PRiME in the NEWS: Collin Hitt on Funding Gap
PRiME’s Executive Director Collin Hitt and PRiME contributor, Dr. Andrew Camp, spoke on “The Education Gadfly Show” to discuss their new Fordham education report on the Missouri charter school funding gap. The podcast is hosted by co-writer David Griffith and Mike Petrill.
The report and podcast focuses on Missouri House Bill 1552 which attempted to close the funding gap between public and charter schools. The podcast examines how funding impacts students, staffing, and student achievement.
Published September 2026
St. Louis County, Missouri is divided into 22 regular school districts that vary widely in geographic size and student enrollment, from 668 students in Valley Park to 18,595 students in Rockwood R-6 (2025–26). Student demographics and funding also differ starkly across districts. Lindbergh serves a population that is 2.7% Black, while the student population in Riverview Gardens is 96.5% Black (2024–25). And while Jennings and Clayton both serve just over 2,000 students, Jennings had $8,731 to spend per student in 2024–25, while Clayton spent $24,862. What explains the number of districts and the disparities between them?