Why Does Missouri Make it So Difficult?
In Missouri, it may seem like school choice is only for Kansas City and St. Louis, since they are the...
Don’t Just Talk the Talk
With all the excitement of the legislative session starting, let’s not forget about the Interim Committee on Tax Credit Efficiency...
Like Oil and Water
Talking about school choice in Missouri often feels hopeless. A common attack on school choice efforts in Missouri is “Most...
Fare Free Public Transit? Not so Fast
A version of this op-ed was published by the Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri, made news around the country last...
Some Possible Good News
Last fall, the MNEA submitted applications for six ballot initiatives to the Missouri Secretary of State. If a ballot initiative...
Raise a Toast: Missouri Three-Tier Speech Prohibition Struck Down
While it remains an issue of generally low public awareness, Missouri’s three-tier alcohol regulatory system is one that the average...
A Win for Economic Development Sanity
There isn’t enough good news about economic development policy in Missouri. But a recent vote in Maryland Heights, just outside...
It’s Listicle Time!
The end of the year is the time for top-ten lists, top-story lists, and best-moments-of-the-year lists, to name a few....
Not All Funds and Games
The federal Highway Trust Fund (FHTF) is in jeopardy, and that could mean bad news for Missouri’s roads and bridges....
Show-Me Gets Results? PortKC to Refund Taxpayers
Back on November 4, I recommended Kansas City City Council members curtail the $6 million administrative fee that PortKC would...
The data are here! The data are here!
For me, Christmas came early this year. On December 12, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released,...
Highest and Lowest Spending Schools in the St. Louis Area
When Congress updated No Child Left Behind (NCLB) with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, many hailed the...
St. Louis is Doing a “Poor” Job with Local Taxing Districts
“Poor” is never the rating you want. Unfortunately, that’s what St. Louis got in a recent audit of the city’s...
Making Growth Understandable
School test scores are a snapshot. If the test is a good one, it tells us how much a student...
Waddell & Reed and the Border War
Having been granted $62 million worth of Missouri state subsidies, Waddell & Reed is asking for an additional $40 million...
Why Can’t Missouri Be Like . . . Illinois?
Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released its school report cards earlier this year in an attempt to...
DESE’s APR Summary Reports Hide Achievement Gaps
If you want to find out how Missouri students are performing, you might think you could go to the Department...
St. Louis Ranks Poorly in Ease of Doing Business Study
Missouri and Missouri cities have ranked poorly in several business and policy rankings. Missouri’s position relative to other cities and...
Will Missouri Reform Its Health Insurance Regulations in 2020?
Over the last few years, I have talked at length about the importance of choice in health care. One of...
Why Are Public Pensions Often Underfunded?
Defined-benefit pension systems are essentially promises. The government promises a specific benefit to beneficiaries when they retire. You would think...
