School Funding Modernization Task Force (September 2025 Update)

Meeting Agenda

"Per Executive Order 25-14, the Task Force shall submit a final report to the Governor by December 1, 2026, detailing recommendations for potential state funding models for K-12 public and charter schools. The report should include up to three alternative recommendations or components of the recommended model, as well as a summary of feedback garnered through the work of the Task Force from stakeholders" (DESE).

Another Modernization Task Force meetingtook place in Jefferson City, Missouri, on Tuesday, September 9. The Task Force got an overview and discussed the legal cases and precedents that have guided Missouri Education funding since the 1990s. Further, the Task Force also got an overview of the workgroup meeting times through December 2025. The workgroups are Funding Targets, Student Counts, Local Effort Factors, and Performance Incentives.

The workgroups will be meeting virtually,which will be publicly available for viewing. Missouri NEA will be in attendance at all workgroups.

"The Missouri NEA believes that equitable and adequate funding is critical to the future of public education in Missouri. The total wealth of the state should be distributed as equitably as possible for the public education of each child in Missouri. State support for public education should be no less than one-third of the state general revenue. Local school tax levies and bond issues should be passed by a simple majority. Property values should be fairly assessed and regularly reassessed. Assessor's offices should have adequate resources, data, and professional staff and be held accountable to regular review by the state.

"The Association also believes that state and local revenues should be partially derived from a progressive, broad-based system of personal and corporate income tax, which reduces the heavy reliance on property taxes and protects the property of those on subsistence income.

"The Association strongly opposes Tax Increment Financing (TIF) that decreases local funding for school districts. The amount of state and local money designated for education shall not be decreased when monies from other sources are allocated to public education.

"The Association further believes that state support must be predictable for long-range and year-to-year planning. If the foundation formula is changed, no district should receive less money per eligible pupil than in the last year prior to implementation of the change (A-11)."

MNEA believes that every student and educator deserves the best experience possible in schools. That is why we are the only educational organization that is consistently present at every meeting of DESE, the state board of education, and the Missouri Legislature. We are your eyes and ears where decisions are being made about your schools.

The next meeting of the Missouri State Board of Education will be held on April 8, 2025, in Jefferson City, Missouri.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Samantha Hayes at 800-392-0236 or [email protected].