Charter Schools Serve up Education with Ice Cream on Top!

How sweet it is! While Kansas City and St. Louis Public Schools lose their accreditation, the emerging success of charter schools brings the promise of hope to children in St. Louis. Kids who, prior to attending charter school Lift for Life Academy, were not performing at grade level were accelerated and put back on the path of educational advancement. Some of the children at this middle school are performing at high school levels by graduation. By being empowered to respond rapidly to immediate needs, the schools' administration is able to address individual concerns and steer the school with pinpoint control and quick response to concerns of parents and the needs of children. Something as simple as an ice cream treat can provide incentive to children and a teacher can make the request and in mere moments walk away with a check in hand for 12 ice cream cones--no red tape and paperwork filled out in triplicate. Read more from the St. Louis Post Dispatch about Lift for Life Academy here: "St. Louis in midst of charter school boom" .

Also from the Post Dispatch:

CHARTER SCHOOLS

St. Louis is in the midst of a charter school boom. The mayor has called for dozens more of the privately run, tuition-free public schools. National networks are already targeting the city. Five charters opened this year alone. Now 15 campuses serve 7,700 students. This story is the first in a periodic series profiling each. Charter schoo

ls are only one of many educational alternatives that are causing Americans to rethink how we educate our children. With their continued success here in Missouri, the hope of bright futures shines for those who avail themselves of these new opportunities. Now, how about some charter schools in the county?!

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Doing Something for Education

We all know that a great education is important. I think some people may not realize a child's elementary education can and will affect their high school achievement, which will then affect if they attend college and how successful they are. According to DESE, fewer than 24 percent of the graduates from St. Louis and Kansas City public schools attend four year colleges and fewer than 40 percent of graduates from rural areas attend either a 2 or a 4 year college. According to DESE, in 2005, fewer than 5 percent of two-year college students transferred to public four year colleges.

Earlier this year, The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation donated $1 million to advise Missouri students in the college process. MU was one of only 10 colleges throughout the country to receive this grant.

"We are squandering a huge national resource when millions of America's best high school graduates never get to college, or fail to advance beyond a two-year community college program," said Foundation Executive Director Matthew J. Quinn. "Our Foundation is committed to addressing the college enrollment gap by providing crucial information to promising students facing financial barriers."

The grant will target rural and urban high schools that do not have Missouri A+ School designation and that fall below the state average in the percentage of their graduates who go to college.

Children in rural areas face certain challenges when it comes to education, whether it be elementary, secondary, or at the collegiate level. Missouri students in rural areas need help. While there are many ways to address these issues, this grant is a great start.

The day for Columbia to Decide

December 10th, the Columbia Public School Board will meet to decide if they should remain part of the adequacy lawsuit. The lawsuit has already cost Columbia over $81,000 and that total will just get higher. According to the Committee for Educational Equality in this Missourian article, total spending would be less than 10 percent of what has been spent on the appeal thus far. Although, when the case started several years ago, it was said that Columbia would only several thousand. Obviously, they were wrong then, why should we trust them now? Additionally, many districts, such as Francis Howell, St. Joseph, and Liberty have dropped out of the case, which will make the remaining districts bear an increasing share of the bill.

Anyways, that is a moot point. Columbia, not to mention the other districts, has no business being in this suit to begin with. The cost so far is over $4.6 million. The involved districts are using tax dollars to sue the legislature, and the A.G.'s office is using tax dollars to defend the state. Suing the state with its money to get more money, really?

The plaintiffs clearly lost this case, and it is ridiculous to keep fighting it. The Missouri Constitution requires free public schools and that the state must devote at least 25% of revenues towards education. The judge was shown how that is clearly accomplished.

Columbia may actually end up worse off if the case were won. It is a wealthier district and it could very well lose money if the state were to reallocate funding to other districts. And there is more...other state programs would hurt too. If the state is required to give more money to education, it will be at the expense of other programs. MU, Medicare, social services, and others, could they survive with a huge budget cut? It would be very hard and more people would suffer because of it.

One major point I would like to get to is that more funding is not directly correlated with increased achievement. In layman's terms, the students will not do better with more money.

There are countless reasons why Columbia and Missouri should not be a part of this case. I hope, for the sake of our children, they stop wasting their money. I hope for the sake of the state and all the services it provides, they stop wasting our money.

