Two days after pledging to significantly raise Missouri’s Higher Education budget next year, Gov. Jay Nixon Wednesday pledged to do the same for the state’s public schools.
Nixon told K-12 school leaders in Jefferson City that the state’s triple-A credit rating and improving economy will enable his administration to spend more money on educating Missouri’s children.
“My budget for fiscal year 2015 will include a real investment in our K-12 classrooms, and make a significant down payment on my commitment to fully fund the foundation formula before I am done as your governor,” he said to roaring applause.
Nixon says the size of the budget hike will be determined later. The Democratic governor also warned that deep tax cuts Republicans hope to pass next year could undermine his plan to boost the state’s education budget.