Rep. Scharnhorst discusses Bryce's Law

Missouri Education: In need of reform

The need for special needs education reform in Missouri (part 2)

The need for special needs education reform in Missouri

A better solution for Columbia's tax credit woes

The Columbia Daily Tribune today has a letter from Frank Martin offering just the kind of smart, creative solutions we like to see. Columbia Public Schools made a blunder with the budget reserves, and instead of using that reserve to make a one-time purchase, such as Chemistry textbooks that some parents claim their kids don’t have, they used it to create new positions that are a repeating cost—and they’re asking Columbia residents to replace that money each year through a levy. Their argument is that students won’t be educated well if they don’t get this levy.

It’s a bit of a hostage situation. CPS misappropriates the reserve fund, and says: If you don’t pay for our mistake, your kids won’t learn.

That’s quite a stranglehold—despite whether taxpayers believe CPS should get the 54 cent tax levy, they are obligated to do it at the cost of their child’s education. And when you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to want some milk. Frank Martin’s solution cuts the ties of that stranglehold:

Editor, the Tribune: As voters consider whether to raise their property taxes 54 cents per hundred dollars of assessed property value, I urge them to consider a different approach.

Instead of taxpayers being forced to pay their school taxes to one school system - the public school system - they should have the option of choosing which educational opportunity they want their school tax to support: public school, private school or home school. Just as Pell Grants at the college level are not tied to just public universities and colleges, neither should educational tax dollars at the K-12 level.

Under current law, the K-12 public schools do not have to compete for public tax dollars; they operate a monopoly. They receive 100 percent of all school property tax dollars every year regardless of the product they produce. Even if the dropout rates are high, or some who graduate are ill-equipped to move forward in their adult lives, the public school still gets 100 percent of the tax dollars taken from you for the purpose of preparing young people for success in life.

I urge voters to reject this 54-cent tax levy that only increases the power of this outdated public school monopoly. Parents should be provided the option of choosing the education structure they believe will best prepare their child to meet the challenge of adult life.

Yes, this would create real competition for the current public school monopoly. This competition would do what competition instead of monopoly always does: create a better product at a lower cost.

Charlie Shields and Bombardiers

Senator Charlie Shields, a St. Joseph Republican, is looking out for the Kansas City and Missouri state economy. As a State Senator that is his job, to protect and improve our state’s vital assets, to shield us from danger, to lead the way. He is a leader who, according to the Kansas City Star, is the cosponsor of a bill that would give tax credits to Bombardier, an airline manufacturer, if they build a plant in Kansas City. Since, according to the Star, “the estimated overall economic impact over 22 years was calculated at $5.9 billion,” then, “legislation is on such a fast track that a hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.”

In the second of two articles, published March 24^th and 25^th, the Star said:

Missouri lawmakers pushing a state financial aid package to help attract the proposed Bombardier plant predict it will be quickly approved.

“I think you’ll find a high degree of enthusiasm around this project,” said state Sen. Charlie Shields, majority floor leader.

“People hear about Southern states getting car plants and wonder why we’re not in the running. Here’s one that has the same impact, and here’s a chance to get it done. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

I haven’t heard the same enthusiasm from Charlie Shields for Senate Bill 993, which would also give tax credits to individuals, or companies, that donate to a fund to help special needs children receive a good education. I can only hope the good Senator is looking out for the children in this state, realizing that, though an economic impact might not yet have been calculated, it has been proven numerous times, that improving education is a good investment.

But it really isn’t about the money, is it? What it is about is doing the right thing, making a good moral decision, and protecting the good kids of our state; shielding them, like your namesake.

Please step up and speak out, Senator Shields, for Senate Bill 993, and it’s sibling in the House, HB 1886, or Bryce’s law. These two bills are important for our future, for our children, for today.

