This week marks the first “unofficial” week of summer. Area pools are filled with kids enjoying their time away from school.  Parents are busy preparing for vacation, and some teachers are enjoying their much-needed and deserved time off from school. But, August is just around the corner, and it won’t be long before parents set out to buy school supplies once again.

As legislators, one of the most important jobs we have is protecting education in this state.  We worked hard this session to ensure we are doing everything we can on our end to help those failing school districts. The result was Senate Bill 493, a bipartisan bill passed overwhelmingly by the Senate. The legislation provides a path forward to Missouri children to receive a quality education close to home and tackles some of the challenges confronting school districts in the school transfer process. The bill also requires accountability for failing districts and represents the most far-reaching education measure in decades.

Not only did we pass meaningful K-12 legislation this session, we also passed several bills that will advance higher education policy in Missouri. Senate Bill 492 will create a funding formula model that provides incentives for performance outcomes to determine state aid for public colleges and universities. This legislation will hold institutions accountable based on their performance and will give the institutions the ability to judge themselves to see if they are meeting their goals. That performance level will be reflected in their budgets.

House Bill 1389, passed this session, allows Missouri to enter into reciprocity agreements regarding the delivery of online courses. Missouri will join other states, including several member states of the Midwest Higher Education Compact, as a participant in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).

The Legislature also passed legislation that will benefit preschool children. House Bill 1689 will establish a funding mechanism for early childhood. The measure, approved by the General Assembly, would provide funds to schools for preschool children who are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch once the foundation formula is fully funded. Preschool children will be able to receive a proper foundation and teachers will be able to target problems areas early in the education process.

I always appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions about the topics discussed above, or any other issues, please do not hesitate to contact my office.