FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2025
Court Rules in Favor of Missouri Right to Education, Clearing Path Forward for Ballot Initiative
Jefferson City, MO — The Circuit Court of the Eastern District of Missouri has ruled in favor of Missouri Right to Education in its lawsuit against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, finding that the ballot title language previously certified was misleading and prejudiced.
As a result of the ruling, Missouri Right to Education may continue collecting signatures for its proposed constitutional amendment. All signatures collected prior to certification of the revised ballot language will continue to count toward the required total. Once the new language is officially certified, all newly collected signatures must reflect the updated ballot title.
Missouri Right to Education has already collected more than 25,000 valid petition signatures from across the state and remains on track to meet the 176,000-signature requirement by the May 3 deadline.
“This ruling is a critical victory for voters and for public education in Missouri,” said Spencer Toder, Director of Missouri Right to Education. “Ballot language must inform—not mislead—the public. Missourians deserve a fair, honest description of what they are being asked to vote on, especially when it comes to the future of our schools and our children.”
Toder emphasized that the initiative is about strengthening the state’s constitutional commitment to public education and ensuring that every child—regardless of ZIP code—has access to adequately funded schools.
“Public education is the foundation of our economy, our democracy, and our communities,” Toder said. “This is the moment for every organization, parent, educator, and civic leader who says they support children to step up and be counted. Words of support matter—but action matters more.”
He noted that the remaining signature goal is well within reach with broad participation.
“Missouri is a state of six million people,” Toder said. “If just 1,000 Missourians go to MOEducation.org/Join and pledge to collect one or two signatures a day for a few months, we meet our goal and put a fundamental right to high quality education on the ballot. This will allow us to hold the state accountable to providing necessary resources to our schools, which are currently 49th in state funding and 49th in teacher pay.”
Media Inquiries
Spencer Toder
314-537-1537
Court approved ballot title:
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
• Create a new fundamental right to an equitable and adequate public education that would be enforced through lawsuits filed in court;
• Mandate that the State of Missouri establish and maintain adequate, thorough, and uniform high quality free public schools, regardless of the cost, for all persons in the state twenty-one years old or younger; and
• Limit the State’s ability to fund educational choices other than free public schools?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 3, 2025
Missouri Court Rules in Favor of Missouri Right to Education, Marking Major Victory for the Future of Public Education in Missouri
Jefferson City, MO — Missouri Right to Education announced a major legal victory today in its effort to guarantee high-quality public education as a fundamental right. A Missouri court ruled in favor of Spencer Toder, the initiative’s Director, in his lawsuit challenging the Secretary of State’s false and misleading ballot language.
At issue was whether the Secretary of State’s proposed summary fairly and sufficiently represented the amendment, which seeks to make high-quality public education – adequate, thorough, and uniform – a fundamental right in the Missouri Constitution. The court sided with Toder, with the state unable to provide evidence that the amendment would result in negative outcomes for “students with disabilities and low-income families,” as stated in the Secretary of State’s proposed summary.
“Only public schools guarantee that all students are provided education, regardless of financial status or ability,” Toder said. “It’s unacceptable that we consistently ask our public schools to do more with less. When passed, we will finally be able to hold the state accountable and ensure that every child in Missouri has access to a public school with the necessary resources for them to thrive. When our kids are well educated, companies will flock to Missouri and our economy will soar. High-quality public education is the foundation of every successful community.”
The ruling orders the State to adopt clear language that accurately reflects the purpose of the initiative: ensuring every child in Missouri has a right to a high-quality public education.
“We filed this ballot initiative because schools across the country are shutting down as politicians take money from public schools and send it to private schools as a handout to their wealthy donors,” said Toder. “We’re seeing it happen in states like Arizona and Florida and Missouri is running the exact same playbook. The only thing that can stop it is this constitutional amendment. It is important to ask why any politician or organization would want to stand in the way of providing high quality public education for all kids.”
Missouri is currently 49th in state funding for public education and 49th for teacher pay.
“The idea that further defunding our schools is good for our communities is insane, but this amendment will not only stop the state from taking resources away from our public schools, but will finally give us the ability to ensure that we are competitive nationally and that our children have all of the opportunities they deserve.”
Missourians can sign up to volunteer and donate to the initiative at moeducation.org
About Missouri Right to Education
Missouri Right to Education is a nonpartisan, citizen-led effort committed to ensuring every child in Missouri has access to a high-quality public education. By amending the Missouri Constitution to guarantee this right, the initiative seeks to strengthen public schools, improve accountability, and build a stronger future for Missouri’s families, workforce, and economy. To qualify to be on the November 2026 ballot, Missouri Right to Education must collect approximately 172,000 signatures across six congressional districts by May 3rd, 2026.
Media Contact
Missouri Right to Education
Email: [email protected]
Website: MOEducation.org
