Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, the law's sponsor and the Chairman of the House Higher Education Committee said other states have passed similar legislation with success. Oklahoma has had a similar organization of compatible courses for ten years. It has expanded since its creation to include more than 800 courses, a spokesman from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education said.
Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, the law's sponsor said that other states have passed similar legislation with success. Oklahoma has had a similar organization of compatible courses for ten years. It has expanded since its creation to include more than 800 courses, a spokesman from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education said.
Senate Education Committee Chair David Pearce and House Higher Education Committee Chair Mike Thomson worked together on legislation designed to make it easier to transfer credits.
While Wolff argues that equality has become an unattainable ideal, some legislators are trying to even out the discrepancies. Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, and Senate Education Committee Chairman David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, have proposed similar legislation they say would make funding more equal.
Part of the difficulty in dealing with a bill this extensive is that several crucial issues, such as how to equalize funding for public schools in different areas, is tied up with issues that face more contention, such as eliminating teacher tenure and dealing with transfers from unaccredited districts, said Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville. The current budget gap in Missouri means the school funding formula is $268 million short of adequate funding.
Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, is sponsoring a bill that would attempt to "minimize the hurt" schools feel in the 2013 fiscal year. The state is currently $268 million below what is needed to fully fund Missouri's schools and Thomson said that deficit could continue to grow if no action is taken.
The substitute passed along mostly party lines with a 13-9 vote. Rep. Mike Thomson of Maryville and Rep. Paul Fitzwater of Potosi were the only Republicans to vote against the legislation.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, would streamline the process of transferring credits by requiring the universities to create a list of 25 transferable lower-division courses.
The problem the legislature plans to address is that the current statute doesn't include how to deal with a lack of significant funding increases. Senate Education Committee Chairman David Pearce, R-Warrensberg, and House Education Committee Chairman Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, are sponsoring separate bills to determine how funds would be distributed when the government does not have enough money to meet the formula's appropriation increase requirements.
The Foundation Formula, the mechanism to fund local districts, has been underfunded since 2009 and is facing a potential $500 shortfall this year. Joint Education Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, supported the spending cap, but expressed concerns about future education funding.
Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, and Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, have filed bills in the House and Senate, respectively, to fix the problem and address budget shortfalls in the future.
Senate Education Committee Chair David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, and House Higher Education Committee Chair Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, worked together on legislation designed to make it easier to transfer credits.
Senate Education Committee Chair David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, and House Higher Education Committee Chair Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, worked together on legislation designed to make it easier to transfer credits.
Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, is sponsoring a bill that would attempt to "minimize the hurt" schools feel in the 2013 fiscal year. The state is currently $268 million below what is needed to fully fund Missouri's schools and Thomson said that deficit could continue to grow if no action is taken.
Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, is sponsoring a bill that would attempt to "minimize the hurt" schools feel in the 2013 fiscal year. The state is currently $268 million below what is needed to fully fund Missouri's schools and Thomson said that deficit could continue to grow if no action is taken.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, would streamline the process of transferring credits by requiring the universities to create a list of 25 transferable lower-division courses.
Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, who is also the Higher Education Committee chairman, sponsored the bill. He said the plan would make the process of earning a college degree more efficient throughout Missouri.
Senate Education Committee Chairman David Pearce, R-Warrensberg, and House Education Committee Chairman Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, are sponsoring separate bills to determine how funds would be distributed when the government does not have enough money to meet the formula's appropriation increase requirements.
Rep. Mike Thomson, R-Maryville, and Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, have filed bills in the House and Senate, respectively, to fix the problem and address budget shortfalls in the future.
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