Huge increases in state spending for education are being called for by a coalition of school organizations. The plan proposed by the coalition of eight teacher, union, administrator, and parent groups would pump hundreds of millions of dollars more into public education. The Education Roundtable wants the Hancock Amendment thrown out because, they say, it limits natural growth of state spending – thus limiting opportunities for improving education. The group wants the Constitution changed so one-third of the state budget goes for education. It’s now one-fourth. Peggy Cochran, Executive Director of the Missouri-National Education Association, is behind the effort. But she concedes a big public education effort will be needed to convince citizens to support the package, which includes plans to raise the minimum local tax rate, to let districts go further into debt, and to let bond issues pass by simple majorities insread of four-sevenths or two-thirds.
