Jefferson City School Board faces $2.4 million ‘cut’ in state funding
Haley Swaino
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Jefferson City School District is projected to receive $2.4 million less in state funding than it had hoped next school year.
The Jefferson City Board of Education voted unanimously to pass the fiscal year 2026-27 budget at its meeting Thursday night. According to district documents, the state did not approve full funding of the foundation formula, holding funding flat instead of budgeting an increase to keep up with inflation.
Instead of $7,145 per student, the state will pay out $6,865, board documents state.
The foundation formula determines state aid for K-12 local public schools, and the Missouri General Assembly voted not to increase it for the next fiscal year. Because of that, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is short $190 million, and many school districts will be weighing budget cuts.
Chief Financial Officer for the district Shari LePage told the board Thursday that it is prepared to face the “cut” in state funding because of what is available in reserves.
“Hopefully we can weather these funding shortages for the time being,” LePage said. “But we won’t be able to weather them forever.”
The JC School District is projecting more than $138 million in revenue, an 0.8% increase from this year’s budget. Expenditures are projected to be over $135 million, a 6% increase.
Budget documents state the increased cost is largely due to teacher and staff pay raises, increased benefits, and the addition of new staff roles at the Jefferson City Academic Center.
The district says the loss in funding is not expected to affect staffing.
About 1,300 full-time employees work in the district. The board plans to cut six positions due to lower elementary enrollment, but add at least six more at other schools. The 2026-27 budget includes four new staff members for the Jefferson City Academic Center, the addition of a fine arts coordinator at East Elementary and an extra math teacher at Capital City High School.
In the previous year, the state increased funding by more than $500 million in the public school foundation formula, Missouri State Rep.Ed Lewis (R-Moberly), who helped craft the most recent state budget, told ABC 17 News Tuesday.
Missouri currently ranks 49th nationally in the percentage of school funding provided by state sources.
The Jefferson City Board of Education said it’s keeping an eye on the foundation formula and property tax reform which make up 21.09% and 48.29% of its 2026-27 revenues, respectively.
The board held its June 25 meeting at 6 p.m. at the Dix Road Education Center in Jefferson City.