Becky Kroll for Missouri State Representative

Public education is the backbone of our communities, so public dollars should prioritize schools that serve all kids. While different paths matter, we can’t afford to weaken the foundation that gives every child a fair shot.

Access to public education is one of the most important commitments we make to the next generation. No matter where someone lives, what their family earns, or what challenges they may face, every child deserves access to a good and safe school and a fair opportunity to learn. In communities across Missouri, public schools are more than classrooms. They are gathering places for communities, major local employers, and a source of pride for the towns that built them.

I believe that families should have the freedom to choose the educational path that best fits the needs of their children. Private schools, home schools, trade programs, and traditional public schools all play a role in that landscape. However, public schools have a unique responsibility to educate every child who walks through their doors. Because of this commitment, I believe our public dollars should first serve the system that supports all students.

When funding is diverted from public schools, the consequences can be felt for years, especially in rural communities. Many of these schools already operate on tight budgets, and even small funding changes can mean fewer teachers, fewer programs, and fewer educational opportunities for students. Education should not become a political tug of war. It should be about stability, fairness, and making sure every community has the resources to prepare its students for the future.

Preparing young people for the future also means recognizing that success does not look the same for everyone. College is a great path for some students, but other paths include trade schools, technical training, and career education that deserve strong support as well. Missouri’s future depends on skilled workers, strong communities, and an education system that reflects those opportunities. If we want to remain competitive in today’s job market, education in all its forms must remain a top priority.

Access to healthcare and healthy food isn't a luxury. It's essential for keeping families and communities strong. Supporting rural healthcare, protecting access to local food, and making sure people can meet their basic needs helps build a healthier, more stable Missouri for everyone.

Access to healthcare is one of the most basic needs a community can have. No matter where someone lives, what job they hold, or how much money they make, people should be able to see a doctor when they need one. Healthcare should not feel like a luxury or something people have to delay because they are worried about the cost. Healthy families build strong communities, and strong communities build a stronger Missouri.

But healthcare doesn't begin and end at the doctor's office. Access to affordable, healthy food is also a basic part of keeping people healthy.

Across Missouri, particularly in rural communities, grocery stores and healthcare services are getting farther away. Hospitals have closed, specialists are scarce, and communities have lost local places to buy groceries. For someone with reliable transportation, traveling to another town may be an inconvenience. For an older adult who no longer drives, a person with a disability, or a family already struggling with transportation costs, those miles can become a serious barrier.

This is especially important as Missourians grow older. We should be helping people remain healthy and independent in their own homes for as long as possible. When someone can't easily reach a grocery store, a pharmacy, their doctor, or other basic services, staying in the home and community they have known for decades becomes much harder. Lack of access can mean poorer health, less independence, and a shorter, less comfortable life.

Protecting healthcare and food access is also about protecting our communities. When a hospital, clinic, pharmacy, or grocery store disappears, we don't just lose a business. We lose jobs, services, and another reason for families to remain in that community.

I believe Missouri should focus on practical solutions that keep essential services within reach. That means supporting rural hospitals and healthcare providers, improving maternal and infant health outcomes, strengthening preventive and mental healthcare, and finding ways to support grocery stores and other sources of affordable, nutritious food in communities that are losing them.

Missouri's future depends on healthy people who are able to work, raise families, grow older with dignity, and contribute to the communities they call home.

Your ZIP code shouldn't determine whether you can see a doctor, buy healthy food, or live a long and healthy life.

A strong community should be a place where you can build a life, raise a family, and grow old.

That takes more than attracting the biggest company or announcing the biggest investment. It means having the things that make everyday life work.

Families need childcare so parents can go to work. Small businesses need customers and reliable infrastructure. Young people need jobs that give them a reason to stay. Communities need housing for the family buying their first home and options for older neighbors who want to remain close to the people and places they know.

These things are connected.

Economic development should be based on what a community actually needs. Sometimes that means attracting a new employer. Sometimes it means helping a small business get started, supporting a childcare provider, bringing a business back to Main Street, or making sure an essential service doesn't disappear.

Missouri should invest in communities based on the needs of the people who actually live there.

Because a community isn't successful simply because it is growing. It is successful when the people who built their lives there can afford to stay.

Technology and economic development can benefit Missouri, but not at the expense of our farmland, water, power grid, infrastructure, privacy, or the people who already call these communities home.

Data centers are expanding rapidly, and Missouri is becoming an attractive location for these projects. They can bring significant investment, but the building itself is only part of the story. Large data centers can require tremendous amounts of electricity, water, land, and new infrastructure, and those needs continue long after construction ends.

I support a temporary moratorium on new large scale data centers while Missouri puts clear protections in place.

Before a project is approved, communities deserve to know what it will require. How much water and electricity will it use? What infrastructure will need to be built or upgraded? Who pays for it? And what happens during a drought or period of high electrical demand?

