Missouri competes for $4 billion in extra education money

JEFFERSON CITY — Several hundred education, business and government leaders have been invited to a meeting to help Missouri get more federal education money.

State Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro is holding the daylong meeting Monday in a hotel near the state Capitol. Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is scheduled to give the opening remarks.

Missouri is competing for more than $4 billion in federal funds to implement various new programs to improve the state's education system. Those improvements are to be in academic standards and assessments, teacher recruitment and support for struggling schools.

The state's application for the federal money is due in mid-January.