Partnering with the community to improve education

The South Side Journal wrote a very interesting article about how religious groups are helping public schools. The strict-constructionist views of our establishment clause and Missouri’s Blaine amendments have sought, over the years, to create an impermeable wall between religion and state, and I find a great deal of the effect of that to be harmful. In looking up some of the case law about Missouri’s Blaine amendment, so many of them revolved around a church or religious group that was trying to help their community—not in an effort to proselytize but simply because they felt it was the right thing to do. The spirit that Shawn Clubb writes about in this article is something that should be encouraged, not stuffed behind a wall. I believe our Framers never meant that wall to prohibit the good effects a church can have on its community, but rather to allow anyone to practice their religion freely without being thwarted by the state. Needless to say, this article shows some enlightenment on that front:

Jason Julian regularly visits five city high schools with other staff from K-Life Ministries looking to make a difference in children's lives.

K-Life and 80 other faith-based groups have started going into the public schools in the city. Ministers, deacons, rabbis, imams and lay people from churches, synagogues and temples have teamed with schools throughout the city.

They come to teach, not to preach. They serve as tutors, mentors and role models for students who otherwise might not get the level of attention they need to succeed."We're not even trying to proselytize to kids," Julian said.

Instead, K-Life volunteers mentor students, read to them, tutor them and conduct a Play it Smart character-building program for high school athletes at Vashon, Beaumont, Roosevelt, Sumner and Clyde C. Miller Career Academy.

The Rev. Douglas Parham, pastor of Community of God Church in Blackjack and president of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition, said many children in the schools also attend area churches with their families.

"We have a vested interest in the quality of education in our schools," he said.

The coalition has had a dialogue with the public schools since Cleveland Hammonds was superintendent, Parham said. Apart from that relationship many congregations had started tutoring and education support programs in their churches.

Superintendent Diana Bourisaw said she set a goal for the district to bolster schools with corporate, community and faith-based partnerships.

"There's a church on every corner and we had some churches already doing things in our schools. We decided to help them," she said.

Some churches were uncertain about whether they could have a relationship with public schools, Bourisaw said. They were aware of the barrier between church and state.

"That means they can't proselytize. It doesn't mean they can't care," she said. "If a family needs help and the school doesn't know where to turn, they can turn to the church partner."

The partnership quickly went from a handful to more than 80 faith-base groups wanting to help out. Many clergy kicked off their congregation's involvement during a recent Clergy Reading Day in which 29 clergy members read to students in city elementary schools.

Sally Bloom, principal of Wyman Elementary School, 1547 S. Theresa Ave., looks forward to her school being paired with St. Luke's Memorial Baptist Church, 3623 Finney Ave. The Rev. Jimmy Brown from the church took part in the reading day and plans to have further involvement with the school.

"It's helpful to have partnership throughout the community - not just with the churches - but the churches are a strong part of St. Louis," Bloom said. "We're looking for mentoring assistance with the children. I think in some cases we have a number of them that just need somebody to be there for them on a regular basis.

"We're not treating it as a church necessarily, but a group that wants to give support."

Carey Cunningham, principal of Simmons Elementary School, 4318 St. Louis Ave., has been working for a month with Prince of Peace Missionary Church, 2741 Dayton St., and its pastor Rev. William Kilpatrick.

Before anyone else from the church can come in to mentor they must go through the district's screening process, Cunningham said. After they have been screened, they will be able to play an active role in the after-school literacy program.

"Our students can fall into many negative traps growing up. They can be here as a support to help students stay on the right track," he said. "At Prince of Peace, they understand some children lag behind academically. They have a goal to create in the church their own educational center for further academic and social assistance."

Cunningham said he's encouraged that the district has tried to unite school and church, which students tend to see as being separate.

"The school and church can work together in harmonious ways," he said. "The religious sector and education sector can work hand in hand."

Jason Browne: More than platte-itudes?

Rep. Jason Brown from Platte City hasn’t come out with his support for HB 1886, and for me this is a must-have vote, and I’d like to hear what all of our Missouri Legislators have to say about this boon for families with special needs children.