School board votes to discontinue statewide school funding suit

Columbia Missourian

By Tori Moss

Columbia Public Schools will not participate in the Committee for Educational Equality's future appeal of the Missouri Supreme Court's ruling on the statewide school funding lawsuit.

The school board voted to discontinue association with the CEE during its Monday night meeting.

The district joined the lawsuit with the CEE, along with 259 other Missouri school districts, in December 2003. The school districts sued the state, reasoning that Missouri public schools do not adequately receive state funding as required by the Missouri Constitution.

Alex Bartlett, the attorney representing the CEE, spoke to the board on Monday about the appeal and suggested that no decision be made at the time.

Although several board members expressed appreciation for the attention the CEE has brought to school funding in Missouri, no member voted to continue the lawsuit.

Board member Michelle Gadbois said that the intent behind the CEE lawsuit was stellar, but she doubted the possibility for success.

Board member Jan Mees said there must be other ways to get more funding from the state.

Board President Karla DeSpain agreed that other funding sources need to be found and urged citizens to contact their legislators.

"I am not a fan of litigation," DeSpain said. "I would prefer to use other means of trying to accomplish those ends."

Representing in Springfield

Springfield Public Schools has employed a “consultant” Jerry McCall to offer solutions and suggestions about why school board members should vote in favor of an $8 million new school building. Many have been upset about his report, arguing that the numbers don’t add up and that his report isn’t feasible, responsible or well-researched. So why is he being paid [a lot of money] for unsatisfactory information?

I recall learning about Yellow Journalism and the powerful vehicle that press was in controlling public opinion. We all know that the press has gotten more and more pervasive and comprehensive along with knowledge in general, but I think the journalism of today is less “Yellow” and more “Transparent”.

A lot of the journalism I read from day to day is about occurrences like this that concerned citizens may need or want to know about and hold someone accountable for. It’s baffling that people in positions of responsibility would continue to be negligent. Part of that, I believe, is a disconnect between being outraged and actually holding someone accountable. I can say “Hey, Mister, I’m holding you accountable for this or that…” but when I don’t have a vote I can exercise or a way to actually punish someone for that negligence, how do I really act on that outrage?

I’d suggest making the press work for you and me. Write to those people who do have the power. Instead of merely saying “that upsets me” we can put it on paper, on a website, on a blog and say “that upsets me and Norm Ridder, Springfield City Council and School Board, you need to hold this person and the system you work within to a higher standard of accountability. Let’s make sure that the actions of our officials, especially in education and city government, is as efficient and effective as possible, so if an $8 million school is needed, that’s the most cost effective choice and we put the $10,000 that could have gone to a consultant to a better use that is more closely related to what that money was intended for.

Columbia School Board to Meet Tonight!

About three years ago, the Columbia Public School Board decided to join about 240 other districts to sue the state for more money. Interesting enough, they were using state money to sue the state for more money.

Tonight is the night for Columbia to decide if they will remain part of the appeal. TheColumbia Tribune describes the opinions of the board members. Several board members disagree with the case and will vote against appealing. Some other board members have expressed concern but have not said which way they will vote.

One concern is for a request on the April ballot. The district would like to seek an operating levy increase. If they continue with this case and waste more money, voters may see this as being inappropriate with their spending. And I agree.

I adamantly hope they pull out of this case. The money that has already been spent is over $4.6 million and that will just increase the longer the case continues. Our schools are facing hard times right now. We need to focus our energy on a solution, not throw money on top of the problem. Research has shown that more funding does not result in increased achievement or graduation rates.

Unfortunately, the money already spent on this case is gone. But there is still hope to not waste anymore. I guess we will see tonight how the school board votes.

Today is the day for Columbia to Decide

Today, the Columbia Public School Board will meet to decide if they should remain part of the adequacy lawsuit. The lawsuit has already cost Columbia over $81,000 and that total will just get higher. According to the Committee for Educational Equality in this Missourian article, total spending would be less than 10 percent of what has been spent on the appeal thus far. Although, when the case started several years ago, it was said that Columbia would only several thousand. Obviously, they were wrong then, why should we trust them now? Additionally, many districts, such as Francis Howell, St. Joseph, and Liberty have dropped out of the case, which will make the remaining districts bear an increasing share of the bill.

