Group says Missouri schools underfunded by $656 million this year UPDATED

A new study by the Missouri Budget Project says

state lawmakers are underfunding Missouri schools by more than $650 million this year.

The group says lawmakers have failed to fully fund the state’s education formula, leading to the shortfall.

But the impact is different among different school districts.

The group says

district is losing $111 per pupil.

But

is worse, short by $957 per pupil.

UPDATE:

the governor’s spokesman, disputes the $650 million figure. Fully funding schools, he says in an email, would cost $556 million in FY 2015.

UPDATE #2: There’s no dispute, the MBP says. Fully funding the formula would cost $656 million

fiscal year, but $556 million next year.

But “the governor is committed to providing these resources to our schools and is urging the General Assembly to join him in this commitment to fully fund our schools,” Holste’s statement said.

Nixon has proposed fully funding schools over two years, a proposal that gets more difficult if Missouri lawmakers cut taxes this year.

The MBP — generally viewed as a left-leaning organization — says districts in rural areas south of I-70 have been hurt the most by underfunding. In all, nearly two out of three districts are underfunded by $800 per pupil or more.

“The vast majority of school districts throughout Missouri have been significantly hurt by Missouri’s inability to fully fund the state’s education funding formula,” the group concludes.

This story was originally published March 19, 2014 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Group says Missouri schools underfunded by $656 million this year UPDATED."