By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">Meg Cunningham</a>

Seven Missouri Head Start centers are set to receive nearly $2 million in funding for upgrades and educational resources

Community gardens, educational programs and breastfeeding rooms are all part of Missouri’s plan to take advantage of one-time federal funding for Head Start programs.

Seven Missouri Head Start kitchens are set to receive nearly $2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the office’s efforts to promote healthy eating and nutritious foods.

The funding comes as part of a push from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/09/nx-s1-5534412/rfk-maha-report-childrens-health" target="_blank">rolled out&nbsp;</a>the “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy” in early September. HHS said in a press release that $61 million in funding will assist more than 100,000 children and families across the country.

In Missouri, it will pay for kitchen upgrades, community gardens, bulk cooking lessons and more.

How Head Start programs are taking on nutrition education&nbsp;

July&nbsp;<a href="https://foodsecurity.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Missouri-Hunger-Atlas-2025_Final.pdf" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;from the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security at the University of Missouri found that between 2021 and 2023, an average of 12.7% of Missouri homes experienced food insecurity, a 10% increase compared to the period between 2018 and 2020.

That equates to nearly 780,000 Missourians. Of those, about 356,000 are experiencing very low food security, where eating habits are interrupted.

For many children, a meal at Head Start schools will be the most nutritious they get all day, 2021&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cacfp.org/assets/pdf/SNACS_Report/" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows.

Lunches provided in Head Start centers provided more than the benchmark levels for vegetables, grains, bread, dairy and protein foods, while breakfasts exceeded benchmark levels for fruit, grains and dairy.

On days when children were in child care programs, meals and snacks contributed to 40% of calories a child consumed that day. And in Missouri, Head Start kitchens play a crucial role in addressing increasing food insecurity rates. In April, the federal government closed five of the 10 regional Head Start offices and fired staff, although legal challenges are&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5420965-trump-administration-cuts-head-start/" target="_blank">underway</a>.

For nutrition coordinators across the state’s Head Start programs, the funding presented a rare opportunity for essential upgrades. Many Head Start kitchens use commercial kitchen equipment, which can cost thousands of dollars to upgrade or replace.

“The majority of our money does go directly to providing the services for the children,” said Kayla Marmaud, the community relations director for the Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph. “When you have funding that goes for the children in your care directly, some of the other things are put on the back burner.”

HHS required that half of the overall funding be used for materials, supplies and equipment for farm-to-table strategies, cooking demonstrations and appliance upgrades. Another quarter of the funding goes toward food service upgrades and sourcing local nutritious foods, while the remainder of the money will contribute to education, workshops and community events.

In Springfield, Head Start staff kept a running list of upgrades that were needed. When the funding was announced, they were able to check that list and pick top priorities.

“We selected the things that we felt like were the most pressing issues, or the ones that could give us the biggest bang for our buck, knowing that this is a one-time and not continuing project,” said Kimberly Shinn-Brown, the Head Start program director at Ozarks Area Community Action in Springfield.

They plan to make food service upgrades, as well as a slew of upgrades to their Head Start locations that have residential-style kitchens. Part of that means making the kitchens easier to use and work in for their staff, Shinn-Brown said.

Ozarks Area Community Action and others are also pursuing educational programs to help benefit their families. In Springfield, they requested money to bring on a new nutrition education program aimed at Gen Z families. The program sends out tidbits of information over text, so families can more easily incorporate nutrition education into their lives.

“They don’t want to talk to someone on the phone, and they don’t necessarily want to have a face-to-face meeting with you,” Shinn-Brown said. “But they do tend to be responsive if you text them.”

“It doesn’t matter how great your resources are if people won’t use them,” she said. “So we wanted to look at how our parents are accessing information, and what are their preferences?”

Daphne Graham, the health and nutrition coordinator at Ozark Action in West Plains, Missouri, knew the organization would have five new Early Head Start centers opening this fall, and requested funds to help with breastfeeding rooms for their families in those new centers.

They also are expanding meal options for parents of kids enrolled in Head Start to help showcase some of the cooking and exposure to different foods their kids get at school. The organization also plans to purchase more than 40 vacuum seal kits to give away to families across their 22 Head Start classrooms, with plans to help families learn more about batch cooking and preservation.

“Our demographic is very low-income … families that are sometimes just barely getting by as it is, and maybe education is not something they enjoy,” said Graham. “They don’t want to sit and listen to a lecture, but they would take in so much more in-person, so that’s where our education is going.”

In St. Joseph, they are applying those same principles to build community gardens at some of their Head Start schools and to create a new demonstration kitchen that will bring families closer to food.

“With the cost of food increasing, our resources sometimes tend to be more limited,” said Marmaud. “We wanted to be able to provide an opportunity that we could have community partners come in and be able to teach people how to get the most out of their resources.”

That sort of hands-on learning is shown to increase uptake of nutritious foods, said Lauren Landfried, a dietitian and associate professor in the St. Louis University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“Getting kids exposure early is hugely impactful for their future health,” Landfried said. “If the kids are able to be a part of any of this, they’re more likely to consume the food. They’re more likely to have that positive relationship to expose others, too.”

What is needed to create more nutritious meals for Head Start? &nbsp;

Although the one-time funding was a welcome start to the winter months, critics argue that the funding does not go far enough in the face of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and its sister program, SNAP-Ed, which provides nutrition education and other programs that address food insecurity.

“Any funding that goes to enhance nutrition education should be applauded and celebrated,” said Clarissa Hayes, the deputy director of child nutrition programs and policy at the Food Research and Action Center. “But at the end of the day, we know that this funding is not enough and it’s really putting a Band-Aid on the issue.”

Under&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/17/medicaid-snap-benefits-missouri-kansas-big-beautiful-bill/" target="_blank">new requirements</a>&nbsp;for SNAP, most individuals will be required to show proof of 80 hours of work, caregiving, schooling or volunteering to receive benefits. In Missouri, that could equate to about 150,000 people losing food assistance benefits.

And under a new waiver request from Gov. Mike Kehoe, the food items SNAP pays for are set to change. The changes would bar SNAP recipients from buying soda and candy, similar to recent&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/09/kansas-close-to-banning-soda-and-candy-purchases-with-food-stamps/" target="_blank">changes made in Kansas</a>.

“The problem is not everybody knows how to cook,” Landfried said. “The assumption is that the people know what to do with the food that they are prescribed, which is not the case. In my experience, I had to do a lot of education on how to cook.”

Both Landfried and Hayes see the reliance on other assistance like food banks increasing while families try to stretch their spending on food.

Ultimately, these one-time dollars won’t do much to address the food insecurity issues rising across Missouri, Hayes said.

“It’s not enough,” she said. “It’s very hypocritical in light of all of the other cuts that this administration has made to the nutrition safety net.”

