By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – Missouri Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial candidate Matt Blunt Monday called for better teacher pay, cost controls on public universities and an end to partisan fights over school funding.
At a public elementary school in the St. Louis suburb of Webster Groves, Blunt said all schools should receive help from the state, but kids who go to private schools should not get tuition vouchers.
"Am I in favor of a voucher system in our state? The answer is no," Blunt said. "If the question is Am I in favor of providing assistance to families all across our state, whether it's a student in a public school who needs a computer, or a student in a private school who needs assistance with tuition?' The answer then would be yes."
Blunt said one possibility is to give tax credits to companies that help fund private schools.
Blunt's education plan also calls for more higher education funding with fewer tuition increases.