KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri will provide $133 million to support "critical services" throughout the state, including education, Gov. Mike Parson announced Wednesday.
During a press briefing, Parson said $95 million will come from CARES Act funding, while more than $40 million will be from general revenue.
Nearly $100 million will support K-12 and higher education, with $61.5 million in CARES Act funding expected to be disbursed through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for K-12, $26 million from general revenue for higher education and $10 million in CARES Act funds for private colleges and universities.
The rest, according to Parson, will support:
- Assisted living and residential care facilities.
- Child care providers.
- Independent living centers.
- Senior citizens and "developmentally disabled" citizens.
- Individuals suffering from substance abuse disorder.
- Individuals who have barriers to enter the workforce.
- Building the state's infrastructure.
- Serving military communities.
Parson also said the state has recovered 58% of the 346,000 jobs that have been lost amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Only 11 states recovered more jobs than Missouri, putting us at 12th in the nation," he said.
Missouri also is outpacing its projected budget and "recovering more jobs than the vast majority of other states," according to Parson.
The recently released September general revenue report showed that net general revenue collection for September 2020 increased 3% compared to 2019, from $917 million to more than $944 million.
Missouri's unemployment rate, according to Parson, is at 7%, which is less than half of what was projected and lower than the national unemployment average of 8.4%.
