Missouri public education advocates rally for funding at Capitol

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hundreds of parents, teachers and students from across Missouri planned to gather at the state Capitol on Tuesday afternoon for Public Education Lobby Day, urging lawmakers to prioritize funding for public schools.

According to a news release from Progress MO, the event, scheduled for 1 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda, will bring together advocates who have more than 100 scheduled meetings with legislators regarding public education funding. Their message centers on the need to fully fund Missouri’s public schools and protect them from what organizers describe as growing financial threats at both the state and federal levels.

"Every single kid – no matter how much their parents make, what neighborhood they live in, or language they speak – deserves access to an amazing public school and education," the release says.

Attendees want public schools protected from volatility they believe will be caused by tax policy changes and program cuts. There are concerns that challenges from proposed federal rollbacks and local property tax pressures could harm students statewide.

Public elementary and secondary education accounts for more than a fifth of all Missouri's state expenditures, according to research.

In the U.S., Missouri ranks 31st in per-student funding for public schools. The Show-Me State's average is in line with bordering states and is $203 above the regional average.

A law passed in 2025 added grade-level equivalency to the Missouri Assessment Program.

Measuring grade-level performance would show what percentage of students are not meeting expectations.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requested $1 million for the addition. While Gov. Mike Kehoe has recommended not to fund it, state lawmakers could still restore the funding.

The Kehoe administration is also rewriting the state’s 20-year-old K-12 foundation formula, which has drawn criticism from lawmakers, educators and charter advocates alike for being outdated and inequitable.

The current formula is designed to reflect what is considered necessary or adequate to provide a quality education. The goal is to move from a system based on tax rates to a performance-based model that addresses student needs. 

A 16-member Missouri School Funding Modernization Task Force was appointed by Kehoe to establish and submit recommendations by Dec. 1, 2026.

Tuesday’s rally aims to push lawmakers in Jefferson City to keep students' needs at the forefront as they consider tax and spending proposals in the current legislative session.