Submitted by

Beth Farrah, SMT Writer

Jefferson City, Missouri  – “Missouri’s public schools are vital to the economic future of state”, Governor Nixon says.

Governor Nixon issued the following statement regarding Education Week’s 2013 Diploma’s Count report, released today, showing Missouri with the 8th highest graduation rate in the country.  According to the report, over 80 percent of Missouri high school students graduated with a regular diploma in 2010, up 9.5 percent from 2000. This is the second year the state has been in the top 10 and the fourth consecutive year the state’s graduation rate has increased.

“Quality public schools are essential to our state’s economic competitiveness, and today’s report is yet another indication that our smart, strategic investments in education are paying real dividends for Missouri families and communities,” Governor Nixon said. “There is more work to do, but with math and reading scores going up and dropout rates going down, Missouri’s public schools are clearly moving in the right direction.  To ensure our workforce is ready to compete and win in the global economy, we must continue to build on this positive momentum, not undermine it with fiscally irresponsible experiments.”

Yesterday, Governor Nixon joined business leaders, educators, administrators and parents to discuss his veto of House Bill 253, which would undermine Missouri’s economic competitiveness by jeopardizing funding for public education.

All states, public school districts, and local education agencies are required by the U.S. Department of Education to publicly report comparable high school graduation rates using its four-year adjusted cohort rate. The four-year adjusted cohort rate is a different method than the Diplomas Count report uses to calculate graduation rate.