{"id":7678,"date":"2025-11-26T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T15:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/26\/two-day-trial-reveals-inner-workings-of-missouri-private-school-voucher-program-2\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T09:00:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T15:00:27","slug":"two-day-trial-reveals-inner-workings-of-missouri-private-school-voucher-program-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/26\/two-day-trial-reveals-inner-workings-of-missouri-private-school-voucher-program-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-day trial reveals inner workings of Missouri private school voucher program"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Director of Programs for the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office Trent Blair answers questions about the MOScholars program during a trial challenging the constitutionality of Missouri’s funding of school vouchers Monday in the Cole County Courthouse (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent).<\/p>\n

More than 98% of scholarships administered by the MOScholars program this school year are funded by Missouri taxpayers. And though there are strict eligibility requirements for private-school scholarships, eligibility isn\u2019t checked after the initial scholarship is awarded or for siblings of students who received a scholarship.<\/span><\/p>\n

The revelations about the inner workings of Missouri\u2019s private school voucher program came to light over the course of a two-day trial in Cole County Circuit Court this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

The focus of the arguments Monday and Tuesday were over whether the state can use general revenue for private school tuition, with the attorney general\u2019s office defending state funds as transformative for the program and Missouri\u2019s largest teacher\u2019s union saying the funding is unlawful.<\/span><\/p>\n

But witness testimony pulled back the curtain on certain details about the MOScholars program that have stayed largely out of the public consciousness.<\/span><\/p>\n

MOScholars, which is in its fourth year of operation, awards scholarships to K-12 students who meet certain criteria.<\/span><\/p>\n

When state lawmakers created the program in a 2021 bill, they set it up to run on donations that are eligible for a 100% tax credit up to half of a donor\u2019s tax liability. In the first three years of the program, donations totaled $33.8 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gov. Mike Kehoe announced in January that he intended to bring a major infusion of funding to the program through a $50 million appropriation of general revenue. This windfall for MOScholars has allowed the state to nearly triple the amount of scholarships awarded this fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf not for general revenue, would many of (the new) scholars be able to receive a scholarship?\u201d Assistant Attorney General Peter Donahue asked the treasurer\u2019s director of programs, Trent Blair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Blair answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Loretta Haggard, an attorney representing the Missouri National Education Association, questions the State Treasurer\u2019s director of programs in a trial challenging the constitutionality of Missouri\u2019s funding of school vouchers Tuesday morning in the Cole County Courthouse (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of 6,418 scholarships awarded this school year, only 111 are funded through tax credits. That includes the 2,405 students who were in the program last year. So if MOScholars did not receive the state appropriation, the funding would cover less than 5% of the renewal students going into the school year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The State Treasurer\u2019s Office, which oversees MOScholars, has previously admitted to problems with the timing of funding. The bulk of donations hit the accounts of educational assistance organizations \u2014 intermediary nonprofits that connect students with the funding \u2014 in December.<\/span><\/p>\n

With tuition due in August, MOScholars had to either wait eight months to award the funds or put stress on the system. Blair testified that the educational assistance organizations largely chose the latter and that the organizations themselves choose when to use donated funds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2023, two of the six educational assistance organizations acknowledged they used <\/span>their private funds to pay tuition<\/span><\/a> in the fall and paid themselves back once they received donations. <\/span>In October, two organizations <\/span>told The Independent<\/span><\/a> that they were able to fund scholarships for all their renewal students and clear their waitlists with the new state funds.<\/span><\/p>\n

The state money \u201cstabilizes the program,\u201d Blair testified Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Representing the Missouri National Education Association, attorney Loretta Haggard unearthed issues with the administration of the program as she cross-examined Blair.<\/span><\/p>\n

She honed in on MOScholars\u2019 eligibility requirements. State law limits the program to students with an individualized education plan or those whose family makes at or below 300% of the income standard used to qualify for free and reduced price lunches.<\/span><\/p>\n

The treasurer\u2019s office uses an education management system called FACTS to review applications and determine eligibility. Haggard asked if the software checks if renewal students still meet eligibility requirements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t, Blair said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo a student can receive a scholarship even though they don\u2019t meet the IEP or income requirements?\u201d Haggard then asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Blair said.<\/span><\/p>\n

When a student is eligible one year, the system presumes that they retain eligibility. The siblings of renewal students are also deemed eligible.<\/span><\/p>\n

The treasurer\u2019s office has faced criticism before over how it has administered MOScholars, including <\/span>complaints from Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck<\/span><\/a> that the office wasn\u2019t transparent about program data. And i<\/span>n July, a <\/span>report from the State Auditor<\/span><\/a> found the treasurer\u2019s office didn\u2019t conduct annual audits of the MOScholars program required by state law.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Tuesday\u2019s testimony was the first time the state has admitted to not rechecking eligibility, something that is routine for other state-funded programs like food assistance or Medicaid.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Bryan Cleveland, an attorney with Indiana-based advocacy group EdChoice, spoke on behalf of families who say they benefit from increased MOScholars (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Any questions about the administration of the program don\u2019t impact the legality of the appropriation, said Bryan Cleveland, an attorney with Indiana-based advocacy group EdChoice, who intervened in the case on behalf of three parents whose children have received assistance through MOScholars.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe case does not depend on whether any one treasurer is doing a good job but rather on interpretation of statutory provisions,\u201d he told the judge. \u201cThe rest of the discussion of what the treasurer or the educational assistance organizations do after (the appropriation) is not relevant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Blair, stepping off the witness stand Tuesday, sighed, head tucked as he walked back to his seat. The trial marked one of the few occasions the treasurer\u2019s office has answered questions publicly, apart from occasional statements to the media.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Cole County Judge Brian Stumpe denied a request for a temporary restraining order, which would have blocked the spending of the general revenue during the trial, the treasurer\u2019s office held a joint press conference with the Missouri Attorney General\u2019s Office but did not take any questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Monday, attorneys argued over whether the Missouri NEA or its individual members had standing to challenge the state appropriation to MOScholars.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A decision on the case is not expected until after Dec. 8, when attorneys\u2019 post-trial filings are due.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Director of Programs for the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office Trent Blair answers questions about the MOScholars program during a trial challenging the constitutionality of Missouri’s funding of school vouchers Monday in the Cole County Courthouse (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent). More than 98% of scholarships administered by the MOScholars program this school year are funded by Missouri…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7679,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo-day trial reveals inner workings of Missouri private school voucher program - WestplexNews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/westplexnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/26\/two-day-trial-reveals-inner-workings-of-missouri-private-school-voucher-program-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two-day trial reveals inner workings of Missouri private school voucher program - WestplexNews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Director of Programs for the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office Trent Blair answers questions about the MOScholars program during a trial challenging the constitutionality of Missouri’s funding of school vouchers Monday in the Cole County Courthouse (Annelise Hanshaw\/Missouri Independent). 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