Stop Defunding Missouri Public Schools!

The Missouri Legislature is pushing a number of bills that expands charter schools, home schools, and take money from Missouri's public schools, which are already struggling for funding. These bills reinforce redlining and worsen education inequality. I urge you to oppose SB195, SB53, HB77, HB519, HB1338, SB675, SB24, HB447, HB1044, HB498, SB398, and SB63. HB447 (O'Donnell), HB1044 (Keathley), HB498 (Christ), and SB398 (Brown) would allow charter schools in more places. Charter schools pull thousands of students and associated state/local tax dollars away from Missouri's public schools and help lead to situations where public schools are underfunded and closing. These charter schools have no accountability or oversight and don't answer to elected school boards like public schools do. Over half of the charters in Missouri have already closed, at which point students must go back to public schools that may no longer exist. Many proposed bills expand the existing MOScholars program, which provides private (often religious) or home school scholarships that are funded by donations eligible for tax credits. HB519 (Matthiesen), HB1338 (Mackey), and SB675 (Gregory) expand it so more students qualify. SB24 (Brattin) makes it so that scholarship funds come directly from the student's school district if there are not sufficient donations. SB195 (Brattin), SB53 (Schroer), and HB77 (Loy) directly defund public schools by providing parents with a tax credit for not sending their child to public school. All of these bills funnel tax money away from public schools and into private schools, which are often run by religious institutions. History tells us the dangers that come from unregulated private religious schools, from the horrors of the Indian Boarding Schools to the recent abuse at Agape. SB63 (Brown) expands the funding and abilities of home schools and homeschooled students. Under the proposal, school districts could not turn away homeschooled students or belong to an activities association that requires homeschooled students to take classes in order to participate. Missouri has a long history of valuing quality education. Black Missourians in St. Louis docked a steamboat in the middle of the Mississippi river to create the Floating Freedom School and secure their education in the mid-1800s. German immigrants to Missouri in the 1800s made kindergarten a national standard. Unfortunately, we've gone backwards in recent years and now rank at the bottom of the nation in education due to misguided bills like these. I urge you to oppose all these bills and fully fund and support public schools and teachers to provide a free quality education to all of Missouri's children, allowing them to learn, grow, and thrive.