His website has this inspiring quote:

“The legislative process never ceases to amaze me. From the overwhelming number of ideas introduced each session, through numerous committee hearings, by debate on the House and Senate floors, and from the thoughtful communications of private citizens like you, there emerges public policy designed to respond to the changing needs of most of Missouri’s citizens but still sensitive to their concerns. As this regular session of the 93rd General Assembly ends, I am reminded that in a democracy when ideas are shared, the result is much greater than the sum of individual contributions.”

It seems to me that HB 1886 is the confluence of these values. It is a scholarship tax credit, and that’s something Missouri has not tried when responding to the changing needs of education across Missouri and within families. Parents have communicated stories about having to move to district after district, uprooting their families and lives, in an attempt to meet the needs of their disabled child. Some families feel torn between different abilities of two children, and other families have had to spend beyond their means for private instruction. Parents have testified to the importance of having flexibility. Legislators have shaped a bill that reflects those family voices, concerns from school districts about losing too many students (I’m not too concerned about that, given history in other states, but an amendment placing 10% cap on all IEP students was added to assuage that concern).

Given all of this, I hope to see that Rep. Jason Brown is nodding yes. If you’re in Platte City and want to make sure your voice is heard on this issue, call Brown at (573) 751-6593.

Supporting all children, all the time

Paul supports legislation that would require the state to award offices to non-profit organizations set up by school districts or bid the offices out to individuals or organizations. Then, most of the profit made from these fees can go back to the state and be directed into local public schools.

Paul LeVota, that is, Missouri Representative in Jackson Co., including Lee’s Summit, North Kansas City and Independence. I hope, in light of his stance here, he'll also support HB 1886. This bill would create a scholarship tax credit program. A non-profit organization that grants scholarships to special needs children would accept donation eligible for an 80% tax credit. While revenue is not collected the state will surely save money as scholarships given out through other similar tuition tax credit programs are less than the state pays for IEP students to attend public schools. That saved revenue could easily be directed into public schools.

Unconcerned in St. Louis

From Missourinet:

St. Louis Teachers Union President Mary Armstrong objects to considering voucher and scholarship bills when the state hasn't fully funded the school Foundation Formula. Armstrong told Senators she's very concerned about the bills taking money away from the school district.

"We will be assisting a small number of students," Armstrong testified, "But we will leave a majority of students behind."

Yet, parents of autistic children say their children are being left behind in public schools.

Shari Kaminsky of Kirkwood says her profoundly autistic child couldn't learn in public schools, but did in a private one.

"My 12-year-old now is learning to read," Kaminsky told the committee.

Both bills would provide funding to transfer a developmentally disabled child to either another public school or a private one. One, SB770, would allow state funding to follow the child to the school of his parent's choice. The other, SB993, would establish tax credits to create a scholarship program. The scholarships would pay for private schooling.

Perhaps the words of Mary Armstrong have been instrumental in both Representatives Margaret Donnelly and Joan Bray of St. Louis pushing this bill quietly into the “no” bin.

Union president Armstrong admits that this bill will help children, and that’s the crux of the issue. Then, she admits that we are leaving a majority of children behind. I’m sure the St. Louis teachers union could drum up the support to expand the bill to include all children, if Armstrong is so concerned.

As to her point that this bill will take money from the public schools, the answer is a resounding NO. In fact, if you look at the 5 other states with choice for special needs students, we find that they save money, because tuition at private schools is by and large less expensive than state per-pupil costs. You can find more stats on that phenomenon here.

Now, with Mary Armstrong’s fears mitigated, we can focus on the real issue: Shari Kaminsky and her child. If she is unhappy with the education her child is receiving, why would legislators refuse to let her seek out a school that can help her child learn to read? Why would Reps Donnelly and Bray seek to protect the teachers unions instead of the children Missouri is obligated to educate and care for?

If you’d like to call and ask yourself, you can reach Rep. Joan Bray at (573) 751-2514 and Margaret Donnelly at (573) 751-0100.