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The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is asking for over $174 million in supplemental funding for this school year after receiving $1 billion less in appropriations compared to the previous year.

When the State Board of Education , Board Chair Charlie Shields predicted that 鈥渢he mother of all supplemental budgets鈥� would come, possibly in a special session.

In its meeting Tuesday, the board approved a supplemental budget with a high request from the state in general revenue and a budget for next year with increasing costs associated with an that was recently signed into law.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 assume that this is all going to be able to be funded. There鈥檚 going to be some really hard decisions and prioritization that has to happen throughout the process,鈥� Kari Monsees, DESE鈥檚 commissioner of financial and administrative services, told the State Board of Education Tuesday. 鈥淭hat might be the understatement of the year,鈥� he added.

The supplemental request includes over $100 million from the state鈥檚 general revenue fund. Last year, the department in state funding.

Nearly half of the general-revenue request 鈥� $48 million 鈥� is from changes to the formula that funds school districts and charter schools. The board did not discuss what changes drove the supplemental, but multiple additions to the formula will boost funding in its fiscal year 2026 request.

Other drivers of the expense is an increase in the early childhood special education caseload, which the department requests $20.8 million to manage.

鈥淭he last three or four years, we鈥檝e been fairly flat in (early childhood special education enrollment) because of the covid impact,鈥� Monsees said. 鈥淲e had fewer students entering those programs for a few years, and so we didn鈥檛 need much in the way of additional funding. Well, that kind of came home to roost last year, and the numbers are up.鈥�

The department is also requesting $15 million for a grant program it provides to schools with under 350 students. The education package passed by the legislature this year increased the size of the program, so the supplemental request is to meet that demand, Monsees said.

He noted that budget instructions for fiscal year 2026 direct the department to specify . For that, the department requests an increase of $810 million from this year鈥檚 appropriation of $8.73 billion, of which $719 million would come from the state鈥檚 general fund.

A sizable portion of the request is powered by expenses in the education package passed by lawmakers this year, which had a .

Requests from state agencies are due to the Missouri Office of Administration by Oct. 1.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected]. Follow Missouri Independent on and .

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