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/10/08/new-funding-missouri-head-start-rfk-jr-hhs/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Missouri</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760380700179.png" alt=" In Missouri, it will pay for kitchen upgrades, community gardens, bulk cooking lessons and more (Meg Cunningham/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption> In Missouri, it will pay for kitchen upgrades, community gardens, bulk cooking lessons and more (Meg Cunningham/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">Meg Cunningham</a><h2>Seven Missouri Head Start centers are set to receive nearly $2 million in funding for upgrades and educational resources</h2>Community gardens, educational programs and breastfeeding rooms are all part of Missouri’s plan to take advantage of one-time federal funding for Head Start programs.Seven Missouri Head Start kitchens are set to receive nearly $2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the office’s efforts to promote healthy eating and nutritious foods.The funding comes as part of a push from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/09/nx-s1-5534412/rfk-maha-report-childrens-health" target="_blank">rolled out&nbsp;</a>the “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy” in early September. HHS said in a press release that $61 million in funding will assist more than 100,000 children and families across the country.In Missouri, it will pay for kitchen upgrades, community gardens, bulk cooking lessons and more.<h2>How Head Start programs are taking on nutrition education&nbsp;</h2>July&nbsp;<a href="https://foodsecurity.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Missouri-Hunger-Atlas-2025_Final.pdf" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;from the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security at the University of Missouri found that between 2021 and 2023, an average of 12.7% of Missouri homes experienced food insecurity, a 10% increase compared to the period between 2018 and 2020.That equates to nearly 780,000 Missourians. Of those, about 356,000 are experiencing very low food security, where eating habits are interrupted.For many children, a meal at Head Start schools will be the most nutritious they get all day, 2021&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cacfp.org/assets/pdf/SNACS_Report/" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows.Lunches provided in Head Start centers provided more than the benchmark levels for vegetables, grains, bread, dairy and protein foods, while breakfasts exceeded benchmark levels for fruit, grains and dairy.On days when children were in child care programs, meals and snacks contributed to 40% of calories a child consumed that day. And in Missouri, Head Start kitchens play a crucial role in addressing increasing food insecurity rates. In April, the federal government closed five of the 10 regional Head Start offices and fired staff, although legal challenges are&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5420965-trump-administration-cuts-head-start/" target="_blank">underway</a>.For nutrition coordinators across the state’s Head Start programs, the funding presented a rare opportunity for essential upgrades. Many Head Start kitchens use commercial kitchen equipment, which can cost thousands of dollars to upgrade or replace.“The majority of our money does go directly to providing the services for the children,” said Kayla Marmaud, the community relations director for the Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph. “When you have funding that goes for the children in your care directly, some of the other things are put on the back burner.”HHS required that half of the overall funding be used for materials, supplies and equipment for farm-to-table strategies, cooking demonstrations and appliance upgrades. Another quarter of the funding goes toward food service upgrades and sourcing local nutritious foods, while the remainder of the money will contribute to education, workshops and community events.In Springfield, Head Start staff kept a running list of upgrades that were needed. When the funding was announced, they were able to check that list and pick top priorities.“We selected the things that we felt like were the most pressing issues, or the ones that could give us the biggest bang for our buck, knowing that this is a one-time and not continuing project,” said Kimberly Shinn-Brown, the Head Start program director at Ozarks Area Community Action in Springfield.They plan to make food service upgrades, as well as a slew of upgrades to their Head Start locations that have residential-style kitchens. Part of that means making the kitchens easier to use and work in for their staff, Shinn-Brown said.Ozarks Area Community Action and others are also pursuing educational programs to help benefit their families. In Springfield, they requested money to bring on a new nutrition education program aimed at Gen Z families. The program sends out tidbits of information over text, so families can more easily incorporate nutrition education into their lives.“They don’t want to talk to someone on the phone, and they don’t necessarily want to have a face-to-face meeting with you,” Shinn-Brown said. “But they do tend to be responsive if you text them.”“It doesn’t matter how great your resources are if people won’t use them,” she said. “So we wanted to look at how our parents are accessing information, and what are their preferences?”Daphne Graham, the health and nutrition coordinator at Ozark Action in West Plains, Missouri, knew the organization would have five new Early Head Start centers opening this fall, and requested funds to help with breastfeeding rooms for their families in those new centers.They also are expanding meal options for parents of kids enrolled in Head Start to help showcase some of the cooking and exposure to different foods their kids get at school. The organization also plans to purchase more than 40 vacuum seal kits to give away to families across their 22 Head Start classrooms, with plans to help families learn more about batch cooking and preservation.“Our demographic is very low-income … families that are sometimes just barely getting by as it is, and maybe education is not something they enjoy,” said Graham. “They don’t want to sit and listen to a lecture, but they would take in so much more in-person, so that’s where our education is going.”In St. Joseph, they are applying those same principles to build community gardens at some of their Head Start schools and to create a new demonstration kitchen that will bring families closer to food.“With the cost of food increasing, our resources sometimes tend to be more limited,” said Marmaud. “We wanted to be able to provide an opportunity that we could have community partners come in and be able to teach people how to get the most out of their resources.”That sort of hands-on learning is shown to increase uptake of nutritious foods, said Lauren Landfried, a dietitian and associate professor in the St. Louis University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.“Getting kids exposure early is hugely impactful for their future health,” Landfried said. “If the kids are able to be a part of any of this, they’re more likely to consume the food. They’re more likely to have that positive relationship to expose others, too.”<h2>What is needed to create more nutritious meals for Head Start? &nbsp;</h2>Although the one-time funding was a welcome start to the winter months, critics argue that the funding does not go far enough in the face of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and its sister program, SNAP-Ed, which provides nutrition education and other programs that address food insecurity.“Any funding that goes to enhance nutrition education should be applauded and celebrated,” said Clarissa Hayes, the deputy director of child nutrition programs and policy at the Food Research and Action Center. “But at the end of the day, we know that this funding is not enough and it’s really putting a Band-Aid on the issue.”Under&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/17/medicaid-snap-benefits-missouri-kansas-big-beautiful-bill/" target="_blank">new requirements</a>&nbsp;for SNAP, most individuals will be required to show proof of 80 hours of work, caregiving, schooling or volunteering to receive benefits. In Missouri, that could equate to about 150,000 people losing food assistance benefits.And under a new waiver request from Gov. Mike Kehoe, the food items SNAP pays for are set to change. The changes would bar SNAP recipients from buying soda and candy, similar to recent&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/09/kansas-close-to-banning-soda-and-candy-purchases-with-food-stamps/" target="_blank">changes made in Kansas</a>.“The problem is not everybody knows how to cook,” Landfried said. “The assumption is that the people know what to do with the food that they are prescribed, which is not the case. In my experience, I had to do a lot of education on how to cook.”Both Landfried and Hayes see the reliance on other assistance like food banks increasing while families try to stretch their spending on food.Ultimately, these one-time dollars won’t do much to address the food insecurity issues rising across Missouri, Hayes said.“It’s not enough,” she said. “It’s very hypocritical in light of all of the other cuts that this administration has made to the nutrition safety net.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/10/08/new-funding-missouri-head-start-rfk-jr-hhs/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Missouri</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

Upgrades coming to Missouri’s Head Start nutrition programs after new federal funding

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations and have him in custody for the second time in just over a month.

Just before 8:30p.m. Saturday an officer on patrol observed 54-year-old Dwight Downing in the 600 block South 7th Street in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp; The officer took&nbsp;him into custody on a Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear in court. During the arrest Downing was found to be in possession of methamphetamine.

In August,&nbsp; police conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block U.S.59 in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. A passenger in the vehicle, identified as Downing, was arrested on outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court. During his arrest he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana, according to Wilson.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754320137120.png" alt="Downing photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Downing photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations and have him in custody for the second time in just over a month.Just before 8:30p.m. Saturday an officer on patrol observed 54-year-old Dwight Downing in the 600 block South 7th Street in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp; The officer took&nbsp;him into custody on a Municipal Court warrant for failure to appear in court. During the arrest Downing was found to be in possession of methamphetamine.In August,&nbsp; police conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block U.S.59 in Atchison, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson. A passenger in the vehicle, identified as Downing, was arrested on outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court. During his arrest he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana, according to Wilson.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kan. man accused again of skipping court, drug possession

In the first month of direct state aid for Missouri’s K-12 scholarship program, 98% of funds went to religious institutions

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hansha</a>w <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

State funding of private-school vouchers is primarily being used for students attending religious institutions, with nearly 98% of funding going toward Catholic, Christian, Jewish and Islamic schools.

This year, state lawmakers passed a budget that included a request from Gov. Mike Kehoe to supply the state-run K-12 scholarship program, MOScholars, with $50 million of general revenue. Previously, the impact to the state’s bottom line was indirect, with 100% tax-deductible donations fueling the program.

