Legislative Priorities

Local authority for decision making regarding school calendar, open enrollment, curricular decisions, class size, and charter school.
Local school board elections taking place in April, a non-partisan election date

Full funding of the foundation formula; maintain integrity of current foundation formula; nonnegotiable and with no further downward changes to adequacy targets¹
Work to address the impending teacher shortage by dedicating State funds for the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers
Funding summer school²
Full funding for school bus transportation, including funding for early childhood transportation³
Full funding of mandates at federal (ESSA, IDEA, McKinney-Vento, Title I) and state levels (dyslexia screening)
Legislation to enhance federal and state funding, such as cigarette tax, Internet use tax, fuel tax
Equivalent distribution of state funds to meet any state teacher pay minimum increases, even when districts may already be above the state minimum.
Local discretion in the use of teacher stipends to meet building needs and incentivize high growth.
Universal free school meals for students providing free breakfasts and lunches to all students, regardless of whether those students are eligible for free meals under federal guidelines.

Diverting state funds from public schools by any means, including tuition tax credits/vouchers
Redirecting resources from public schools to unproven charter schools until the charter reforms passed in 2012 are implemented and proven effective

Full funding for quality, voluntary early childhood education⁴
Funding for career and technical education and career development programs⁵
Continuation of the current independence, structure, and governance of the Missouri State High School Activities Association
Legislation that recognizes the Internet as a utility and makes possible internet access, reliability, and speed throughout Missouri
Legislation that promotes an educational experience free from prejudice against a student’s race, color, socioeconomic status or class, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, ability, age or genetic information.

For the 2024-25 school year CPS is anticipated to receive approximately $75 million in state foundation formula funding. If the state adequacy target was currently operating as prescribed in the foundation formula when written in 2006-2007, CPS would receive over $5 million in additional state funding.
CPS currently spends approximately $5.5 million to operate the summer school program.
For the 2024-25 school year, CPS’s transportation budget is estimated at $13.0 million while state funding for transportation is anticipated at $6.5 million.
For the 2024-25 school year, CPS’s early childhood education budget is estimated to exceed $5.0 million which includes local, federal, and state funded early childhood programs in the District.
For the 2024-25 school year, CPS’s career and technical education budgets are anticipated to exceed $5.0 million. Revenue received in state and federal vocation aid is estimated at $600,000 annually.