2162S.01I
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 16
WHEREAS, public education is the primary responsibility of the state after paying state debts, as provided pursuant to Article III, Section 36 of the Missouri Constitution; 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 $4,500 to over $13,700 per pupil; and
WHEREAS, the 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, public education is labor intensive 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, the fiscal situation facing the state and the resulting budget problems limits the ability to fund all services including education, it is necessary to review the state's commitment to all present and future aspects of education funding; and
WHEREAS, the fiscal situation and problems facing this state are serious and likely to continue for the foreseeable future and because any major alteration rendered to the state's education funding formula will require some amount of increased appropriation in order to meet the required legal standards of equity and adequacy, the need to explore opportunities to increase general revenue resources that can be used for the funding of education is critical:
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-Second 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 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 equity and adequacy of distribution of state school aid, teachers' salaries, funding for school buildings, and overall funding levels for schools and any other education-related issues the committee deems relevant; 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-second 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.