Anyways, that is a moot point. Columbia, not to mention the other districts, has no business being in this suit to begin with. The cost so far is over $4.6 million. The involved districts are using tax dollars to sue the legislature, and the A.G.’s office is using tax dollars to defend the state. Suing the state with its money to get more money, really?

The plaintiffs clearly lost this case, and it is ridiculous to keep fighting it. The Missouri Constitution requires free public schools and that the state must devote at least 25% of revenues towards education. The judge was shown how that is clearly accomplished.

Columbia may actually end up worse off if the case were won. It is a wealthier district and it could very well lose money if the state were to reallocate funding to other districts. And there is more…other state programs would hurt too. If the state is required to give more money to education, it will be at the expense of other programs. MU, Medicare, social services, and others, could they survive with a huge budget cut? It would be very hard and more people would suffer because of it.

One major point I would like to get to is that more funding is not directly correlated with increased achievement. In layman’s terms, the students will not do better with more money.

There are countless reasons why Columbia and Missouri should not be a part of this case. I hope, for the sake of our children, they stop wasting their money. I hope for the sake of the state and all the services it provides, they stop wasting our money.

Some States Have Choice for IEP Students

Florida and Ohio are a few of the states that offer choice to a child diagnosed with autism or another disability. A special education child has special needs that may not always be met by the schools they are in.

The bill in Ohio is to “provide to the parent of any qualified special education child a scholarship in order that he or she may receive special education and/or related services that implements the child’s individualized education program (IEP) and that is operated by a school district other than the school district in which the child is entitled to attend school or by another eligible public entity, or by a registered private provider.” An IEP student has a detailed and thorough learning plan. Teachers, administrators, parents, counselors, and children are all involved with the plan. If the school is not working, none of these people will be able to fix it. The child simply needs to option of going to another school, even if it is outside their district. Special education students deserve the chance at a decent education too.

Missouri needs something similar. The government created the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but unfortunately, it does not seem to reach every special education student. There need to be additional options to help these children.

Columbia School District sets it Priorities

Adequate funding for the district is the top priority of the Columbia School District. I hope that the board members think about this seriously. Obviously, funding is absolutely crucial for the schools. However, I find it slightly strange that so many districts around Missouri have found it necessary to waste the funding they were given on a lawsuit. Many districts seem so concerned about getting more money, yet total the lawsuit has cost over $4.6 million. This money could have been used in the schools, buying books, paying salaries, or doing renovations. Instead, it is sitting the bank accounts of lawyers.

Columbia has spent tens of thousands of dollars on this suit so far. As to whether they will stay part of the appeal is still up for debate. I was hoping to learn from the Tribune article that Columbia decided to pull out of it. My town, not far from Columbia, is thankfully not part of the suit. I still do not like to see the children’s education money being thrown away like it is. I know several school board members in Columbia would like to withdraw from the case, let’s hope they convince the rest of them. They need to pull out now before they waste any more money.

One other big priority for Columbia Public schools is asking legislators to oppose tuition tax credits and school choice. I think this is a huge mistake. Choice should be available for the parents and the children. Representative Ed Robb is for tuition tax credits and charter schools; he has and will continue to push for these. St. Louis and Kansas City are the only two cities in Missouri allowed to operate charter schools, but hopefully this will change soon.

Columbia is an amazing town, and I love having that type of community within 30 minutes of my rural home. Hopefully, they can make the right decisions.

Name Change

This blog, for reasons beyond our control, will undergo a name change. It will temporarily be called Missourians for Missouri Public Schools.

Is YOUR district still in?

We have alot of money being mismanaged in our public education system and the sooner we get a handle on it, the sooner our kids will benefit. Our public education leaders--the superintendents, the teachers and their unions, administrators--all need to get focussed on a new approach to education reform. For districts who remain committed to funding the appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court (see CEE vs. State of Missouri) the prospect of improving education is threatened.

Instead of looking at their school funding and finding the HUGE amount of waste that most certainly exists, as pointed out by Jack Wenders, a School Choice Activist, our educrats insist on suing taxpayers with their own money. We/they should, instead, be focussed on creative solutions to education reform including, but not limited to, parental choice and involvement, merit pay for teachers, charter schools, virtual education, support for special needs and competition in the public education system.

Only 61 cents of every tax payer dollar reaches the classroom (see First Class Education ). "By raising that figure just four cents to 65 cents on the dollar, we could have put an additional $272 million more into Missouri classrooms without a tax increase. That's an average of $304 per student or $6,080 for each class of 20."