Donations are still part of MOScholars’ funding, but the state appropriation has more than doubled the number of scholarships available.

During the 2024-25 school year, MOScholars awarded $15.2 million in scholarships.

In August alone, the State Treasurer’s Office received invoices for scholarships totaling $15.6 million, according to documents obtained by The Independent under Missouri’s open records laws.

The invoice process is unique to the direct state funding of the program. The nonprofits that administer scholarships, called educational assistance organizations, were the sole keepers of scholarship funds. But now, the State Treasurer’s Office holds scholarship money derived from general revenue in an account previously only used for program marketing and administration.

The invoices contained data on which schools MOScholars students are attending and the scholarship amount.

Of the 2,329 scholarships awarded in August, only 59 went to students in nonreligious schools.

This number did not surprise Democratic lawmakers, who for years have warned that state revenue was going to be siphoned into religious schools.

“We are simply subsidizing, with tax dollars, parents who would already choose to send their kids to a private school,” state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Kansas City Democrat, told The Independent. “And now we are using public dollars to pay for schools that are not transparent whatsoever in choosing who to educate and who not.”

Some schools have been criticized for admission requirements that push a moral standard.

Christian Fellowship School in Columbia, which received scholarships for 63 MOScholars students in August, requires “at least one parent of enrolled students professes faith in Christ and agrees with the admission policies and the philosophy and doctrinal statements of the school,” according to its&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F-pfYc2664C0toFkKlJqr36C50f1Dh2D7ZZrsa4CTjo/edit?tab=t.0" target="_blank">handbook</a>.&nbsp;

These statements include disapproval of homosexuality.

“The school reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission of an applicant or to discontinue enrollment of a student,” the handbook continues.

With around 430 K-12 students enrolled at Christian Fellowship School, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&amp;SchoolName=christian+fellowship+school&amp;NumOfStudentsRange=more&amp;IncGrade=-1&amp;LoGrade=-1&amp;HiGrade=-1&amp;ID=A9103769" target="_blank">National Center for Educational Statistics survey data</a>, MOScholars makes up a sizable portion of its funding. But it is not the only school with a large number of scholarship recipients.

Torah Prep School in St. Louis had 229 K-12 students during the 2023-24 school year. And in August, 197 MOScholars students received funding to attend the school. Torah Prep did not respond to a request for comment.

The high number of students attending religious schools with MOScholars funding is somewhat incidental, somewhat by design.

The MOScholars program allows its six educational assistance organizations to choose what scholarships they are willing to support.&nbsp;

Religious organizations stepped into the role to help connect congregants with affiliated schools. Only two of the six educational assistance organizations partner with schools unaffiliated with religion.

The Catholic dioceses of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Springfield-Cape Girardeau run the educational assistance organization Bright Futures Fund, which administered nearly half of the scholarships awarded in August.

The educational assistance organization Agudath Israel of Missouri focuses on Jewish education, partnering with four Jewish day schools.

The organization’s director Hillel Anton told The Independent that students are attracted to the program for more than just religious reasons.

“(Parents’) first and foremost concern is where their child is going to be able to be in the best learning environment,” Anton said. “And you may have a faith-based school that is fantastic and is able to provide that.”

State-funded scholarships administered in August, by location

This data was compiled from MOScholars invoices issued in August — the first month that scholarships were administered through a state appropriation. During August, over 2000 students received funding through the program.

The demand for the program has long&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/21/funding-lag-creates-barrier-for-missouri-private-school-tax-credit-program/">exceeded funding availability</a>. Going into August, organizations had waitlists of students eligible for a scholarship but without funding secured.

Agudath Israel of Missouri couldn’t guarantee scholarships for all of the returning students, Anton said, until the state funding was official.

“Because a lot of the funding is done towards the end of the year… we had everyone on a wait list,” he said. “Because we didn’t know necessarily how much funding we were going to have, we weren’t awarding anyone (the funding).”

Because the program was previously powered by 100% tax-deductible donations, the majority of funds poured in around December. But families need the money months sooner, with tuition due at the start of the school year.

Some educational assistance organizations prefunded scholarships, dipping into their savings to front expenses in the fall. Others had schools that would accept students and wait for payment.

The funding from the state, though, has resolved the backlog and allowed organizations to give scholarships to everyone on their wait list.

“Everyone who qualified for a scholarship this year received one,” Ashlie Hand, Bright Futures Fund’s director of communications, told The Independent.

Bright Futures Fund nearly doubled the number of students it serves, from 1,050 to 1,909.

Agudath Israel of Missouri is growing, too. The new funding helped the organization expand from 175 scholarships last year to 277 this year.

Some expect the state funding to continue next year to support this year’s windfall of scholarships. State Treasurer Vivek Malek&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/04/new-funding-for-private-school-vouchers-will-set-precedent-for-future-missouri-budgets/">told The Independent in May</a>&nbsp;that if donations fall short, he will request state funds to support the new students through graduation.

