Governor Jay Nixon outlined his plans for new funding for higher education at Northwest Missouri State University today.

His proposed budget includes a $34 million increase in higher education funding.

“Like increased student retention, higher graduation rates, improve learning and efficiency,” Nixon said.  “And friends, Northwest Missouri State rose to the challenge.  The school met all five of those performance targets.”

His budget proposal was presented to the state Generally Assembly during the state of the state address earlier this week. Under the proposal, Northwest would receive an additional $1.4 million dollars if approved in the state budget for 2014.

Nixon also announced grants for rural water supplies in Nodaway and Worth counties while in Maryville.

The grants, worth roughly $360,000, would hook-up Graham, Barnard and Sheridan to a rural water supply. Those communities had low water supplies during last summers drought.

“They need to be hooked up to the water district,  so we are providing $360,000 in Community Development Block grants to get that hooked up.”

Many rural communities dealt with low water levels in public water wells during last years drought.  Skidmore was connected to the public rural water supply last year in part by similar grants after water was trucked in from neighboring towns to supply the towns water wells.