There was a disturbing story coming out of West Virginia, courtesy of the Mountain State Spotlight, a website that covers the state, and Pro Publica, a website which does investigative reporting around the country. Rep. Vernon Criss, a Republican, had proposed to limit payouts from a voucher program due to concerns about the state blowing a hole in its budget.
Mr. Criss was not against school voucher programs for private schools. He voted for the bill that created the Hope Scholarship, the bill that created the voucher program. But the mere fact that he suggested common sense reforms that would allow the state to live within its means was a political death sentence. Billionaire groups like the Koch Brothers, Jeffrey Yass, and Americans for Prosperity spent tons of money to get him beat. They succeeded.
West Virginia is in a public school funding crisis. The Spotlight reports that 70 public schools have closed in the state since 2019, with 20 more in danger of closing at the end of this school year.
It would be even worse if such a situation were to hit Missouri. If all the public schools were to close in this area, the nearest private schools would be Bishop LeBlond and St. Joseph Christian. Maryville has a private school in St. Gregory Barbarigo, but they do not teach beyond eighth grade. None of them have the capacity to handle an influx of hundreds of students if such a situation were to happen.
The Missouri Constitution, Article IX, states in Section 1 (a) that children have a right to a free public education. Section 8 prohibits public aid for religious purposes and institutions. The Legislature needs to fully fund public education as required by the Constitution in the 2027 session. If they want to fund private schools above and beyond that, they can submit a measure on the ballot for voters to consider like any other participant in the political process.
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