Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is taking major issue with a statement issued on Friday by Attorney General Chris Koster about public school funding.
What prompted the governor's response is In that statement, Koster said the 鈥渄rinking-water contamination reported this week in St. Louis schools is an unintended 鈥� but significant 鈥� consequence of the repeated refusal to invest in education and infrastructure.鈥�
鈥淯nderfunding the foundation formula has not just bottomed out classroom investment, it has prevented school districts from maintaining and upgrading their facilities,鈥� Koster said. 鈥淚n the case at hand, lead-leaching pipes that should have been replaced long ago appear to be contaminating drinking water.鈥�
In a telephone interview with 漏 2024 外网天堂, Nixon said, 鈥淎ny statement that says the foundation formula has bottomed out in the classrooms in our state is wrong. ... We have record funding in our schools鈥� and 鈥渋t鈥檚 increased annually since I鈥檝e been governor.鈥�
While he emphasized that more money should and could be spent on public schools and t, he added 鈥渢o say that we have bottomed out in funding is just not true.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 an unfair characterization about a lot of hard work over the last seven and a half years, especially during the recession time period we had in 2009 and 2010 to put the resources we had forward,鈥� Nixon said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 real. It鈥檚 substantial. It鈥檚 a commitment from the state. That is a long way from bottomed out. We鈥檙e heading the other way.鈥�
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The disagreement among the two Democrats comes as Koster, the party's nominee for governor, i He and other Democrats
In a statement sent to 漏 2024 外网天堂, Koster said 鈥渋t is true that the governor has worked diligently to direct funds toward education, but it is also true that the state鈥檚 foundation formula has been chronically underfunded for many years.
鈥淚n the last 12 months alone, the legislature has cut approximately $450 million from the foundation formula, legislation that Gov. Nixon correctly vetoed,鈥� Koster said. 鈥淭he problems we鈥檝e seen this week with facilities in St. Louis remind us that constant resource shortages have real consequences.鈥�
Nixon's comments come as he prepares to leave office next January. The governor acknowledges he is thinking of his legacy. Even though Nixon has differed from Koster on some policy issues over the years (such and, , ), he's rarely publicly criticized his possible successor.
鈥淚鈥檓 very thick-skinned. I鈥檓 certainly willing to understand the give and take of public discourse,鈥� Nixon said. 鈥淏ut when it comes to things as important as school funding, folks should not be inaccurate.鈥�
