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In this segment of Making a Difference Where You Live, Michele Skalicky talks with state legislators and rural school superintendents about the new state funding formula and about the funding issues rural schools face.
SOUND OF CLASSROOM
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS: EQUAL AND ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR ALL STUDENTS IN MISSOURI PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THAT'S THE REASON SCHOOL DISTRICTS DECIDED TO FILE SUIT AGAINST THE STATE OF MISSOURI. THE COMMITTEE FOR EDUCATIONAL EQUALITY, WHICH CURRENTLY REPRESENTS 236 SCHOOL DISTRICTS, INITIALLY FILED ITS LAWSUIT IN 2004 BUT REVISED IT AND REFILED IN MAY 2005 AFTER THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED A NEW SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA.
TYLER LANEY IS SUPERINTENDENT OF THE CRANE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH IS ONE OF THE DISTRICTS INVOLVED IN THE LAWSUIT. HE BELIEVES THE MISSOURI CONSTITUTION REQUIRES MORE FUNDING THAN WHAT THE STATE IS CURRENTLY PROVIDING.
CURRENTLY THE GAP BETWEEN THE WEALTHIEST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE AND THE POOREST SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE IS ABOUT $10,000. GORIN IN NORTHERN MISSOURI SPENDS $15,251 PER STUDENT. DIAMOND IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI SPENDS $4700 PER STUDENT.
BRIAN BAKER, A STATE LEGISLATOR FROM BELTON, SAYS THE NEW STUDENT FUNDING FORMULA SHOULD SHRINK THAT GAP. HE SAYS IT'S BASED ON STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
BAKER SAYS ECONOMISTS PREDICT THE NEW FUNDING FORMULA, WHICH TAKES EFFECT THIS FALL, WILL CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN THE HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS, BUT IT MAY TAKE TIME.
LANEY SAYS, WHILE THE APPLAUD THE EFFORT BY STATE LAWMAKERS, HE BELIEVES IT FALLS SHORT IN PROVIDING EQUITY AND ADEQUACY FOR KIDS.
CHARLES CUDNEY IS SUPERINTENDENT OF THE MONETT SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH GETS ABOUT 51% OF ITS FUNDING FROM THE STATE. CUDNEY SAYS HIS DISTRICT DOES A GOOD JOB OF MEETING STUDENTS' BASIC NEEDS, BUT HE WISHES THEY HAD ENOUGH FUNDING TO OFFER MORE.
CUDNEY SAYS EVERYONE IS EFFECTED BY HOW WELL MISSOURI'S CHILDREN ARE EDUCATED. HE SAYS THE FUTURE IF THE STATE'S ECONOMY IS DIRECTLY TIED TO THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION ITS CHILDREN RECEIVE.
STEPHEN KLEINSMITH IS SUPERINTENDENT OF THE NIXA SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH IS ALSO A PARTICIPANT IN THE LAWSUIT, AND SERVES AS TREASURER OF THE COMMITTEE FOR EDUCATIONAL EQUALITY. HE SAYS THERE'S NO EASY SOLUTION TO FUNDING PUBLIC EDUCATION.
KLEINSMITH SAYS, WHILE HE'S NOT SURE IF THE NEW SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA WILL EQUALIZE PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING IN MISSOURI, HE HAS ENOUGH CONFIDENCE IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS TO BE OPTIMISTIC THAT IT WILL IMPROVE THINGS.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE MAYNARD WALLACE WORKED AS A SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT IN FORSYTH AND AVA AND BEFORE THAT WAS AN EDUCATOR AT SPARTA. WALLACE SAYS HIS BACKGROUND GAVE HIM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAN OTHER LAWMAKERS AS THEY WORKED TO CRAFT A NEW SCHOOL FUNDING FORMULA.
WALLACE VOTED AGAINST THE SCHOOL FUNDING LEGISLATION LAST MAY BECAUSE HE FELT SOME FEATURES OF IT MOVED AWAY FROM EQUITY RATHER THAN TOWARDS IT.
WALLACE SAYS HE'D LIKE TO SEE MORE MONEY PUT INTO PUBLIC EDUCATION, BUT HE'S NOT SURE WHERE THE FUNDING WOULD COME FROM.
THIS AFTERNOON AT 4:35 AS MAKING A DIFFERENCE CONTINUES, HEAR FROM SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS AND A TEACHER ABOUT HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM AND LEARN ABOUT THE MISSOURI VIRTUAL SCHOOL, WHICH IS HELPING RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO BETTER EDUCATE THEIR STUDENTS.
FUNDING FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE COMES FROM THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF THE OZARKS. FOR KSMU, I'M MICHELE SKALICKY.
