Missouri’s education savings account program, MOScholars, which facilitates school choice in Missouri with student scholarships, got a decisive win in court this week. This is not a surprising outcome, but it’s worthy of celebration regardless.
The lawsuit against MOScholars was brought primarily by the Missouri National Education Association (MNEA)—i.e., the teacher’s union—against the State of Missouri. The MNEA argued that the $50 million state appropriation to support student scholarships with MOScholars, passed during the 2025 legislative session, violates the state constitution.
The court dismissed the case, offering several reasons. Most importantly, it ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing. The plaintiffs claimed harm to public schools, but MOScholars funding comes from general state revenue—not funds allocated to public schools—and the court found that any alleged harm was speculative. The court also noted that the plaintiffs made several other procedural missteps.
The ruling went on to note that even on its merits, the plaintiffs’ case would lose. The legislature has broad authority to appropriate funds, the court said, and nothing in Missouri law prohibits funding a program like MOScholars. In short, the program is legally valid.
Again, this outcome is not surprising, but it’s still nice. The lawsuit was a desperate move by the MNEA to keep a stranglehold on all public education dollars. It failed, as it should have. Onward!
