Herzog Foundation Stays Silent as Missouri Voucher Program Faces Transfer
The state’s largest voucher organization stayed silent when asked to defend Treasurer Vivek Malek’s oversight of MOScholars program.
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — The state’s largest private school voucher organization declined to defend Missouri Treasurer Vivek Malek’s oversight of the MOScholars program as lawmakers moved to transfer it to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education during the final days of the legislative session.
The Herzog Tomorrow Foundation, which serves roughly one-third of MOScholars students and connects families to the state’s private school voucher program, remained silent when Malek’s office requested support from scholarship-granting organizations last month.
Six of Seven Organizations Sign Support Letter
With just one day remaining in the legislative session, the treasurer’s office asked the educational assistance organizations that administer MOScholars scholarships to sign a letter opposing the proposed transfer to the education department.
Six of the seven organizations signed the letter. The Herzog Tomorrow Foundation was the lone holdout, according to the Missouri Independent.
Herzog’s Significant Role in Voucher Program
Herzog is not a marginal player in the MOScholars program. The foundation administers more scholarships than any other organization in the state’s private school voucher system, giving its silence unusual weight in the last-minute legislative fight.
The Herzog Tomorrow Foundation is housed in Smithville and is tied to one of the state’s most influential advocates for Christian education. The organization’s decision not to publicly support keeping the voucher program under Malek’s oversight marks a notable absence from the treasurer’s defense efforts.
Legislative Transfer Moves Forward
Missouri senators voted during the session to remove the private school voucher program from the treasurer’s office and place it under the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s jurisdiction.
The MOScholars program provides state-funded scholarships to families seeking to send their children to private schools. Educational assistance organizations like Herzog serve as intermediaries, connecting eligible families with available scholarships and administering the funding.
Malek’s office had sought to maintain control over the voucher program, arguing against the transfer in the closing hours of the legislative session. However, the lack of support from Herzog Tomorrow Foundation, the program’s largest scholarship provider, represented a significant gap in his coalition of defenders.
The legislative session concluded with the transfer measure advancing, marking a shift in how Missouri will oversee its private school voucher initiative going forward.
