(Jefferson City, Mo) - Governor Parson has addressed the state regarding the violent riots that have spread across the state and the nation over the past several days. Parson says we all have to work together.
Riots have been reported in towns big and small across the state. Numerous arrests have taken place. The National Guard was activated over the weekend.
Meanwhile, in Farmington a peaceful protest took place Monday evening in the shadow of the St Francois County Courthouse. KFMO / B104 was at the scene and reported a peaceful protest to bring awareness to the death of George Floyd that was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis.
Parson also went on to have some bad news regarding the budget. Between March and April alone, Missouri saw a decline of over 300,000 jobs - a decrease of over 10 percent. This drop takes the state back to employment levels last seen in 1996. Missouri’s unemployment rate, which has been at near-historic lows for much of Governor Parson’s administration, rose from 3.9 percent to 9.7 percent in April. The state already had to withhold over $220 million dollars due to budget concerns resulting from COVID-19. In addition to these restrictions, Parson announced another $209 million dollars in restrictions effective immediately. Of the $209 million, over $41 million comes from the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development and over $131 million from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Parson says "It is important to make these decisions now so school districts can adjust before next school year. Our intent is to withhold now and avoid withholds once school begins.
In order to be as fair as possible, we have waived Section 163.031.7, RSMo. This statute grants some school districts a “hold harmless” status and allows them to not be affected by a budget shortfall. The waiver of this statute means hold harmless districts are not exempt from these withholdings. All local education agencies, including charter schools, will share proportionately in this budget shortfall."