Missouri House Gives Final Approval to Charter School Legislation

Legislation recalculating how much funding goes to Missouri charter schools has been given final approval by the Missouri House. The narrow vote is a victory for GOP House Speaker Rob Vescovo, who pushed the bill. Excelsior Springs GOP State Representative Doug Richey tells colleagues that half the children in public education in Kansas City are in charter schools. It’s 40 percent in St. Louis:

St. Louis Democratic State Representative Peter Merideth voted against Richey’s bill, saying it directly takes 17-million dollars from St. Louis Public Schools and moves them to charter schools. Charter schools are independently operated public schools funded through a combination of state and private dollars.