House Subcommittee on Appropriations—Education
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The House Subcommittee on Appropriations—Education, chaired by Rep. Rusty Black (R-Chillicothe), convened on Monday, Jan. 13 to continue to hear testimonies from presidents and administrators from Missouri’s public colleges and universities. Leaders from Missouri Western State University, the community colleges, and the University of Missouri System discussed 2020 priorities, recent successes, and examples of how each institution has collaborated with their counterparts to effectively serve Missouri students. As was the case at the Jan. 9 hearing, institutions expressed concerns about long-term trends in higher education funding and requested increases in core funding for public institutions. They also requested additional funds for deferred maintenance and renovations.
Committee members' questions focused on tuition, student financial aid, and the Missouri Community College Association's equity model. Committee members also inquired about enrollment challenges and how the institutions are preparing for sustained declines in the number of high school graduates, deferred maintenance, and the rapidly evolving workforce.
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MDHEWD appears before House Subcommittee on Appropriations – Education
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The Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development’s Commissioner, Zora Mulligan, appeared before the House Subcommittee on Appropriations-Education to discuss the department’s reorganization, legislative priorities, and goals for the upcoming year. She also presented the department’s budget request, including student financial aid programs, performance funding, MoExcels, deferred maintenance, and capital projects.
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Senate Appropriations: Public Testimony Hearing
The Senate Appropriations Committee—Appropriations chaired by Senator Dan Hegeman (R-Cosby) convened on Wednesday, Jan. 15 to hear public testimony about education spending.
Gary Kremer from the State Historical Society voiced his concerns regarding the current budget and urged the committee to consider a funding increase for FY 21. The increase would provide pay increases and benefits for their staff.
Lincoln University representatives, including President Jerald Woolfolk, appeared before the committee to voice concerns regarding the institution’s land grant funding. President Woolfolk stated Lincoln is asking the state to match the university's federal land grant funds in order to maintain the full federal land apportionment.
Jamie Davis of Columbia College and Taylor Rumsey, a recipient of the Missouri Access Grant and student at Central Methodist University, discussed the importance of increased funding for Access Missouri grant.
Governor Parson delivers State of the State address
Gov. Mike Parson delivered the State of the State address on Jan. 15. Similar to last year, his address focused on two major themes – workforce development and infrastructure.
During his remarks, the Governor highlighted his administration’s recent successes, including reaching hundreds through the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant, increasing the number of Missourians participating in internships, and spearheading the largest reorganization of state government in decades.
The Governor's remarks paralleled the budget he released, which includes funding of the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant ($4.4 million of additional funds—$14.4 million total) and MoExcels ($19.6 million in one-time funds). In addition, the Governor recommended a $750,000 investment for career readiness assessments like WorkKeys.
The budget request can be found here. Overall, the Governor recommended a total of $1.3 billion for higher education and workforce development in Missouri.
Highlights for Higher Education:
Highlights for Workforce Development:
- $100,147,557 ($97,412,057 of which are federal funds)
Recommended Increases in State Financial Aid Programs:
- $7.5 million for Bright Flight
- $13 million for Access Missouri
- $4.8 million for the A+ Scholarship Program
- $4,445,014 for Fast Track
- $4,000 for the Public Service Survivor Grant Program
- $9,000 for the Veteran’s Survivors Grant Program
In addition, the budget includes a core reduction of $413,375 for the Marguerite Ross Barnett Scholarship program.
The Governor recommended flat funding for public colleges and universities, with the exception of the University of Missouri’s NextGen Precision Health Institute. That project received $10 million last year and the Governor recommended $3 million for it this year.
 MDHEWD Commissioner Zora Mulligan testified in front of the House Subcommittee on Appropriations-Education on Monday, Jan. 13.
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