Challenging the adequacy of school funding is just a distraction from the root cause of inefficient spending enforced by the public school bureaucracy. Missouri schools can and should do better.

Problems within Rural Schools

Rural education faces many roadblocks, ones that make it difficult to accomplish the job. On the college level, it faces several constraints as well. According to the Waynesville Daily Guide, the commissioners of Pulaski County has agreed they support vocational and technical schools in rural Missouri, but they could not all agree on how this should be accomplished.

Problems in rural education like this are quite common. Administrations have problems agreeing. Because of this, there seem to be problems with their accountability. Children in rural areas face certain hardships as a result. The schools need to be fiscally responsible and be sure their limited funds are allocated properly to best benefit the children. Many of the rural schools do not have funding to properly educate students with various needs so their managing of funds is even more crucial.

Unfortunately, children are stuck in those schools even if they cannot educate them well. The children, whose needs are not being met, should have the option of switching to another school. Just because they live in one rural school district, does it mean they are not entitled to a quality education?

Adequacy Case from a Rural Viewpoint

The adequacy case, against the state of Missouri, has gone over for several years and still continues, costing us millions of dollars so far. To date, the total money wasted hovers around $4.6 million. In 2004, the Committee for Educational Equality (CEE) claimed that the State was not paying enough into the education program, the minimum being set at 25%. During the trial, experts testified the state was actually spending over the required amount, almost 36%. The Committee to Fund Excellent Schools (CFES) and the St. Louis School board join this fight with the CEE, involving about half of the 524 school districts in Missouri. Judge Callahan ruled against them, saying the state is paying the required amount and saying the legislature has the power to set any such funding formula. Many districts have pulled out of this case, realizing it will just waste more of their students’ dollars. Columbia, a city near mine, is in unsure of their decision. Tom Rose, Karla DeSpain, and Michelle Gadbois, of the Columbia School Board, are all questioning Columbia’s involvement in the case.

Once Columbia pulls out, it will hopefully influence the surrounding small towns to follow suit. Our school has a limited budget and I am appalled to see that have wasted money on this case.

School funding does not have a direct correlation to student achievement. Study after study has shown that more spending does not increase achievement or graduation rates. Hopefully, the districts will realize this and stop wasting the tax dollars on this suit.

The Adequacy Case, Paid for by the State, not the Teachers

Using the schools’ money to sue the state is a breach of faith. Taxpayers assumed this money was being used directly in the schools and did not approve it to be used for this lawsuit.

However, the school adequacy case is a nice deal for the school unions. While they use money given to the schools to sue the state, they only managed to donate about $7,100 to this case. All the while, they spent over $4.6 million of the taxpayers’ dollars. Suing the state cost double what it cost to defend the state. Either way you look at it, it was all money wasted.

They argue it is a case fought for the children, but it would actually raise wages for the teachers. Furthermore, if the case was won, the money would have to be siphoned from another area, such as higher education, Medicare, mental health, etc.

Tax Dollars Spent on this Case:

Local School Districts have spent $3.2 million, which excludes district personal time. The state, from the Attorney general’s office, has spent $1.4 million, which excludes any state personal time. According to the CEE, the total contributions from the teachers’ unions total just over $7,000:

• Missouri Association for Rural Education $3,500

• Missouri State Teachers Association $1,000

• Missouri Retired Teacher’s Association and Public
  

School Personnel $200

• Missouri Nation Education Association $1,500

• Missouri K-* Schools Association $900

If the teacher unions were so concerned with the welfare of the children, why did they use money allocated to them to sue the state instead of acquiring more donations of their end?

This lawsuit needs to come to an end and stop wasting money. Many school districts are planning an appeal. However, there are several districts that have pulled out of the case. Hopefully, the other districts will follow their example.

How are we spending our money in our public educracy?

My family moved from the city to the county when I was a child--we, like many 'white-flighters' from the city, left in pursuit of a better life--safer community, better schools, promise of a future. We pay our taxes--plenty of taxes. Now, though we've been feeding the community pot for generations, we are left wondering why the promise of a better future through public education is not delivered?