The Independent’s Rudi Keller contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760357050374.png" alt=" Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and School in Jefferson City, as pictured Sept. 20, 2024, received scholarships for 22 students this August through the MOScholars program. MOScholars, which provides private school vouchers, expanded this fall with an infusion of state funds (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption> Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and School in Jefferson City, as pictured Sept. 20, 2024, received scholarships for 22 students this August through the MOScholars program. MOScholars, which provides private school vouchers, expanded this fall with an infusion of state funds (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>In the first month of direct state aid for Missouri’s K-12 scholarship program, 98% of funds went to religious institutions</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hansha</a>w <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>State funding of private-school vouchers is primarily being used for students attending religious institutions, with nearly 98% of funding going toward Catholic, Christian, Jewish and Islamic schools.This year, state lawmakers passed a budget that included a request from Gov. Mike Kehoe to supply the state-run K-12 scholarship program, MOScholars, with $50 million of general revenue. Previously, the impact to the state’s bottom line was indirect, with 100% tax-deductible donations fueling the program.Donations are still part of MOScholars’ funding, but the state appropriation has more than doubled the number of scholarships available.During the 2024-25 school year, MOScholars awarded $15.2 million in scholarships.In August alone, the State Treasurer’s Office received invoices for scholarships totaling $15.6 million, according to documents obtained by The Independent under Missouri’s open records laws.The invoice process is unique to the direct state funding of the program. The nonprofits that administer scholarships, called educational assistance organizations, were the sole keepers of scholarship funds. But now, the State Treasurer’s Office holds scholarship money derived from general revenue in an account previously only used for program marketing and administration.The invoices contained data on which schools MOScholars students are attending and the scholarship amount.Of the 2,329 scholarships awarded in August, only 59 went to students in nonreligious schools.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760356915792.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>This number did not surprise Democratic lawmakers, who for years have warned that state revenue was going to be siphoned into religious schools.“We are simply subsidizing, with tax dollars, parents who would already choose to send their kids to a private school,” state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, a Kansas City Democrat, told The Independent. “And now we are using public dollars to pay for schools that are not transparent whatsoever in choosing who to educate and who not.”Some schools have been criticized for admission requirements that push a moral standard.Christian Fellowship School in Columbia, which received scholarships for 63 MOScholars students in August, requires “at least one parent of enrolled students professes faith in Christ and agrees with the admission policies and the philosophy and doctrinal statements of the school,” according to its&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F-pfYc2664C0toFkKlJqr36C50f1Dh2D7ZZrsa4CTjo/edit?tab=t.0" target="_blank">handbook</a>.&nbsp;These statements include disapproval of homosexuality.“The school reserves the right, within its sole discretion, to refuse admission of an applicant or to discontinue enrollment of a student,” the handbook continues.With around 430 K-12 students enrolled at Christian Fellowship School, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&amp;SchoolName=christian+fellowship+school&amp;NumOfStudentsRange=more&amp;IncGrade=-1&amp;LoGrade=-1&amp;HiGrade=-1&amp;ID=A9103769" target="_blank">National Center for Educational Statistics survey data</a>, MOScholars makes up a sizable portion of its funding. But it is not the only school with a large number of scholarship recipients.Torah Prep School in St. Louis had 229 K-12 students during the 2023-24 school year. And in August, 197 MOScholars students received funding to attend the school. Torah Prep did not respond to a request for comment.The high number of students attending religious schools with MOScholars funding is somewhat incidental, somewhat by design.The MOScholars program allows its six educational assistance organizations to choose what scholarships they are willing to support.&nbsp;Religious organizations stepped into the role to help connect congregants with affiliated schools. Only two of the six educational assistance organizations partner with schools unaffiliated with religion.The Catholic dioceses of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Springfield-Cape Girardeau run the educational assistance organization Bright Futures Fund, which administered nearly half of the scholarships awarded in August.The educational assistance organization Agudath Israel of Missouri focuses on Jewish education, partnering with four Jewish day schools.The organization’s director Hillel Anton told The Independent that students are attracted to the program for more than just religious reasons.“(Parents’) first and foremost concern is where their child is going to be able to be in the best learning environment,” Anton said. “And you may have a faith-based school that is fantastic and is able to provide that.”<h2>State-funded scholarships administered in August, by location</h2>This data was compiled from MOScholars invoices issued in August — the first month that scholarships were administered through a state appropriation. During August, over 2000 students received funding through the program.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760356993957.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The demand for the program has long&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/21/funding-lag-creates-barrier-for-missouri-private-school-tax-credit-program/">exceeded funding availability</a>. Going into August, organizations had waitlists of students eligible for a scholarship but without funding secured.Agudath Israel of Missouri couldn’t guarantee scholarships for all of the returning students, Anton said, until the state funding was official.“Because a lot of the funding is done towards the end of the year… we had everyone on a wait list,” he said. “Because we didn’t know necessarily how much funding we were going to have, we weren’t awarding anyone (the funding).”Because the program was previously powered by 100% tax-deductible donations, the majority of funds poured in around December. But families need the money months sooner, with tuition due at the start of the school year.Some educational assistance organizations prefunded scholarships, dipping into their savings to front expenses in the fall. Others had schools that would accept students and wait for payment.The funding from the state, though, has resolved the backlog and allowed organizations to give scholarships to everyone on their wait list.“Everyone who qualified for a scholarship this year received one,” Ashlie Hand, Bright Futures Fund’s director of communications, told The Independent.Bright Futures Fund nearly doubled the number of students it serves, from 1,050 to 1,909.Agudath Israel of Missouri is growing, too. The new funding helped the organization expand from 175 scholarships last year to 277 this year.Some expect the state funding to continue next year to support this year’s windfall of scholarships. State Treasurer Vivek Malek&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/04/new-funding-for-private-school-vouchers-will-set-precedent-for-future-missouri-budgets/">told The Independent in May</a>&nbsp;that if donations fall short, he will request state funds to support the new students through graduation.The Independent’s Rudi Keller contributed to this report.

Nearly all state funding for Missouri school vouchers used for religious schools

NODAWAY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 3p.m. Sunday in Nodaway County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Nissan Rogue driven by a 72-year-old Maryville man was northbound on U.S. 71 just north of Route A. The Nissan rear-ended a 2000 Kenworth Conventional.

Nodaway County ambulance transported the Nissan driver to Mosaic in Maryville. The 77-year-old semi driver from Maitland was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.&nbsp; The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

NODAWAY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 3p.m. Sunday in Nodaway County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Nissan Rogue driven by a 72-year-old Maryville man was northbound on U.S. 71 just north of Route A. The Nissan rear-ended a 2000 Kenworth Conventional.Nodaway County ambulance transported the Nissan driver to Mosaic in Maryville. The 77-year-old semi driver from Maitland was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP.&nbsp; The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man injured after rear-end crash

DEKALB COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 3:30a.m. Sunday in DeKalb County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Freightliner semi driven by a 46-year-old Montgomery Village man was westbound on U.S. 36 two miles west of Osborn. The vehicle traveled off the north side of the road, returned to the road, traveled off the south side of the road, returned to the road a second time and overturned.

DeKalb Clinton ambulance transported the driver to Cameron Regional Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

DEKALB COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 3:30a.m. Sunday in DeKalb County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Freightliner semi driven by a 46-year-old Montgomery Village man was westbound on U.S. 36 two miles west of Osborn. The vehicle traveled off the north side of the road, returned to the road, traveled off the south side of the road, returned to the road a second time and overturned.DeKalb Clinton ambulance transported the driver to Cameron Regional Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man hospitalized after semi overturns

DAVIESS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 9:30p.m. Saturday in Daviess County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2025 Freightliner semi driven by a 49-year-old Ankeny, Iowa man was northbound on Interstate 35 three miles south of Pattonsburg. The vehicle crossed the median into southbound traffic, traveled off the west side of the road into trees and came to rest ot its wheels.

Daviess County EMS transported the driver to Cameron Regional Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

DAVIESS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 9:30p.m. Saturday in Daviess County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2025 Freightliner semi driven by a 49-year-old Ankeny, Iowa man was northbound on Interstate 35 three miles south of Pattonsburg. The vehicle crossed the median into southbound traffic, traveled off the west side of the road into trees and came to rest ot its wheels.Daviess County EMS transported the driver to Cameron Regional Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Driver hospitalized after semi crash into trees

HARRISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Saturday in Harrison County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Polaris Titan driven by a 46-year-old Denver, Missouri man was southbound on 127th Avenue just north of West 385h Street. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the road and struck an embankment. The driver was ejected and the vehicle came to rest on top of him.

Grand River EMS transported the driver to Liberty Hospital. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

HARRISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30p.m. Saturday in Harrison County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Polaris Titan driven by a 46-year-old Denver, Missouri man was southbound on 127th Avenue just north of West 385h Street. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the road and struck an embankment. The driver was ejected and the vehicle came to rest on top of him.Grand River EMS transported the driver to Liberty Hospital. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man injured in snowmobile accident

DAVIESS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 5p.m. Saturday in Daviess County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1982 Honda 3-wheeler driven by a 43-year-old Cameron man was northbound on MO 13 just south of Coffey.&nbsp; The driver lost control of the vehicle. It overturned and the driver was ejected.

North Missouri EMS transported the driver to Liberty Hospital. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

DAVIESS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 5p.m. Saturday in Daviess County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1982 Honda 3-wheeler driven by a 43-year-old Cameron man was northbound on MO 13 just south of Coffey.&nbsp; The driver lost control of the vehicle. It overturned and the driver was ejected.North Missouri EMS transported the driver to Liberty Hospital. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man injured after 3-wheeler overturns

CLINTON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 5p.m. Friday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Honda HRV driven by a 21-year-old Gardner, Kansas woman; a 2019 Kia Ronda driven by a 19-year-old Ozark, Missouri, woman and a 2004 Nissan Sentra driven by 27-year-old Des Moines, Iowa, man were southouthbound in the passing lane of Interstate 35 two miles south of Cameron. A 2023 Hyundai Sonota driven by a 65-year-old Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, woman was southbound in the driving lane.

The Hyundia and the Nissan slowed to avoid congestion from the construction zone. The Kia slowed and merged into the driving lane to avoid the Nissan. The Honda rear-ended the Kia and the Nissan. The impact pushed the Nissan into the rear of Hyundai.

