releases: https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/fund-our-rural-schoolsmccaskill-calls-on-congressional-leadership-to-renew-secure-rural-schools
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.mccaskill.senate.gov/media-center/news-releases/fund-our-rural-schoolsmccaskill-calls-on-congressional-leadership-to-renew-secure-rural-schools | ‘Fund our rural schools’—McCaskill Calls on Congressional Leadership to Renew Secure Rural Schools | 2017-12-08 | 2017 | 2017-12 | Democrat | House | MO | Claire McCaskill | M001170 | www.mccaskill.senate.gov | legacy | ‘Fund our rural schools’—McCaskill Calls on Congressional Leadership to Renew Secure Rural Schools 29 Missouri counties saw more than $2 million decrease in Secure Rural Schools funding that hurt schools, infrastructure, public safety services Friday, December 8, 2017 WASHINGTON – Continuing her advocacy for Missouri’s rural schools and communities, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill has joined a bipartisan effort to restore Secure Rural Schools funding for communities surrounding Mark Twain National Forest—to provide resources to support local schools, transportation, and public safety services. “Public schools are the beating hearts of our small towns and rural communities in Missouri—and I’m not about to let up in my fight to see them get the resources they need,” McCaskill said. “There’s a whole lot of noise and whole lot of must-pass legislation in Washington as the year comes to a close, but I’m going to keep fighting to fund our rural schools and make sure our rural communities aren’t forgotten and left on the cutting room floor.” Funding for the Secure Rural Schools program expired in 2015, leaving more than 775 counties and 4,400 school districts nationwide with budget shortfalls, including 29 Missouri counties that are home to Mark Twain National Forest. As a result of the program’s expiration, Missouri counties saw a more than $2 million decrease in their most recent payment. In a bipartisan letter to Congressional leadership, McCaskill and 31 colleagues wrote: “In the interest of working together in a bipartisan way to support local rural communities, we ask that you include a reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools in any end-of-the-year legislation.” Secure Rural Schools was first enacted in 2000 as local governments faced steep reductions in timber revenue sharing. Current revenue sharing payments are no longer sufficient to support the services forest counties must provide. McCaskill has continually advocated for Missouri’s rural communities and called on this program to be fully funded. Despite calls from McCaskill and a bipartisan, bicameral group of colleagues earlier this year to fully fund the Secure Rural Schools program in the President’s budget proposal, the Trump Administration included no funding for the program in its budget. Full text of letter HERE. Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/rural to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri. ### Print Email Tweet | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |