Policy Study: Missouri’s Funding Formula for K-12 Public Education

State and Local Government | March 15, 2017

By James V. Shuls | Read Time 1 min

The foundation formula put into place during the 2006-2007 school year is the basis for public school funding in Missouri. The formula is an attempt to balance factors including the number of students in a district, the cost of living in various districts, available local revenue, and the number of students with special needs. The fairness of the formula is the subject of debate, but its complexity is unquestioned. James Shuls, Distinguished Fellow of Education Policy at the Show-Me Institute, has updated the primer he originally published in 2012 to clarify how state and local dollars work together in the funding formula. Click here to read the entire primer.

About the Author

James V. Shuls

James V. Shuls is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri St. Louis. His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Phi Delta Kappan, Social Science Quarterly, Education Week, The Rural Educator, Educational Policy, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He earned his Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas. He holds a bachelors degree from Missouri Southern State University and a masters degree from Missouri State University, both in elementary education. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, James taught first grade and fifth grade in southwest Missouri.

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