The legislation would create a new school funding formula…That's the mechanism used to distribute state aid to school districts.

The issue has divided lawmakers, pitting rural interests against urban and suburban interests.

That was the assessment of the committee chairman Republican Brian Baker.

Baker says the bill isn't dead.

The Senate bill sponsor is Charlie Shields.

He was able to gain Senate approval.

He says he's disappointed the House defeated his bill but he says it isn't dead.

But to do that, bill supporters will have to overcome a major issue that divides urban, suburban and rural lawmakers.

The funding formula factors in the higher cost of labor in cities and suburbs…But lawmakers from those areas say the adjustment isn't high enough to provide adequate compensation to teachers…On the other hand, rural lawmakers say the cost of living in the cities isn't that much higher than in rural areas.

Rural lawmakers succeeded in adding an amendment that reduced the cost of labor adjustment.

It was an amendment urban and suburban lawmakers opposed.

Springfield Representative Charlie Dennison voted against the bill because he says this amendment will cause Springfield Public Schools to lose money.

But another lawmaker from Southwest Missouri, Representative Maynard Wallace says he's pleased with the formula.

He's a former school superintendent whose district includes Howell, Ozark, Taney and Stone counties.

He says rural lawmakers have compromised by allowing there to be a cost of labor adjustment in the school funding formula.

He voted in favor of the bill.

Urban lawmakers say they're not at all pleased with the way the funding formula has been crafted.

St Louis Representative Yaphett El-Amin says the proposed formula simply wouldn't distribute money fairly.

The chairman of the House committee that defeated the bill, Brian Baker says the bill is a good compromise.

And he says the bill, which has a 600 million dollar price tag adequately funds schools and distributes the money fairly.

A lawsuit from more than 250 school districts is pending in court…It challenges the current funding formula.

A written statement from Governor Matt Blunt's spokeswoman urges lawmakers to act on the school funding formula before the end of session.

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