Cameron ambulance transported the Nissan driver to Liberty Hospital. There were no other injuries. All four drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CLINTON COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 5p.m. Friday in Clinton County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Honda HRV driven by a 21-year-old Gardner, Kansas woman; a 2019 Kia Ronda driven by a 19-year-old Ozark, Missouri, woman and a 2004 Nissan Sentra driven by 27-year-old Des Moines, Iowa, man were southouthbound in the passing lane of Interstate 35 two miles south of Cameron. A 2023 Hyundai Sonota driven by a 65-year-old Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, woman was southbound in the driving lane.The Hyundia and the Nissan slowed to avoid congestion from the construction zone. The Kia slowed and merged into the driving lane to avoid the Nissan. The Honda rear-ended the Kia and the Nissan. The impact pushed the Nissan into the rear of Hyundai.Cameron ambulance transported the Nissan driver to Liberty Hospital. There were no other injuries. All four drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Driver hospitalized after 4-vehicle crash on Mo. highway

BUCHANAN COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after noon Friday in Buchanan County.

The Missouri State Highway. Patrol reported a 2010 Ford Fusion driven by a 29-year-old St. Joseph woman was southbound on Interstate 29 taking the exit to eastbound U.S. 36 in St. Joseph.&nbsp; The Ford rear-ended a 2023 Nissan Rogue driven by a 57-year-old Omaha woman who had stopped at the bottom of the ramp due to heavy traffic.

Buchanan County EMS transported the Ford driver to Mosaic Life Care. The other&nbsp; driver was not injured.&nbsp; Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

BUCHANAN COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after noon Friday in Buchanan County.The Missouri State Highway. Patrol reported a 2010 Ford Fusion driven by a 29-year-old St. Joseph woman was southbound on Interstate 29 taking the exit to eastbound U.S. 36 in St. Joseph.&nbsp; The Ford rear-ended a 2023 Nissan Rogue driven by a 57-year-old Omaha woman who had stopped at the bottom of the ramp due to heavy traffic.Buchanan County EMS transported the Ford driver to Mosaic Life Care. The other&nbsp; driver was not injured.&nbsp; Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

St. Joe woman injured after rear-end crash

Missouri’s Great Northwest Winefest
returns Saturday to Mound City.

The event is the main fundraiser for Northwest
Missouri Enterprise Facilitation, a nonprofit that helps entrepreneurs and
small businesses in six counties.

Event Coordinator, Amanda Griffin, says Northwest
Missouri Enterprise Facilitation provides a wide range of services for
businesses.

“We want to make sure that these businesses
are here to stay, sticking it out through thick and thin,” Griffin tells
KFEQmmunity. “If they need business coaching, we send somebody out to chat with
them and we’ll brainstorm different ways to just help them, help them compete
in this ever-changing market.”

Missouri’s Great Northwest Winefest
begins at 11:30am Saturday in the North Griffith Park in Mound City.

Griffin says the Great Northwest Winefest
offers something for everyone.

“But you can check out over 60 artisans
and food vendors that are available and listen all day long. We’ll have live
music from 11:30 to 7 when we go ahead and close the festival out. But it’s
going to be a fantastic day,” Griffin says. “If you’re into wineries and
breweries and all of that stuff, it’s wonderful. But even if you’re not into
that kind of stuff there’s plenty to do for everyone.”

This the 16th annual Missouri’s
Great Northwest Winefest. Griffin says the event hit a hiccup during the
coronavirus pandemic, but has come back strong as residents look to invest in
experiences.

“They’re not investing in things any more
so much, but they want that experience,” Griffin says. “Because they realized
during that time (the pandemic) that their time is precious. And so, when they
come here and they take time out with friends and family at this festival, that’s
an experience that they’ll have forever and they’re realizing that. So, I’m
pretty excited. And I think that’s the key to the growth for us.”

There will be more than 60 artists,
drink, and food vendors at the Great Northwest Winefest in Mound City, including
local vendors as well as regional. Four live acts will play on the stage: Angie
Kelim, Ben Johnson as both young and old Elvis, The Curtis Stroud Band, and Josie
Watkins.

The event runs from 11:30am to 7pm. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for designated drivers.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760118962884.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINMissouri’s Great Northwest Winefest
returns Saturday to Mound City.The event is the main fundraiser for Northwest
Missouri Enterprise Facilitation, a nonprofit that helps entrepreneurs and
small businesses in six counties.Event Coordinator, Amanda Griffin, says Northwest
Missouri Enterprise Facilitation provides a wide range of services for
businesses.“We want to make sure that these businesses
are here to stay, sticking it out through thick and thin,” Griffin tells
KFEQmmunity. “If they need business coaching, we send somebody out to chat with
them and we’ll brainstorm different ways to just help them, help them compete
in this ever-changing market.”Missouri’s Great Northwest Winefest
begins at 11:30am Saturday in the North Griffith Park in Mound City.Griffin says the Great Northwest Winefest
offers something for everyone.“But you can check out over 60 artisans
and food vendors that are available and listen all day long. We’ll have live
music from 11:30 to 7 when we go ahead and close the festival out. But it’s
going to be a fantastic day,” Griffin says. “If you’re into wineries and
breweries and all of that stuff, it’s wonderful. But even if you’re not into
that kind of stuff there’s plenty to do for everyone.”This the 16th annual Missouri’s
Great Northwest Winefest. Griffin says the event hit a hiccup during the
coronavirus pandemic, but has come back strong as residents look to invest in
experiences.“They’re not investing in things any more
so much, but they want that experience,” Griffin says. “Because they realized
during that time (the pandemic) that their time is precious. And so, when they
come here and they take time out with friends and family at this festival, that’s
an experience that they’ll have forever and they’re realizing that. So, I’m
pretty excited. And I think that’s the key to the growth for us.”There will be more than 60 artists,
drink, and food vendors at the Great Northwest Winefest in Mound City, including
local vendors as well as regional. Four live acts will play on the stage: Angie
Kelim, Ben Johnson as both young and old Elvis, The Curtis Stroud Band, and Josie
Watkins.The event runs from 11:30am to 7pm. Tickets are $30 for adults, $15 for designated drivers.You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Missouri’s Great Northwest Winefest enters 16th year in Mound City

ANDREW COUNTY—A St. Joseph woman was arrested after an accident just before 1:30a.m. Friday in Andrew County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Kia Sorrento driven by Danielle L. Swiastyn, 29, St. Joseph, was northbound on Business 71 at U.S. 59. The SUV traveled off the east side of the road, struck two signs and then returned to the road.&nbsp; 

Swiastyn refused treatment at the scene but was later arrested on requested charges of DWI alcohol and failure to drive within the right lane of the highway with two or more lanes in the same directions resulting in an accident, according to online jail records. The Patrol did not report her seat belt usage information.

ANDREW COUNTY—A St. Joseph woman was arrested after an accident just before 1:30a.m. Friday in Andrew County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Kia Sorrento driven by Danielle L. Swiastyn, 29, St. Joseph, was northbound on Business 71 at U.S. 59. The SUV traveled off the east side of the road, struck two signs and then returned to the road.&nbsp; Swiastyn refused treatment at the scene but was later arrested on requested charges of DWI alcohol and failure to drive within the right lane of the highway with two or more lanes in the same directions resulting in an accident, according to online jail records. The Patrol did not report her seat belt usage information.&nbsp;

St. Joseph woman accused of DWI after SUV crash

BUCHANAN COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 2p.m. Thursday in Buchanan County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Toyota Highlander driven by an 89-year-old Gower man was eastbound on MO H two miles east of Gower. The SUV traveled off the south side of the road and overturned.

