Missouri Baptist students, parents protest cuts

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Students, faculty and parents at Missouri Baptist University in suburban St. Louis are rallying against Gov. Jay Nixon's plan to eliminate state scholarships at private schools.

A protest is scheduled for Monday morning. School officials say a letter-writing and cell phone-calling effort will begin to try and convince Nixon to rethink his proposal.

Missouri Baptist leaders say the state would be the first in the nation to make cuts that only impact private schools.

Nixon is proposing cuts to programs like Access Missouri and Bright Flight, but only for nonpublic colleges and universities. The governor has said the cuts are necessary because of a significant budget shortfall.