At its July 15 meeting, the Meramec Valley R-III Board of Education approved a resolution encouraging community members to become informed about Amendment 5, a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that will appear on the ballot Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
The resolution expresses concern that potential changes to state and local revenue could create uncertainty for public education funding. The resolution also encourages community members to review factual information about Amendment 5 and understand how the proposal could affect state funding for public education before casting their vote.
The resolution further reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to advocating for equitable and sustainable systems of public school funding in order to meet the needs of all MVR-III students. Likewise, the Board encourages all parents, staff, residents, and community members to learn more about Amendment 5 using reliable, factual sources before voting in the August 4 election.
Registered voters can find their polling location by visiting https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/portal.
Find more local voter information at the following links:
Read the resolution from the July 15 Board of Education meeting agenda:
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RESOLUTION
A Resolution of the Board of Education of the Meramec Valley R-III School District
Urging Community Members to Become Informed on Amendment 5
Whereas, the Missouri Constitution, Article IX, Section 1(a), mandates that the General Assembly establish and maintain free public schools for the gratuitous instruction of all persons in this state between the ages of five and twenty-one years; and
Whereas, the state income tax is Missouri's single largest source of General Revenue, generating more than $8.4 billion annually—more than 60% of all state General Revenue collections—which funds the essential services of state government, including K–12 public education; and
Whereas, the largest single appropriation from Missouri's General Revenue is the Foundation Formula, the primary mechanism by which the state distributes funding to local school districts to support the education of Missouri's public school students; and
Whereas, in Fiscal Year 2027, the Missouri General Assembly appropriated $4,282,736,000 for the Foundation Formula, of which $2,530,984,267 was from General Revenue; and
Whereas, the Fiscal Year 2027 budget underfunded the Foundation Formula by $190,000,000, marking the first shortfall of the Foundation Formula in the last decade; and
Whereas, Missouri ranks near the bottom in state per-pupil public education spending, reflecting a persistent pattern of state education funding that lags behind the national average and the demonstrated needs of Missouri's school children; and
Whereas, Amendment 5 proposes to amend the Missouri Constitution to require yet-to-be-elected legislators to phase out the individual state income tax by 2032, replacing it with expanded sales and use taxes; suspend constitutional limits on taxing goods and services; suspend constitutionally required voter approval on new taxes; and require local tax rate cuts without reducing school funding if local sales tax revenue increases; and
Whereas, the Board of Education recognizes that the potential elimination of more than 60% of state General Revenue, and its replacement with a restructured tax system, raises significant questions regarding the long-term stability of Foundation Formula funding and the district's ability to fulfill its constitutional and educational mission to the students it serves; and
Whereas, the Board of Education is committed to the long-term fiscal solvency of the district and to providing a high-quality education to every student within its attendance area, and understands that stable, predictable state revenue is essential to fulfilling that commitment.
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved
that the Board of Education of the Meramec Valley R-III School District urges all community members, parents, staff, and residents within the district's attendance area to seek out factual information about Amendment 5, including its potential implications for state General Revenue, the Foundation Formula, and local school district funding, in order to make a fully informed decision before casting their vote; and
Be it further resolved that the Board of Education further urges every eligible constituent within the district's attendance area to participate in the August 4, 2026, primary election.
Adopted by the Board of Education of the Meramec Valley R-III School District
at a duly noticed public meeting on July 15, 2026.