduciary duties. The provisions of the bill are consistent with the current practices of PSRS and PEERS and would not interfere with the operation of the Systems.
TARGETING "DEI" IN STATE AGENCIES
The House Emerging Issues Committee approved HB 742 (Ben Baker) on January 27. The bill would ban state agencies from spending funds on diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The bill defines DEI using politically charged language that differs from the normal concept of "DEI" initiatives and thus may have symbolic effect but little substantive impact on the work of state agencies.
HIGHER EDUCATION FREE SPEECH ISSUES
The House Emerging Issues Committee heard HB 875 (Darin Chappell) on January 27. The bill would prevent a public college from denying official recognition to belief-based student associations that require leaders to adhere to their beliefs, practice requirements or standards of conduct. The Association believes that offering memberships on a nondiscriminatory basis strengthens organizations. The Association opposes the bill.
LIMITING PROPERTY ASSESSMENT INCREASES
The House Ways and Means Committee heard HJR 4 (Jeff Coleman) on January 27. The HJR revises the reassessment of primary residential properties by lowering the inflationary cap for assessment growth of real property from five percent to the lesser of two percent or CPI growth for each reassessment cycle. This measure would reduce the amount of increase of residential property assessments during high inflationary years.
PROPERTY TAX CUT
The Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee heard SB 87 (Joe Nicola) on January 29. SB 87 would lower the assessment ratios of each of the three subclasses of real property by two percent (agricultural from 12% to 10%, commercial from 32% to 30%, and residential from 19% to 17%). The bill would lower property taxes statewide by $735 million per year within two years. This reduction will reduce school districts' ability to recruit and retain teachers and provide other services our students need. The Association opposes the bill.
PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX CUT
The House Special Committee on Tax Reform heard HB 903 (Richard West) on January 28. HB 903 would lower the assessment ratio for personal property tax from 33 1/3% to 18% over three years. The bill would reduce local taxes on personal property, including school taxes, by an estimated $900 million over that three-year period. Reduction of local school taxes will be roughly 70% of this amount. This rapid reduction will reduce school districts' ability to recruit and retain teachers and provide other services our students need. The Association opposes the bill.