Dive Brief:

• Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced plans to freeze $22 million that had been allocated for public education, saying the hold is a response to last week’s mid-year spending plan where lawmakers didn’t budget enough money for education.

• In January, Nixon asked for $44 million to be used for K-12 and higher education, to make up for shortfalls in gambling and lottery revenues; however, last week lawmakers approved a budget bill with only half the funding. 

• Nixon says lawmakers can right their wrong by adding $22 million in education dollars to the 2015 budget, which is currently being discussed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

Dive Insight:

The House Budget Committee contends that $22 million was an adequate number, and that if they had allotted more money, there would have been less money to spend on education the following year.

This argument is not sitting well with schools. 

“This puts school boards and superintendents in the very difficult position of having to make budget adjustments in the short time remaining before the end of the fiscal year,” said a spokesperson for the Missouri School Boards Association.

What ultimately irked the Governor and the schools the most was the senate committee's allocation of $33 million in next year’s budget for a new State Historical Society building.

“A budget that cuts funding to keep abused children safe, but adds funding to build a brand new government building does not reflect our priorities,” Gov. Nixon said.