Buchanan County EMS transported the driver to Mosaic Life Care. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

BUCHANAN COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 2p.m. Thursday in Buchanan County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Toyota Highlander driven by an 89-year-old Gower man was eastbound on MO H two miles east of Gower. The SUV traveled off the south side of the road and overturned.Buchanan County EMS transported the driver to Mosaic Life Care. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

89-year-old Missouri man hospitalized after SUV overturns

GRUNDY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 9:30a.m. Thursday in Grundy County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a horse drawn buggy driven by a 38-year-old Trenton woman was entering Route F from a private drive near SW 50th Avenue six miles east of Jamesport.

An eastbound 2016 Chevy Silverado driven by a 59-year-old Trenton man rear-ended the buggy. After impact the pickup traveled down an embankment and came to rest on its wheels. The buggy came to rest in the roadway.

Grundy County EMS transported the buggy driver to Mosaic in St. Joseph. The pickup driver was properly restrained and not injured, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686146756144.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>GRUNDY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 9:30a.m. Thursday in Grundy County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a horse drawn buggy driven by a 38-year-old Trenton woman was entering Route F from a private drive near SW 50th Avenue six miles east of Jamesport.An eastbound 2016 Chevy Silverado driven by a 59-year-old Trenton man rear-ended the buggy. After impact the pickup traveled down an embankment and came to rest on its wheels. The buggy came to rest in the roadway.Grundy County EMS transported the buggy driver to Mosaic in St. Joseph. The pickup driver was properly restrained and not injured, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. woman injured after pickup rear-ends horse and buggy 

As federal pandemic aid runs out, the state general revenue fund must pick up the difference. But the massive surplus is dwindling and tax receipts show no growth

BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Missouri’s bank balance looked pretty healthy at the end of September. But in reality, it’s like the family account before the mortgage check clears — and there are signs that future revenue will struggle to meet expectations.

Three months into the fiscal year — and three months before lawmakers return for a session that will write the next budget — fluctuations in daily revenue figures can cause repeating cycles of elation and concern, said newly-appointed Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Rusty Black.

As of Sept. 30, revenues for the year to date were down 0.6%, while a few days later, on Saturday, reports showed they were up 0.4%. The official forecast is for revenues to increase 1.6% in the year that ends June 30.

“If you look at one day or one month, you get really excited, and the next day might completely change it, especially this early in the process,” Black said in an interview with The Independent. “At the end of August, there were people coming up with ways to spend extra money.”

There was $7.1 billion in the general revenue fund and accounts that can be spent like general revenue<a href="https://treasurer.mo.gov/bank/FundReport/2025/MonthlyFundActivityReport_Sep2025.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;in the state treasury</a>&nbsp;on Sept. 30. The uncleared checks total $5.6 billion — $1 billion for capital projects from past years; $2.1 billion earmarked for major projects like expanding Interstate 70; and $2.2 billion to cover the difference between projected revenue and spending for state operations.

The coming year will bring additional pressure on current revenue as the state exhausts extra federal aid for health care banked during the COVID-19 pandemic. To make up the difference, the Department of Social Services is asking for $784 million in two areas of the Medicaid program.

Two other items push the need for new spending to continue current operations above $1 billion. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says it needs $190 million to continue foundation formula school aid at current levels and $32 million to meet the demand for student transportation.

When lawmakers wrote the current budget, they were working from a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-revenue-estimate-predicts-70-million-drop-in-state-tax-receipts-through-june/">consensus estimate</a>&nbsp;that the general revenue fund would bring in $13.6 billion this fiscal year. The trend through Saturday would result in revenue about $75 million below the estimate.

And state Budget Director Dan Haug said in June that there won’t be another $2 billion available in the coming year to cover the gap between spending and revenue. The unencumbered balance on June 30, he said,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/10/end-of-multi-billion-missouri-fiscal-surplus-is-near-budget-director-says/">will be around $700 million</a>.

“The times are going to be getting tougher as we go forward, and so I think we would like to try to limit general revenue spending so that we are able to craft responsible budgets,” Haug told lawmakers at the time.

The estimate made in December didn’t account for tax cuts made by lawmakers in the spring — an exemption for capital gains income and an increase in a property tax credit program for lower income people over 65 or living with disabilities.

The official estimate for the capital gains exemption is a revenue reduction of approximately $157 million in the current fiscal year and about&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-becomes-first-state-to-repeal-capital-gains-tax-at-an-estimated-625m-cost/">$111 million annually</a>&nbsp;on an ongoing basis. Other estimates, however, put the potential cut in revenue&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/07/missouri-lawmakers-set-to-pass-capital-gains-tax-cut-with-questions-about-its-total-cost/">at $625 million or more</a>.

Most of the benefits from the capital gains exemption would go to a small slice of taxpayers. The 23,800 federal returns filed for 2022 with incomes greater than $500,000 a year represent 0.8% of all returns but included 65% of the capital gains income.

“It’s really important that folks recognize that this is for the ultra-rich at the front of the line,” said state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern of Kansas City, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “But all the people I talk to every day who are going to the grocery store and recognizing that their food costs more, that their prescription drugs cost more, that their utilities are costing more, aren’t getting any relief whatsoever from the General Assembly, and that’s what I find most frustrating.”

Another factor putting downward pressure on revenues is interest income. As interest rates rose, and Missouri’s fund balances soared, so did interest revenue. But balances are falling and rates are down slightly. So far this year, the income from overnight deposits is down about $22 million.

Democrats who lead their party in budget committees of both chambers said they are worried that Republicans in the majority will continue to push for tax cuts despite growing demands for spending.

“I am very concerned,” Nurrenbern said. “We are really headed towards this fiscal cliff much sooner than many anticipated.”

The last time there was a major decline in state revenue, following the 2008 financial crisis, higher education and school transportation were among the services hardest hit by cuts.

“We can look back in history on tough fiscal years and see the services that get cut first,” Nurrenbern said.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has targeted the income tax for elimination but that doesn’t answer where the state will obtain its revenue, said state Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

“I would encourage the majority party to stop having conversations about reducing our state budget and our state revenue by such significant amounts without a solid plan to backfill,” Fogle said.

There are two types of spending items in the Missouri budget — mandatory outlays and discretionary disbursements.

Mandatory items include public school support, which must be at least 25% of revenue, and Medicaid, which has its own list of mandatory services in order to qualify for federal matching aid. Another mandatory item is pension and other benefits for state workers, which is estimated at&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Estimated%20Fringe%20Benefit%20Contribution%20Rates.pdf" target="_blank">65% of payroll</a>&nbsp;for the coming year.

Discretionary disbursements are anything not required by law, and can range from&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/missouri-senate-to-debate-budget-with-450-million-in-spending-on-pet-projects/">small-dollar earmarks</a>&nbsp;to major construction projects such as the $2.8 billion program to add lanes to Interstate 70.

Kehoe&nbsp;vetoed $300 million&nbsp;in discretionary spending in June, and restricted the release of $211 million more. In his veto message, Kehoe warned of a $1 billion spending shortfall in the coming year.

Of the four new budget requests that total $1 billion, two are mandatory and one — fully funding school transportation — is discretionary. The fourth — $190 million in new money to maintain current support for schools in the foundation formula — is viewed as mandatory by Democrats but&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">may not be by Kehoe</a>.

The largest mandatory item is $421 million to continue the managed care program that covers most families on Medicaid. The money is needed to replace a federal pandemic fund that will be exhausted by the end of the year.

The other major Medicaid mandatory item is $363 million for the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/10/22/missouri-medicaid-expansion-will-it-bust-the-budget-or-pay-for-itself/">adults age 19 to 64</a>&nbsp;covered under the constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2020. The program is budgeted to cost $4.2 billion in the current year, with federal funds paying 90%.

Since the program was placed into a separate line item for fiscal 2023, there has been no general revenue cost for the expansion population of 350,000 Missourians. The state’s 10% share has been paid from pandemic health care funds supplied from Washington.

