Show-Me Institute Podcast Show-Me Institute

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Avery Frank join Zach Lawhorn to discuss:

- The need to update Missouri's tax and expenditure limits (the Hancock Amendment)
- The passage of SB 727, the education reform bill, by the Senate
and House
- Metrolink expansion, and more

Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Susan Pendergrass and James Shuls join Zach Lawhorn to discuss the House passing SB 727, sending it to the governor’s desk.

The bill ended up being quite large. Here is some of what’s in it.

Charter schools could be coming to Boone County. If a group of teachers, parents, or citizens wants to open a charter school and has a solid application, it can now apply to a university or the state charter school board for sponsorship. The group does not need the approval of a local school board.

Eligibility for the MO Scholars scholarship program for low-income students and students with disabilities has been greatly expanded. There are no longer geographic restrictions for who is eligible. The income limits for eligibility have been raised. The total amount of tax credits that can be dedicated to the program was increased from $50 million to $75 million. And the dollar amount of the scholarship was raised to bring the number in line with the Foundation Formula amounts for similar types of students.

Districts in the state’s largest communities must now put a potential switch to a four-day school week to a vote. There is also a financial incentive that will be remitted to any district that remains open five days per week.

There is also an important change to the state’s foundation formula. Previously, students were counted purely based on attendance. Now, the formula will be 50 percent based on attendance and 50 percent based on enrollment.

The minimum teacher salary was raised from $25,000 to $40,000 for all teachers and from $33,000 to $46,000 for teachers with master’s degrees.

Districts will be able to attempt to fill teaching positions in “hard-to-staff” schools by placing teachers higher on the salary schedule than they normally would be.

There are many more provisions to SB 727. It represents a defensible trade-off between increasing options for Missouri students who need them and investing in the system.

Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Patrick Tuohey join Zach Lawhorn to discuss:

– The KC Stadium tax "No" vote victory
– Other Missouri election day results
– The latest on the $50 billion state budget that passed out of the House, and more.

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Susan Pendergrass speaks with Reason Foundation's Aaron Smith about his recent report titled "Public education at a crossroads: A comprehensive look at K-12 resources and outcomes"

Read the full report here: https://reason.org/k12-ed-spending/crossroads-report/

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Susan Pendergrass speaks to Mike McShane and Rick Hess about their new book " Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College"

In Getting Education Right: A Conservative Vision for Improving Early Childhood, K–12, and College, Frederick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane argue that America has too long suffered from the absence of a robust, coherent, and principled conservative vision for educational improvement. The problem? The right has too narrowly focused on school choice, campus speech, and shrinking Washington’s footprint, while the left has sought to subsidize and supersize the status quo. The solution? An education system imbued with shared values, respectful of family ties, and equipped for the challenges of the 21st century.

Rooted in fundamental conservative principles, the book explains how we got here and where we need to go when it comes to early childhood, K–12, and higher education. Eschewing performative polemics, this book offers a field guide to bringing education back to its formative mission. Readers from across the ideological spectrum will benefit from engaging with the provocative analysis Hess and McShane offer, whether or not they agree with the policies they propose. Education is the foundation on which America’s future will be constructed, and Getting Education Right provides a timely blueprint for that project.

Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

David Stokes, Elias Tsapelas, and Patrick Tuohey join Zach Lawhorn to discuss:

- The stadium tax debate in Kansas City
- The MetroLink expansion plan advances in St. Louis
- How to make it easier to access virtual health care in Missouri, and more

Produced by Show-Me Opportunity