Close the Gap in Missouri education

School closures and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted educational and social harm on many of Missouri’s school-age children. These policies magnified an achievement gap that already existed for many of our state’s most vulnerable student populations.

Close the Gap grants would to provide Missouri families with direct financial aid to mitigate learning loss and other adverse educational and social impacts of pandemic restrictions on students.

Our state has a budget surplus available to provide immediate relief to students – in the way of $1,500 grants – who lost critical time in the classroom due to pandemic-related school closures.

These grants can be used to support critical educational enrichment activities, including tutoring, extended school day educational programs, tuition at learning extension centers, and more. In fact, other states have already taken similar action to provide grants to families, including Ohio, Virginia, and Idaho.

Missouri students need your help! Please support Close the Gap grants in the FY 2023 budget to get students back on track in their educational achievement. Thank you for your consideration.