Why did Missouri cut funding to Dolly Parton’s free book program for kids? What lawmakers say
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Missouri cut Imagination Library funding from $6 million to $2 million.
- The state will stop accepting new Imagination Library applicants beginning July 1.
- As of the end of March, 169,032 Missouri children received a free book each month.
Kansas City-area Democrats said misplaced budget priorities will cost Missouri kids one free book per month.
The state slashed funding for Imagination Library, a book-gifting program founded by Country superstar Dolly Parton that was available for all Missouri children under 6. Missouri was the first state to fully fund the program, but this year the budget slashed funding from $6 million to $2 million.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said that it will stop accepting new applicants beginning July 1. As of the end of March 169,032 children were receiving a free book every month through the program, about 42% of children under the age of 6 in the state.
The program arrived with fanfare in Missouri, and former Gov. Mike Parson joined Parton herself on stage in 2024 to laud its success. But now the program will not accept new kids starting July 1, and will continue sending books to currently enrolled children as long as funding is available.
Rep. Aaron Crossley, a Democrat from Independence, said that budget discussions this year focused on significant cuts to vulnerable groups. Advocates for people with developmental disabilities and domestic violence survivors had to mobilize to stop potentially devastating cuts to programs.
Amid the chaos, the cuts to Imagination Library were quieter than they might have been in a normal year.
“Any other year, this would have been kind of a political volleyball that was tossed around and put in the news, but because there were just so many other cuts being proposed, I think this one unfortunately got lost,” Crossley said.
Missouri is heading toward a budget crisis. The state has been spending more than it takes in, and has been buoyed by COVID-era federal funding since 2023, which has almost run dry.
Rep. Patti Mansur, a Kansas City Democrat who serves on the House Committee on Children and Families, said that the state failed to keep promises on early literacy.
“When the speeches are made in January, what everyone is told is that early childhood and children’s literacy are the highest priority, but when you look at the funding situation at the end of the session, it does not match what is stated at the start,” Mansur said.
Mansur took particular note of the Missouri Scholars Program, which can be used to support private school tuition, which received a $10 million increase in this year’s budget.
“Why was a program, the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Fund, which was originally designed to provide a charitable tax credit to those who would donate to create scholarship dollars for private schools, and now we have a dedicated $60 million of general revenue,” Mansur said.
