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With a vote of 39-20, we the Legislature failed to reach the 40 vote threshold to override the Governor's veto. I am disheartened by the Governor's decision to not sign SB 140 into law. It would have been a massive help to so many of our ailing school districts, many of which are looking at cutting critical staff and shuttering schools in order to balance their budgets.
Every time we fail to act, the state's teachers, students, and parents will feel the pain as their respective school districts begin to plan out their budgets for the next fiscal year. In particular, rural school districts who are searching for match funding from the federal government may not be able to get the support that they need because of this veto.
The good news is that we still have more time to craft another workable solution with the House. I am hopeful that those individuals who spoke in support of the Governor's veto will stay true to their word and agree to a Base Student Allocation increase, which is something our schools have been asking us for years now.
I look forward to the next few weeks as we consider the operating budget and how we can fit in an adequate increase to education funding. Our students and teachers are counting on us.
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