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Democrats have sharply criticized the outlay, saying public dollars shouldn’t flow to private religious schools. Some Republicans are also raising questions.

The concept still has momentum, with key leaders in both the House and Senate coming out in support of tapping state funds for private school tuition.

But is the Republican-controlled Legislature willing to spend $50 million?

That question could split legislative Republicans. Two Republicans serving on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee were noncommittal this week when asked their thoughts on the plan.

Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, and chairman of the Senate budget committee, said Thursday “we’ll probably take a look at that” when asked if he was on board.

“I’m not a fan of going, you know, zero to 100, or in this case, zero to 50 (million dollars),” Hough said Thursday. “If we’re gonna spend that kind of money, better make sure we know where it’s going and how it’s being used and that it’s getting the best bang for the buck.”

In contrast, during a news conference later that day, House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit, spoke strongly in support of Kehoe’s plan — even saying he’d like to see more than $50 million spent.

“I would say the vast majority of our members support funding that program,” Patterson said. “I am very much in favor of keeping it at 50 (million dollars).... I don’t have any plans to make that any lower. I’d like to see that higher, actually.”

Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, said the proposal wasn’t a done deal, doubting whether the Senate would put any general revenue toward it.

“I think there’s a lot of senators on both sides of the aisle who oppose this idea,” she said.

Using public funds for private religious schools is currently barred by the Missouri Constitution, though the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 struck down a similar restriction in Maine, placing Missouri’s ban in doubt.

In a legal work-around prior to the 2022 precedent, Missouri legislators in 2021 narrowly approved a voucher program designed to run off private donations that are eligible for state tax credits.

But the MOScholars program has struggled to raise donations. In September, Senate President Cindy O’Laughlin of Shelbina, said tax dollars following the student is “the logical next step” in Missouri.

When first approved, MOScholars was limited to larger cities and counties as a concession to rural lawmakers.

But the expansion then-Gov. Mike Parson signed into law in May takes the program statewide and raises current household income limits on participation starting in the 2025-2026 school year.

Under the law, the $6,375 value of each voucher increases to as high as $12,000 for English language learners, low-income students and those with learning disabilities.

The new law increases the income level to qualify from 200% of the household income limit for free and reduced lunch to 300% — or $173,160 in the current school year.

Kehoe outlined his $50 million plan in his first State of the State address on Monday.

The new Republican governor is also proposing a $200 million increase to the K-12 public school aid in the next fiscal year.

But the increase — to about $4 billion in total funding — still falls roughly $300 million short of the DESE’s budget request.

“They can find $50 million to subsidize rich parents sending their kids to private school but they can’t find the 300 million that is state law to fund our (public) schools,” Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, D-south St. Louis County, said Thursday.

Nurrenbern said she questioned whether the plan would require an accompanying change to state law to implement. “I do not think we can do this merely through the appropriations process,” she said.

Sen. Mike Henderson, a Bonne Terre Republican who also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Friday he was still evaluating the proposal.

Henderson is a former public school teacher and administrator who the original MO Scholars program in 2021 but last year’s expansion.

“I want to study it further. I want to study what we’re gonna do, how we’re gonna fund public schools. I think I just want to do what’s best for kids overall,” he said.

He said public school supporters are worried about ensuring state funding, but that “we are also up $200 million, the largest (increase) we’ve ever had.

“I’m a supporter of public schools,” Henderson said. “At the same time, I realize that some parents want other choices, and I’m always willing to listen.”

One voucher critic said Friday that using state funds for private schools would result in a long-term commitment.

“Moving to general fund says the state’s getting into a long-run commitment to support up a private school sector on the taxpayer dime,” said Josh Cowen of Michigan State University, who wrote “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.”

“It’s much harder to ‘sunset’ a general fund expense politically,” he said.

At the same time Kehoe rejected the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s request for $300 million in added funding, his budget plan also fully funds DESE’s school transportation request at $377 million.

Superintendents had for years pushed for more money for district bus fleets, which can take a beating traveling long distances on rural roads.

“It’s a record amount of money that K-12 schools will receive,” Patterson said Thursday.

The House speaker also called attention to Kehoe’s executive order to reevaluate the foundation formula funding mechanism for public schools. Task force recommendations are due in December 2026.

Of the foundation formula, Patterson said, “we need to modernize that.”

Blythe Bernhard and Ezra Bitterman of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.