Legislating Lower Standards for Missouri’s Children?
A version of the following commentary appeared in the Springfield News-Leader. Missouri lawmakers are considering a change to the performance levels...
A Bad Deal for Missouri’s Children
A version of this commentary appeared in The Heartlander Tradeoffs and give-and-take are at the heart of politics. We’re told...
The Three-Legged Stool of Taxes with David Stokes
Susan Pendergrass speaks with David Stokes, Director of Municipal Policy at the Show-Me Institute, about A Free-Market Guide for Missouri...
Earmarks Come to St. Louis County
The St. Louis County Council just passed a bill to give $3.2 million in tax money to privately owned farms...
SB 4: Missouri’s Energy Challenge and the Push for CWIP Reform
Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) is a massive, 133-page omnibus bill that flew through the Missouri Legislature and has now...
A New Voice for Accountability, and School Choice in Missouri with Cory Koedel
Dr. Cory Koedel, the Show-Me Institute’s new director of education policy, joins Susan Pendergrass to discuss the biggest challenges facing...
Accountability in Missouri’s Public Schools
Successful leaders know that while it might feel good to have “yes men” around, they are not the best people...
Reputation and Reality Matter in City Governance
When entrepreneurs and job seekers consider where to live or invest, they don’t rely solely on tax rates or housing...
What Missouri Can Learn from Arizona’s Education System with Sean McCarthy
Susan Pendergrass speaks with Sean McCarthy, Director of Fiscal Policy for the Arizona House of Representatives, about the state’s innovative...
A Free-Market Guide for Missouri Municipalities, Part Two: Taxation
Download the Full Report Here A Free-Market Guide for Missouri Municipalities is a multi-part series by David Stokes, director of...
Beware the Budget Mirage
When it comes to Missouri’s budget, what you see is not always what you get. Recently, as Missouri’s House of...
Don’t Throw It Out—Fix It
Missouri currently has a very weak system of accountability for public school districts. Every spring, students take assessments under the...
Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater
As part of the dramatic cuts at the U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration’s DOGE program, the entire...
Charter Schools Are Highly Effective in Missouri
In 2023, the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University released its third National Charter School Study....
Platte County Commission Decision Not to Levy Taxes Upheld in Court
My colleague David Stokes has written a good deal about an effort in Platte County to institute a sales tax...
Attitudes on Open Enrollment in Missouri
Missouri families are still waiting for access to open enrollment. The Missouri House recently passed House Bill (HB) 711, but...
Crystal City to Vote on the Four-Day School Week
On Tuesday, Crystal City voters will decide whether to retain their district’s four-day school week (4dsw) or return to a...
Another Crack at the Income Tax
Are you ready for spring? It appears members of Missouri’s general assembly certainly are. Before lawmakers left Jefferson City for...
A Sweet Deal for Sugar Creek
The following letter appeared in the Kansas City Star. There is a proposal to sell the Sugar Creek water and...
Weighing Consumer Regulated Electricity to Meet Energy Demand Growth
The Missouri Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 4 to address concerns about the state’s energy future. Much of the bill...