By the end of the fiscal year, that means federal funds have paid for $17 billion in health assistance to Missouri with&nbsp;<a href="https://timothymcbride.substack.com/p/missouri-medicaid-financing-update" target="_blank">no direct cost to the state taxpayers</a>.

“We have not had to cover any of that 10% because it’s being covered by this Stabilization Fund, which was originally about a billion dollars, and it’s going to be exhausted in about a year,” said Tim McBride, a professor in the Washington University School of Public Health who studies Medicaid financing and previously served on the oversight board of Missouri’s Medicaid program.

There have also been shifts in applications away from traditional Medicaid programs toward the expansion group, especially among people with disabilities, McBride said. The savings to state general revenue from that shift is equal to about half of the state’s share of the Medicaid expansion program.

“If you can do it, you don’t have to go through a bunch of paperwork, and get a doctor to approve it,” he said. “So you might as well do that.”

While many aspects of Medicaid&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/mandatory-optional-medicaid-benefits" target="_blank">are mandatory</a>, such as hospital care, physician visits and medical transportation, others are not. Optional services include physical therapy after an injury or surgery, dental services, eyeglasses and home-based care.

In 2005, when the state was facing a shortfall in Medicaid, many optional services were cut. Many have been restored but they could be eliminated again, Democrats said.

“I was in a primary care association meeting a week or two ago where the conversation, the dialogue, surrounded or started to become, ‘what services are we going to cut?’” Fogle said.

Changes to federal budgeting included in the bill signed in July by President Donald Trump will likely add&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/03/federal-budget-megabill-would-shift-billions-in-cost-to-missouri-taxpayers/">billions to the state’s costs</a>&nbsp;for participating in shared programs.&nbsp;

The biggest portion of that shortfall will be in the Medicaid program, which became a prime target for cuts in the federal budget bill.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-enacted-reconciliation-package/?utm_campaign=kff-medicaid&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2anqtz-_zm3lwumkl5wy2haxviaaes4e09yijxwjzzroomznoqveahlvn9mqj7soof2xs2eoftsce61g-s7aipaiw_kocyl4x0g&amp;_hsmi=369561629&amp;utm_content=369561629" target="_blank">According to KFF</a>, Missouri could lose approximately 14% of its federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, or approximately $17 billion.

That will mean a close look at whether the state can afford optional services under Medicaid, said House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel.

“In some cases, we’re more generous than the federal law requires, so you could look at things like that,” Deaton said.

Another way to control costs in Medicaid is to cut the payments to medical providers, Deaton noted.

“Those would probably be the things that I would be looking at,” he said.

Along with $421 million from general revenue to replace other resources in the managed care program, the social services agency is asking for $90 million of general revenue, and $343 million overall, to increase monthly payments by 6.5% for managed care in Medicaid.

McBride said he doesn’t see why the increase is necessary when medical inflation is running at about 3%. There should be ways to make it less expensive without cutting services, he said.&nbsp;

Missouri spent an average of $9,382 for every person enrolled in Medicaid in fiscal 2023, KFF said in a report issued Monday.&nbsp;

That is $1,804 more than the average of the eight states surrounding Missouri. Only Kansas and Nebraska have higher average costs.

“Missouri, for some reason, is more expensive for most population groups than most other states,” McBride said. “Why that is is not clear to me, but I don’t think we do a very good job of controlling costs in Missouri.”

