Advocates for public school education say addressing shortfalls in the Missouri budget will be their No. 1 goal for the 2013 legislative session.
But fielding legislators' questions about teacher tenure, education savings accounts and "parent triggers" - a mechanism proponents argue could allow parents to turn around bad schools - also are expected to be on the agenda.
"The Legislature is underfunding the education foundation formula by about $400 million this year," said Otto Fajen, legislative director at the Missouri National Education Association.
The budget outlook is looking slightly improved for the next cycle. During the first four months of the FY 2013 budget year, net state general revenues ....