1 · The foundation formula
$190 million short
The state didn't pay what its own law says schools need.
Missouri law sets a "foundation formula" that calculates how much state aid each school district needs to educate its students. In the current budget, lawmakers funded the formula about $190 million below what the law calls for. Every district gets less than it was counting on.
It's likely to get worse. In September 2026 the State Board of Education deadlocked 4–4 on asking for full funding, so its request for next year matches this year's spending. That leaves a projected gap of about $270 million.
What that means at your school: larger classes, fewer aides and counselors, deferred repairs, cut programs, and pressure to ask local voters for tax increases to make up the difference.
Sources: Missouri Independent, The Beacon, Missouri Independent
2 · Private-school vouchers
$60 million
Public money is now paying for private school.
Missouri's MOScholars program pays for private-school tuition. It used to run entirely on donations through tax credits. In 2025, lawmakers began funding it directly from the state's general revenue with $50 million, and this year's budget raised that to about $60 million.
That increase came in the same budget that left the public school formula $190 million short. Even budget writers warned it would "set a precedent" for future years.
Sources: Missouri Independent (2025), Missouri Independent (2026)
3 · The SB190 senior property tax freeze
About 80¢ of every dollar
Tax relief for seniors comes mostly out of local schools.
SB190, signed in 2023, lets counties freeze property taxes for homeowners 62 and older. Once you're approved, your tax bill stays at that year's level even as your home's value and local tax rates rise. Many counties, including Clay County, have opted in.
Most of a Missouri property tax bill goes to the local school district. In many communities it's about 80%. So for every dollar a senior saves, roughly 80 cents comes out of the local schools' budget, and the gap grows every year the freeze stays in place.
About 80¢ goes to schoolsAbout 20¢ to the county, city, library, and others
School districts are already reporting the effect. Staff in the Webster Groves School District cited about $4.96 million in senior-freeze impact in their 2025–26 budget adjustment. In Oak Grove, the board heard an estimate of roughly $500,000 a year in lost revenue.
Our position is simple: if you need this relief to keep your home or buy groceries, take it. You've earned it. If you don't need it, please ask your County Collector to remove you from the program. Here's how →
Sources: Clay County, Missouri Budget Project, Webster Groves board meeting, Oak Grove board meeting. Your property tax bill shows exactly how much goes to your school district.
4 · The sports betting promise
$105M promised
"Sports betting will fund education." So far, barely.
The 2024 campaign for Amendment 2, which legalized sports betting, ran ads saying it would raise $105 million for education over five years. Voters narrowly approved it.
Sports betting launched in December 2025. In the first month, Missourians bet $543 million. After sportsbooks deducted promotional "free bets" and other costs, the state collected just $521,200 in tax, and none of it reached schools. The first $5 million each year goes to a problem-gambling fund before education gets anything.
There's a bigger problem. The amendment has no "non-supplant" rule, so betting money can replace regular school funding instead of adding to it. In August 2026, a state representative said she was "disappointed" by how little has come in.
Sources: KOMU, Missouri Independent, ABC17 News