It's time we look at alternatives to the standard inferior model of public education. What's working elsewhere that could work here? And why are we not accomplishing more? I found very exciting information on educational reform in Chicago. With the introduction of 80 new PUBLIC charter schools in a depressed city demographic, they are seeing results.

In an area where only 45% of Chicago Public School students graduate from highschool and only 3 out of every 100 African-American and Latino males earn a college degree, the introduction of competing schools has raised the standards of academic achievement dramatically.

They are now seeing the percentage of Kindergarteners reading at grade level rise from 18% to 84%! A 400% jump in just one year! Prior to the new competition, college prep schools for boys were only available to families who could afford tuition.

The approach to teaching in these newly created schools allows the following:

• Innovative and rigorous academic curriculum
• School leaders with a strong record of performance
• High expectations for every student
• More classroom instruction through longer school days
• High levels of parent involvement and support
• Safe, healthy and supportive learning environment
• Sufficient resources to help all students achieve
• for the boys' prep school: small classes, positive male role models, 6-week summer program

Parents get to choose which schools to apply to! How do you like that?! School choice by PARENTS! Who would have thought of that?! Why aren't we doing this in Missouri!?

Sad Story in Utah

Unfortunately, the school choice came down to a vote in Utah and it did not pass. It goes to show what over $4 million of teacher’s union money can do. They told untruths about school choice, somehow convincing the public it was not the way to go.

One argument they have says that school choice takes money away from the public schools. However, the opposite is true. As seen in various cities and states, when school choice is implemented, student achievement and spending increases. What is the down side here?

Academic success is the greatest opportunity to the children’s future success and financial security. A child stuck in a failing school makes their chance at a successful future harder to attain, creating a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

I hope this vote in Utah will not discourage people in the fight for choice. It is a valuable and necessary step to striving for a good education system. Missouri needs still needs to not give up, still needs to fight the battle for choice!

Adequacy cases

The recently debated adequacy case has really hit home. Our district has been using our tax dollars to sue the state for more money. Our district is small, therefore there are fewer people paying into our schools so they need to make every dollar count. No one told us they were going to be spending our money this way. I have only found out recently; after they had already wasted thousands on this case. Statewide, over $4.6 million dollars has been used on this case. Every other district involved with this case should analyze their involvement seriously.

The Show Me Institute, a Missouri based think tank describes the case in more detail. This think tank also recently sponsored a school finance conference that covered areas such as adequacy cases that are emerging all over the country. The scholars presenting their papers

clearly demonstrated more money does not increase achievement. Expert witnesses at the trial also showed that more funding does not increase student achievement. This just goes to show we need to find other ways to improve achievement in our schools. For starters, we need to hold our school boards more accountable---they have wasted our money. The judge ruled against the school districts, saying that Missouri is paying the required amount, actually more than the required 25% of revenues to education. All the districts involved need to convince their school boards not to go through with the appeal. This appeal will only waste more money and most likely end in the same verdict. Or it could go back through the costs and possibly cost millions more.

Making choices for my sons

My children are the most important things to me. Therefore, the education of my children is incredibly important to me. I am very involved in their schooling. We have interactive homework time everyday, discussion time every evening at dinner with the whole family, and weekend “fun” learning time. Needless to say, my children are very interested in learning.

Unfortunately, I am unable to pay for my school of choice and have been forced to send them to the public schools in the St. Louis School District. Where and when I grew up, the public schools were pretty good. Now, the schools I send my boys to have been unaccredited, which really did not surprise me. I am trying to make the best choices for my boys. However, I am currently standing in front of a brick wall. I cannot seem to get them transferred out to better schools. I hope this is taken care of quickly. There are so many wonderful students within these districts that deserve a chance. Their futures may be plighted forever. I have the time to keep up with my children and teach above and beyond what they are learning in schools. There are so many parents in their schools that do not have as much time, some work two or even three jobs. There are single mother and single fathers. The schools should be able to do more for the children.

WHEN YOU CHOOSE NOT TO DECIDE, YOU STILL HAVE MADE A CHOICE

CPS decides not to decide….

All citizens paying tax dollars within the Columbia School District should take note of the districts intent to appeal the decision of Cole County Circuit Court Judge Callahan where it was decided that Missouri does indeed honor its obligation of providing 25% of revenues for education.

In fact, upon evaluation, the state has provided anywhere from 26-35% of its revenues. Yet, the same people who decided to join in the lawsuit and spend over $80,000.00 of our taxpayer money have decided to spend even more.

