Missouri’s legislature kept K-12 education funding flat for the first time since 2017, leaving a roughly $190 million shortfall in the Foundation Formula that has forced Kansas City-area districts to cut programs and staff. North Kansas City Schools, the state’s second-largest district with 21,800 students, faces a $16 million recurring deficit and has already cut $5.5 million by canceling teacher training, replacing contractors with staff, scaling back software, and leaving some positions unfilled, according to district documents and news reports.
State Board vote widens uncertainty
On Sept. 15, 2026, the Missouri State Board of Education voted 4-4 on a budget recommendation that included full Foundation Formula funding. The tie meant the proposal failed. The board then directed the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to submit a flat budget request of about $4.28 billion for FY2028, roughly $270 million below the fully funded amount, according to DESE’s September meeting recap. The vote split along partisan and philosophical lines, with Democrats Jordan Bradberry and Vincent Schoemehl Jr., Republican Kerry Casey, and independent Jon Otto supporting full funding, and Republicans Kenneth “Brooks” Miller Jr., Michael Matousek, and Robbie Myers, along with independent Gretchen Shull, opposed, The Beacon reported. The gap between the current formula appropriation and the statutory calculation is approximately $300 million when factoring in a phase-in increase from 2024 legislative changes, according to the Missouri Independent.
Gov. Mike Kehoe vetoed $300 million in discretionary spending in June 2025 and restricted the release of $211 million more, warning in his veto message of a $1 billion spending shortfall in the coming year, KTTN reported.
Shortfall triggers cuts across metro area
North Kansas City Schools’ 2026-2027 budget document projects $13 million in lost state support over two fiscal years, requiring further reductions. The district still needs to find $11 million in annual cuts after the initial $5.5 million in reductions, the Kansas City Star reported. Lee’s Summit Superintendent David Buck said the district faces a $6.5 million deficit driven by declining state aid, federal funding, and property tax revenue due to senior tax caps and commercial assessment changes, KCUR reported. Ritenour Schools Superintendent Chris Kilbride said the state funding shortfall alone equals the cost of all bus driver salaries and benefits or a year of library and media center operations; the district will scale back curriculum development and supplies to prioritize paying teachers, according to KCUR. Kansas City Public Schools would lose an estimated $60.4 million due to Jackson County property tax credits and a cap on commercial assessment increases, KCUR reported.
Other Missouri districts adjust budgets
Southern Boone County R-1 School Board approved a $26.2 million operating budget that accounts for a projected $936,199 reduction in state aid, using normal turnover rather than layoffs to manage staffing costs while implementing a 2 percent cost-of-living increase, ABC17 News reported. North Callaway R-1 faces a $350,000 loss in state aid; Missouri ranks 49th nationally in the percentage of school funding from state sources, forcing local taxpayers to cover nearly 60 percent of per-pupil costs, according to the same report.
Foundation Formula mechanics at issue
Missouri’s Foundation Formula sets a state and local funding target based on spending levels of high-performing districts and allocates additional money for low-income students, special education students, and English learners, according to a policy brief from MOST Policy Initiative. DESE requested $3.8 billion for the formula in FY2025. The current shortfall stems partly from declining revenue from lottery, cigarette, and sports betting taxes, Deputy Commissioner Kyle Kruse said, which lowered the per-pupil adequacy target to about $6,900 instead of the expected $7,145, KCUR reported.