For the first time since 2019, state Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Republican from Springfield, will not be the chairman or vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760013518902.png" alt=" State Sen. Rusty Black, a Republican from Chillicothe, was named chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee just a few hours after presenting a motion to force a vote on a gerrymandered map of the state's congressional districts. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption> State Sen. Rusty Black, a Republican from Chillicothe, was named chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee just a few hours after presenting a motion to force a vote on a gerrymandered map of the state's congressional districts. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>As federal pandemic aid runs out, the state general revenue fund must pick up the difference. But the massive surplus is dwindling and tax receipts show no growth</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri’s bank balance looked pretty healthy at the end of September. But in reality, it’s like the family account before the mortgage check clears — and there are signs that future revenue will struggle to meet expectations.Three months into the fiscal year — and three months before lawmakers return for a session that will write the next budget — fluctuations in daily revenue figures can cause repeating cycles of elation and concern, said newly-appointed Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Rusty Black.As of Sept. 30, revenues for the year to date were down 0.6%, while a few days later, on Saturday, reports showed they were up 0.4%. The official forecast is for revenues to increase 1.6% in the year that ends June 30.“If you look at one day or one month, you get really excited, and the next day might completely change it, especially this early in the process,” Black said in an interview with The Independent. “At the end of August, there were people coming up with ways to spend extra money.”There was $7.1 billion in the general revenue fund and accounts that can be spent like general revenue<a href="https://treasurer.mo.gov/bank/FundReport/2025/MonthlyFundActivityReport_Sep2025.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;in the state treasury</a>&nbsp;on Sept. 30. The uncleared checks total $5.6 billion — $1 billion for capital projects from past years; $2.1 billion earmarked for major projects like expanding Interstate 70; and $2.2 billion to cover the difference between projected revenue and spending for state operations.The coming year will bring additional pressure on current revenue as the state exhausts extra federal aid for health care banked during the COVID-19 pandemic. To make up the difference, the Department of Social Services is asking for $784 million in two areas of the Medicaid program.Two other items push the need for new spending to continue current operations above $1 billion. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says it needs $190 million to continue foundation formula school aid at current levels and $32 million to meet the demand for student transportation.<h2>Revenues flat</h2>When lawmakers wrote the current budget, they were working from a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-revenue-estimate-predicts-70-million-drop-in-state-tax-receipts-through-june/">consensus estimate</a>&nbsp;that the general revenue fund would bring in $13.6 billion this fiscal year. The trend through Saturday would result in revenue about $75 million below the estimate.And state Budget Director Dan Haug said in June that there won’t be another $2 billion available in the coming year to cover the gap between spending and revenue. The unencumbered balance on June 30, he said,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/10/end-of-multi-billion-missouri-fiscal-surplus-is-near-budget-director-says/">will be around $700 million</a>.“The times are going to be getting tougher as we go forward, and so I think we would like to try to limit general revenue spending so that we are able to craft responsible budgets,” Haug told lawmakers at the time.The estimate made in December didn’t account for tax cuts made by lawmakers in the spring — an exemption for capital gains income and an increase in a property tax credit program for lower income people over 65 or living with disabilities.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760013481370.png" alt="Missouri budget director Dan Haug speaks during the 2024 legislative session to the House Budget Committee. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Missouri budget director Dan Haug speaks during the 2024 legislative session to the House Budget Committee. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>The official estimate for the capital gains exemption is a revenue reduction of approximately $157 million in the current fiscal year and about&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-becomes-first-state-to-repeal-capital-gains-tax-at-an-estimated-625m-cost/">$111 million annually</a>&nbsp;on an ongoing basis. Other estimates, however, put the potential cut in revenue&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/07/missouri-lawmakers-set-to-pass-capital-gains-tax-cut-with-questions-about-its-total-cost/">at $625 million or more</a>.Most of the benefits from the capital gains exemption would go to a small slice of taxpayers. The 23,800 federal returns filed for 2022 with incomes greater than $500,000 a year represent 0.8% of all returns but included 65% of the capital gains income.“It’s really important that folks recognize that this is for the ultra-rich at the front of the line,” said state Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern of Kansas City, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “But all the people I talk to every day who are going to the grocery store and recognizing that their food costs more, that their prescription drugs cost more, that their utilities are costing more, aren’t getting any relief whatsoever from the General Assembly, and that’s what I find most frustrating.”Another factor putting downward pressure on revenues is interest income. As interest rates rose, and Missouri’s fund balances soared, so did interest revenue. But balances are falling and rates are down slightly. So far this year, the income from overnight deposits is down about $22 million.Democrats who lead their party in budget committees of both chambers said they are worried that Republicans in the majority will continue to push for tax cuts despite growing demands for spending.“I am very concerned,” Nurrenbern said. “We are really headed towards this fiscal cliff much sooner than many anticipated.”The last time there was a major decline in state revenue, following the 2008 financial crisis, higher education and school transportation were among the services hardest hit by cuts.“We can look back in history on tough fiscal years and see the services that get cut first,” Nurrenbern said.Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe has targeted the income tax for elimination but that doesn’t answer where the state will obtain its revenue, said state Rep. Betsy Fogle of Springfield, ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.“I would encourage the majority party to stop having conversations about reducing our state budget and our state revenue by such significant amounts without a solid plan to backfill,” Fogle said.<h2>Spending demands</h2>There are two types of spending items in the Missouri budget — mandatory outlays and discretionary disbursements.Mandatory items include public school support, which must be at least 25% of revenue, and Medicaid, which has its own list of mandatory services in order to qualify for federal matching aid. Another mandatory item is pension and other benefits for state workers, which is estimated at&nbsp;<a href="https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/Estimated%20Fringe%20Benefit%20Contribution%20Rates.pdf" target="_blank">65% of payroll</a>&nbsp;for the coming year.Discretionary disbursements are anything not required by law, and can range from&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/missouri-senate-to-debate-budget-with-450-million-in-spending-on-pet-projects/">small-dollar earmarks</a>&nbsp;to major construction projects such as the $2.8 billion program to add lanes to Interstate 70.Kehoe&nbsp;vetoed $300 million&nbsp;in discretionary spending in June, and restricted the release of $211 million more. In his veto message, Kehoe warned of a $1 billion spending shortfall in the coming year.Of the four new budget requests that total $1 billion, two are mandatory and one — fully funding school transportation — is discretionary. The fourth — $190 million in new money to maintain current support for schools in the foundation formula — is viewed as mandatory by Democrats but&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">may not be by Kehoe</a>.The largest mandatory item is $421 million to continue the managed care program that covers most families on Medicaid. The money is needed to replace a federal pandemic fund that will be exhausted by the end of the year.The other major Medicaid mandatory item is $363 million for the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2020/10/22/missouri-medicaid-expansion-will-it-bust-the-budget-or-pay-for-itself/">adults age 19 to 64</a>&nbsp;covered under the constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2020. The program is budgeted to cost $4.2 billion in the current year, with federal funds paying 90%.Since the program was placed into a separate line item for fiscal 2023, there has been no general revenue cost for the expansion population of 350,000 Missourians. The state’s 10% share has been paid from pandemic health care funds supplied from Washington.By the end of the fiscal year, that means federal funds have paid for $17 billion in health assistance to Missouri with&nbsp;<a href="https://timothymcbride.substack.com/p/missouri-medicaid-financing-update" target="_blank">no direct cost to the state taxpayers</a>.“We have not had to cover any of that 10% because it’s being covered by this Stabilization Fund, which was originally about a billion dollars, and it’s going to be exhausted in about a year,” said Tim McBride, a professor in the Washington University School of Public Health who studies Medicaid financing and previously served on the oversight board of Missouri’s Medicaid program.There have also been shifts in applications away from traditional Medicaid programs toward the expansion group, especially among people with disabilities, McBride said. The savings to state general revenue from that shift is equal to about half of the state’s share of the Medicaid expansion program.“If you can do it, you don’t have to go through a bunch of paperwork, and get a doctor to approve it,” he said. “So you might as well do that.”While many aspects of Medicaid&nbsp;<a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/mandatory-optional-medicaid-benefits" target="_blank">are mandatory</a>, such as hospital care, physician visits and medical transportation, others are not. Optional services include physical therapy after an injury or surgery, dental services, eyeglasses and home-based care.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760013418640.png" alt="Rep. Betsy Fogle, D-Springfield, speaks at a press conference Feb. 13 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)." />
 <figcaption>Rep. Betsy Fogle, D-Springfield, speaks at a press conference Feb. 13 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).</figcaption>
 </figure>In 2005, when the state was facing a shortfall in Medicaid, many optional services were cut. Many have been restored but they could be eliminated again, Democrats said.“I was in a primary care association meeting a week or two ago where the conversation, the dialogue, surrounded or started to become, ‘what services are we going to cut?’” Fogle said.Changes to federal budgeting included in the bill signed in July by President Donald Trump will likely add&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/03/federal-budget-megabill-would-shift-billions-in-cost-to-missouri-taxpayers/">billions to the state’s costs</a>&nbsp;for participating in shared programs.&nbsp;The biggest portion of that shortfall will be in the Medicaid program, which became a prime target for cuts in the federal budget bill.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-enacted-reconciliation-package/?utm_campaign=kff-medicaid&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2anqtz-_zm3lwumkl5wy2haxviaaes4e09yijxwjzzroomznoqveahlvn9mqj7soof2xs2eoftsce61g-s7aipaiw_kocyl4x0g&amp;_hsmi=369561629&amp;utm_content=369561629" target="_blank">According to KFF</a>, Missouri could lose approximately 14% of its federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, or approximately $17 billion.That will mean a close look at whether the state can afford optional services under Medicaid, said House Budget Committee Chairman Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel.“In some cases, we’re more generous than the federal law requires, so you could look at things like that,” Deaton said.Another way to control costs in Medicaid is to cut the payments to medical providers, Deaton noted.“Those would probably be the things that I would be looking at,” he said.Along with $421 million from general revenue to replace other resources in the managed care program, the social services agency is asking for $90 million of general revenue, and $343 million overall, to increase monthly payments by 6.5% for managed care in Medicaid.McBride said he doesn’t see why the increase is necessary when medical inflation is running at about 3%. There should be ways to make it less expensive without cutting services, he said.&nbsp;Missouri spent an average of $9,382 for every person enrolled in Medicaid in fiscal 2023, KFF said in a report issued Monday.&nbsp;That is $1,804 more than the average of the eight states surrounding Missouri. Only Kansas and Nebraska have higher average costs.“Missouri, for some reason, is more expensive for most population groups than most other states,” McBride said. “Why that is is not clear to me, but I don’t think we do a very good job of controlling costs in Missouri.”<h2>New budget leadership</h2>For the first time since 2019, state Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Republican from Springfield, will not be the chairman or vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.Hough was fired by Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/14/missouri-gop-senator-slams-party-leaders-for-forcing-vote-on-bills-without-allowing-debate/">in September</a>&nbsp;after opposing leadership tactics to slam through a new congressional district map and changes to how majorities are calculated for constitutional amendments proposed by initiative.&nbsp;Black, who was vice chair under Hough, said he expected to become chairman at some point.“Did I know it was going to happen that day, that way? No, I did not,” Black said. “But did I realize there’s a chance I’m going to be making appropriations decisions for the state? Yes, I was hopeful that would have happened.”Black said other lawmakers should not expect any disruption in the process of designing the budget. He was on the House Budget Committee when he was a representative and has been on the Senate Appropriations Committee since his election to the upper chamber.The job will be tougher with tighter finances, Black said.“People will be in a position to have to make decisions that none of them will be good, none of them will be popular, but our state’s not going to borrow money to keep going,” he said.Black was the Senate sponsor of the redistricting plan and his willingness to take it to a vote without allowing any amendments is troubling, Nurrenbern said.“That is an example of him taking orders from Republican leadership and relinquishing his responsibilities of being a senator,” she said. “And so for that reason, I share those concerns of how he’s going to approach being the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.”Any cuts, Black said, will be as painless as possible.“Some of those decisions won’t be easy to make if it happens,” Black said. “But I will try to do my best to make them do no harm to Missourians, unless we get to a point where I have to.”

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