On March 10, a delegation of Wright City R-II School Board members attended the Missouri School Boards Association Advocacy Day.

Superintendent Dr. Amy Salvo, board president Austin Jones, and board members Erin Williams and Mary Groeper met with representatives from other districts to discuss issues that directly impact the R-II district and with one of their legislators, State Rep. Jeff Myers (R).

At the monthly school board meeting a week later, the board provided the public with a report as to the happenings at the capitol.

From the attendees' perspective, the meeting was less than favorable, as it focused on the relationship and potential funding disparities between public and private schools.

“Public education is under fire,” Groeper said. “They’re trying to make education for profit. (Public and private schools) all have to start playing by the same rules.”

The measures under consideration by the Missouri legislature include HJR 173, which proposes eliminating the state income tax.

Based on current projections, this measure could result in an estimated annual loss of $3,831,722 for the district, which is approximately 8.6% of its operating budget. District representatives also discussed HB 2780, a property tax proposal that could have an estimated impact of $30,000 on local revenue.

Additionally, HB 2859, which would involve a personal property assessment reduction, would potentially lower the rate on monies received from assessed property values from its current standing of 33.3 percent to 16 percent by 2041.

The assessment also doesn’t calculate the monies potentially lost from assessments to motor vehicles or farm machinery.

Also, the Missouri Budget Project has outlined the potential statewide impact of a $5 billion reduction in state general revenue, which could significantly affect public school funding across Missouri.

“We did have a conversation with Representative Myers,” Jones said. “We agreed to disagree. We talked about the use of sales tax, the property tax and all the other bills that are out there. The sales tax issue passed the House, and Representative Myers voted for it.”

Throughout the discussions, Wright City R-II leaders said they emphasized the importance of keeping students and communities at the center of legislative decision-making.

"I enjoy Advocacy Day because it provides another opportunity to share our students' successes with our state legislators,” Williams said. “I also value the chance to have meaningful conversations with them about transparency and accountability. Unfortunately, Missouri lawmakers have continued to support policies that redirect taxpayer dollars from public schools to private schools, without requiring the same accountability standards. For several years, the Wright City Board of Education has advocated that if public funds are provided to private institutions, those institutions should be held to the same accountability measures as public schools.”

Salvo invited Myers and the area’s other government officials to tour the district and to see just who the proposed legislative changes would affect, she said.

“It’s essential that those decisions stay focused on what matters most, our students and our community,” Salvo said. “My goal is to ensure Wright City’s voice is clearly heard so legislators understand the real, local impact of their choices.

"This is not a good situation for any public school, including Wright City, which we shared directly with Representative Jeff Myers during our visit,” Salvo added. “Our district is expected to grow over the next decade, and these proposed bills would limit our ability to keep pace with that growth. As a result, meeting the needs of our students and staff would become increasingly challenging. The Missouri Budget Project estimated HJR 173 could result in an estimated loss of $3,831,722 for the district."

Attempts to reach Myers were unsuccessful.