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ST. LOUIS 鈥� Missouri taxpayers will fund private school scholarships after Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a bill allocating $50 million for the state鈥檚 voucher program.

鈥淲e believe every child deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and succeed in the setting that works best for them,鈥� Kehoe said in a ceremony Friday at St. Mary鈥檚 South Side Catholic High School. 鈥淲hen families have the power to choose the right school for their child regardless of their income or ZIP code, we strengthen not just our classrooms but our communities and our workforce as well.鈥�

Missouri legislators in 2021 approved the MOScholars program that funds private school tuition through donations exchanged for state tax credits. House Bill 12 carves out $50 million directly from the state budget for the program.

About 2,700 students received vouchers last year. State officials have said the additional funding created by the new law could go to 6,000 more students.

Mike England, president of St. Mary鈥檚, said the school will have 22 students in the MOScholars program this fall.

The tuition break helped incoming senior Tarence Tullock, 18, attend the boys鈥� school he values for its 鈥渂rotherhood,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he culture being religious helped me set my mind straight. It gives you something to think about every day,鈥� said Tullock, who is in the school鈥檚 pre-apprenticeship program for trades skills.

Lisa Smith has been advocating for school choice for a decade since her son was left outside after a fire drill and later assaulted by another student when he was in kindergarten in the Riverview Gardens School District, which has not been fully accredited for nearly 20 years.

鈥淢OScholars is a lifesaver for my family and gives my son the opportunity to get a quality education while still living in the school district,鈥� said Smith, whose son is a sophomore at Lutheran North High School. 鈥淐hildren in that community need other options.鈥�

Starting this year, eligibility for MOScholars expands to students statewide and increases the qualifying income level from 200% of the household income limit for free and reduced lunch to 300% 鈥� or $166,500 for a family of four.

The $7,145 value of each voucher increases to as high as $12,000 for English language learners, low-income students and those with learning disabilities.

Two teachers, Rebeka McIntosh of Columbia and Kimberly Duvall of Jackson County, have already sued the state over the budget鈥檚 line item for private school vouchers.

The lawsuit filed June 30 in Cole County Circuit Court said the state鈥檚 Empowerment Scholarship Act 鈥渄oes not authorize distribution of general revenues for scholarships. No other Missouri statute provides this authority either.鈥�

The Missouri Constitution prohibits the use of public funds for private religious schools, but the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar ban in Maine in 2022.

Kehoe said Friday that he feels the state holds a strong position in the case and 鈥渨e鈥檒l let the courts work it out.鈥�

The ceremony was part of a bill-signing tour across the state for Kehoe, a Republican in his first year as governor. He made a second stop Friday at 最新杏吧原创 Fire Department Engine House No. 1 to sign Senate Bill 71, which helps defray the cost of college tuition for first responders and their children.