By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Governor Mike Parson released nearly $127,000,000 in previously withheld Fiscal Year 2021 funds this week, including $1.5 million for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and nearly $26 million for the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development.
St. Joseph School District superintendent Dr. Doug Van Zyl says every bit of financial assistance right now is helpful.
"I think every little bit helps," he said. "We're very fortunate to have a good partnership with (Buchanan) County and what they've been able to do to support us with the dollars they were given to support schools and businesses. We got a pretty good chunk of that."
The exact amount the St. Joseph district is receiving is not yet known.
Parson released about $40 million in general revenue funds in October, and allocated about $95 million in CARES Act funds for critical services.
Nearly $100 million of those funds went toward K-12 and higher education.
Dr. Van Zyl says the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its financial toll, and any bit of assistance during this time is critical.
"We spent $2 million on cleaning supplies and materials," Van Zyl said. "That doesn't count masks and PPE and those types of things we've had to purchase and utilize. So, any little bit will help us as we try and continue to manage our way through this."
Governor Parson credits the Show Me Strong Recovery Plan for being able to release these funds.
Due to the financial impact of COVID-19, the state withheld about $449 million in fiscal year spending to ensure a balanced budget and the necessary funds to combat the virus.
At the time the budget decisions were made, Missouri’s unemployment rate was projected to be about 16.3 percent.
Missouri's current unemployment rate is 4.4 percent and 67 percent of jobs have been recovered as of November 2020.
The remainder includes funding for several other departments, including the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Office of Administration, Department of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Economic Development, Department of Public Safety, Department of Mental Health, Department of Health and Senior Services and Department of Social Services.
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