Photo: Hillel Anton, Governor Mike Kehoe and R’ Josh Bregman
On Friday, July 11, a ceremonial signing of the Missouri state budget took place at a private high school in St. Louis. The event celebrated the inclusion of a $50 million appropriation to support MOScholars, Missouri’s K-12 Tax Credit Scholarship Program. The allocation was included in Governor Mike Kehoe’s initial budget, retained by the House and removed by the Senate before it was returned to the bill after intense negotiations. This significant funding is expected to help the program expand from the 2,700 current participants to 7,000 this fall including many students attending Jewish schools.
Governor Mike Kehoe spoke movingly about his experience growing up in a single-parent home and attending a private high school on scholarship. The Governor was joined by House Budget Chairman Dirk Deaton, Senator Travis Fitzwater, and two former legislators who had championed the bill during their tenure, Phil Christofanelli and Andrew Koenig.
“Agudath Israel of Missouri thanks Governor Kehoe and the legislative champions who ensured that K-12 scholarships remained a priority in this budget,” said Hillel Anton, director of Agudath Israel of Missouri’s Education Assistance Organization. “As one of six state-approved scholarship organizations we have seen firsthand how these grants help families and we are excited that this expansion will allow us to serve many more students.”
Rabbi A.D. Motzen, National Director of Government Affairs for Agudath Israel of America, added, “Even as we celebrate the recent federal school choice victory, we must remember that the main battleground for school choice is on the state level. Agudath Israel encourages all Missouri taxpayers to learn more about the program at AgudahMO.org/eao and how they can support scholarships for children at no cost to the donor.”