The people already living in a community should not be expected to compete for essential resources or pay for infrastructure required by a private development. Companies should pay for what their projects need.

We also need to protect our farmland and give rural communities a real voice in these decisions. Farmland may look like open space on a development map, but it isn't wasted space. It produces food, supports families and local economies, and has value long before someone puts a building on it.

Technology also raises questions about privacy. Missourians should know what information is being collected about them, who has access to it, how long it is kept, and how it can be used.

I'm not opposed to technology, investment, or economic development. I'm asking Missouri to slow down long enough to put protections in place before development outpaces our ability to protect the people and resources already here.

Growth can be good. But growth without planning, transparency, and protections isn't progress.

Stable housing is the bedrock of strong communities, yet rising costs are putting it out of reach for many. We need practical policies that lower barriers to affordability, so families can thrive right where they live.

Housing stability means more than having a place to live. It means being able to afford your rent or mortgage, live in a safe community, and have access to good schools and opportunities. For Missouri families, stable housing is the foundation that everything else is built on.

Right now, that foundation is becoming harder to reach. Housing costs continue to rise, often beyond what families can reasonably afford. Rent frequently exceeds traditional affordability standards, and the age of first-time homeownership continues to climb, putting homeownership further out of reach for many. When housing takes up too much of a household budget, even a small emergency can create a crisis.

I am especially concerned about those most impacted by these challenges, including single parents, seniors, veterans, and young people trying to build a future. These are Missourians who are working hard, contributing to their communities, and still struggling to secure stable and affordable housing.

Government has a role to play in addressing this issue in a thoughtful and balanced way. That means creating incentives to encourage the development of quality, affordable housing, while also ensuring appropriate oversight of rent and mortgage practices. The goal should be to lower barriers to stability without placing undue strain on property owners or those working to provide housing.

At the same time, we cannot ignore the problem or rely on inaction. Responsible policy must acknowledge the reality families are facing and work toward practical solutions that keep housing within reach.

Housing is not just an economic issue. It is a community issue. When people have stable housing, neighborhoods are stronger, schools are more consistent, and families are better positioned to succeed. Putting neighbors first means making sure Missourians can afford to live, grow, and thrive in the communities they call home.

In Missouri, the people hold the pen to write their own future. When lawmakers stall, the initiative petition process hands power right back to citizens.

In Missouri, the people hold the pen to shape their own future. When lawmakers stall, the initiative petition process ensures citizens can bring issues directly to the ballot. This cornerstone of democracy empowers Missourians to address critical issues when politicians fail to act. While gathering signatures is challenging, the people’s will must be respected. Elected officials should engage with these initiatives thoughtfully, making good-faith adjustments when necessary, but never undermining them. To safeguard this process, any legislative changes to voter-approved initiatives should require a two-thirds bipartisan supermajority. No single party should be able to overturn the people’s will, ensuring that any adjustment reflects broad, bipartisan consensus.

Good jobs are about dignity, not just dollars—they should offer fair pay, stability, and respect. By investing in workers and their training, we strengthen families, communities, and Missouri’s future.

A good job should provide more than just a paycheck. It should offer fair wages, a healthy balance between work and life, and the ability to afford basic needs like housing, food, and healthcare. Work should create stability and opportunity, not constant financial stress.

I come from a working family where that reality was understood early. My father was a member of the Carpenters Union, and my brother built his career as a Millwright through apprenticeship training. Growing up around that environment taught me that strong jobs, fair pay, and worker protections are what build stable families and strong communities.

Too many workers today feel like they are falling behind. Wages have not kept pace with the cost of living, and many people feel undervalued in the workplace. At the same time, access to healthcare is often tied to employment, leaving individuals and families in difficult positions when job conditions are not sustainable.

I am concerned about every Missourian who depends on a paycheck to support themselves or their family. That includes young people entering the workforce, skilled trades workers, small business employees, those changing careers, and families working hard to make ends meet. Work is a part of nearly every household, whether it happens in the home, on a farm, in a small business, or in a larger workplace, and it deserves to be respected and supported.

Missouri must take a more intentional approach to workforce development. That means investing in education at every level, including trade schools, apprenticeship programs, colleges, and continuing education. Strong educational systems are directly tied to strong employment opportunities, and cutting funding to these institutions limits long term growth for our state.

We should support policies that strengthen both workers and the businesses that employ them. That includes encouraging job growth, supporting workforce training, and ensuring safe and fair working conditions. Respecting the right to organize is part of that conversation, just as supporting small businesses and local employers is essential to a healthy economy. These priorities can and should work together.

Jobs are not just about the economy. They are about people. When Missourians have access to good paying jobs and safe workplaces, families are stronger, communities are more stable, and our state is better positioned to grow. Putting neighbors first means recognizing the value of work in all its forms and making sure every Missourian has the opportunity to succeed.