Kellyanne Conway, Chair of the America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Center for the American Child and former Senior Counselor to President Donald J. Trump, joined The Gary Nolan Show on 93.9 The Eagle to highlight education opportunity and its importance in the Show Me state.
“In Missouri, you have hot bills being contested and being debated, and some may be coming to a vote even this week. The school choice bill in Missouri is being considered right now, as we speak, HB 253, and the companion bill in the Senate is SB 5. What would these do? Well, they would basically require school districts to opt-in to accept transfer students from other districts. It includes funds to cover transportation for students who qualify, free and reduced lunches, and special needs students,” Kellyanne Conway said on The Gary Nolan Show.
“Again, we have to stop pretending that kids are getting a quality education everywhere. Even the metrics in Missouri tell the tale. A very, very small number of [Missouri students] met the four prongs of the ACTs recently. Twenty-two percent of Missouri graduates met all four ACT college readiness benchmarks, and among the African American students across Missouri, it’s 4%. That’s a crying shame. It’s avoidable. These kids have to be front and center when we think about education.”
America First Works, the advocacy arm of AFPI, is urging Missouri legislators to pass HB 253 and SB 5 for the sake of its students. As Kellyanne stated yesterday, we need an “education renaissance” in Missouri and throughout America. This legislation on the table in Missouri is a great place to start, as it enables Missouri’s K–12 students to attend a school that fits their needs outside their district or in a charter school. Without delay, this bill needs to head to Governor Mike Parson’s desk.
To listen to Kellyanne Conway’s full interview, click here.