Mo. higher ed commissioner endorses agency merger

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's higher education commissioner is endorsing Gov. Jay Nixon's proposal to merge the state's two education agencies.

Nixon wants to combine the Department of Higher Education and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The proposal is part of a broad plan outlined Thursday in light of what Nixon calls a likely $500 million budget shortfall next year.

Higher Education Commissioner Robert Stein says a combined agency could help the state develop an education system that starts before kindergarten and continues past high school. He also says the merger would save money on equipment and administration.

The Legislature would have to approve the consolidation.