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WHEREAS, providing public education is the primary duty of the state after paying state debts, as provided pursuant to Article III, Section 36 of the Missouri Constitution; and
WHEREAS, public school buildings in Missouri have historically been funded mainly by local funds; and
WHEREAS, the ability of school districts to pay for buildings, as measured by a district's assessed value per pupil, varies by a factor of roughly seventeen between the wealthiest and least wealthy district in this state; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently conducted a comprehensive review of school district building needs and found the existing statewide need for new construction and renovation to be in excess of four billion dollars; and
WHEREAS, public education is a labor intensive operation with roughly three-fourths of operating cost supporting salaries and benefits of staff, and most of those salaries being paid to certificated teachers; and
WHEREAS, state school operating aid has increased significantly since the passage of SB 380 in 1993; and
WHEREAS, state minimum salary requirements for teachers have not been increased to keep up with increases in the cost of living; and
WHEREAS, state cost to fully fund state school aid continues to increase significantly each year and requires funds which create hardships for other sectors of society needing access to state funds; and
WHEREAS, the adequacy and equity of funding available to public schools has again become a serious concern across the state, highlighted by the wide range of available operating funding for Missouri school districts, which ranges from $3500 per pupil to over $11,000 per pupil:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-first General Assembly, First Regular Session, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that a joint interim committee on education be created to be composed of seven members of the Senate, to be appointed by the President Pro Tem of the Senate, and seven members of the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said committee conduct an in- depth study concerning all issues relating to funding for school buildings and building renovation, teachers' salaries, equity and adequacy of distribution of state school aid and overall funding levels for schools and any other education-related issues the committee deems relevant; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the committee conduct an in depth review of funding sources for public education that could serve as a replacement for the property tax; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said committee prepare a report, together with its recommendations for any legislative action it deems necessary for submission to the General Assembly prior to the commencement of the Second Regular Session of the Ninety- first General Assembly; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said committee may solicit any input and information necessary to fulfill its obligations from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the State Board of Education, the Department of Higher Education, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, the State Tax Commission, all school districts and other political subdivisions of this state, teachers and teacher groups, business and other commercial interests and any other interested persons; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that House Research, the Committee on Legislative Research, and Senate Research shall provide such legal, research, clerical, technical and bill drafting services as the committee may require in the performance of its duties; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the actual and necessary expenses of the committee, its members and any staff personnel assigned to the committee incurred in attending meetings of the committee or any subcommittee thereof shall be paid from the Joint Contingent Fund and the committee shall prepare a report, together with its recommendations for any legislative action it deems necessary for submission to the Governor and the General Assembly by January 15, 2002. The committee shall be authorized to function until January 15, 2002.