It was announced on November 1st in The Columbia Daily Tribune that school board members were going to decide at the November 12th meeting whether or not to remain part of the appeal. As of today, November 7th, Karla DeSpain, the President of the School Board has stated that ‘the meeting is already expected to be lengthy with discussions about a new high school site and some new achievement data.’ So basically, she is saying that it is not terribly important right now. Why the change? And will they wait until less than a week out from the NEXT meeting to postpone their decision again?

In theory, the School Board should be acting in the best interests of the students and their parents, and finally the community they serve and who pay them to educate the children. However, they instead take the tax dollars designated for educating children and divert them to sue the tax payers for more money when they have consistently (and with continued increase in tax dollars) showed stagnant educational performance. To continue remaining active in the appeal is to continue adding up the costs to the tax payers for actions that do not reflect the desires nor serve the needs of Columbia’s constituents.

Postponing the decision to remain part of the CEE’s appeal is an active choice to continue paying attorneys for preparing the appeal. If they are not going to stay in the law suit, then they should get out now and stop the tax dollars from bleeding away from what SHOULD be there mission to educate. By postponing the decision, Columbia residents should take that as the board’s intent to stay committed to an appeal that will cost more than the $80.000.00 already spent on a failed and frivolous lawsuit.

Frankly, all of this failed effort to acquire more money distracts from the real issues at hand: Why can they not educate the students, when they have consistently received more and more money? An historical look at performance vs. funding shows that, though spending has more than doubled over the last 30 years, student performance has remained stagnant.

Douglas Adams once said, “Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.” It is easy to claim that more money will solve the problems—in fact the teachers unions and school boards have been getting away with this for 3 decades. It is not easy to reform the system. Yet, for the benefit of our children, and, ultimately, the benefit of society as whole, we need to slow down and look at this growing problem of failing public educational systems and CHOOSE a new path.

The Chairman of CEE (the group of School district leading the appeal) is also the superintendent of Van Buren School District, Jeff Lindsey. Mr. Lindsey clearly has failed to learn our educational history as reflected in his statement, “We continue to believe the current school funding system and level of funding deprives children of their fundamental right to a quality education.” Mr. Lindsey should learn the lesson of the other school districts that have rightfully dropped from the appeal. So when Columbia School Board President Karla DeSpain says the board isn’t deciding yet, it is clear they have already made their choice—they just aren’t intending to tell the citizens in time for them to respond. Citizens should unite and cry out “NO MORE LAWSUIT!” NOW would be a good time to do this….

The Biggest School Border Battle in Missouri Wasn't Against KU

This Tuesday, over 32,000 voters in the Kansas City and Independence School Districts weighed in on a border war more important than the upcoming MU vs. KU football game at Arrowhead Stadium. Voters overwhelmingly decided that transferring to their local district was best after nearly three decades of unanswered failure from the Kansas City Public School bureaucracy.

Adequacy Case

The CEE has decided to use more money and appeal the case they so obviously lost the first time around. They have already wasted over $4 million, which includes what they state had to use in defense, and now they want to use more. So, the school districts have used your money to fight for more of your money when they clearly already have more than enough. The law says the state must spend at least 25% of revenues on education. Judge Callahan initially said the courts should not be involved, but then came out later and announced the state was without a doubt giving more than enough money to the schools.

The appeals will most likely cost millions more. That is millions of our money. Money that I thought was going towards education, not lawyers! And who knows how much more will be wasted on this. Studies have shown recently that more money does not increase student achievement. So, that goes to show the children will not even benefit from this case if they would happen to win the appeal. It would be more money the taxpayers have to spend.

There is still hope though…urge your district to get out now!

Billboard

I saw this billboard driving down highway 54 and had to take a picture with my cell...

Crisis in Missouri Education

Missouri's education in facing very hard times right now. There are so many things going on and strong action needs to be taken now! I am not even sure where to start... First, about half of the school districts in Missouri have been suing the state for more money. Luckily, some districts have been smart and pulled out and others should really follow suit. This article, in the Columbia Tribune, shows more details about the case and why people should pull out.

Secondly, looking at St. Louis Public schools, it is so upsetting what I am learning about this. The schools have been unaccredited and the parents would like to have their kids switch districts. Legally, they are allowed to do so and have their district foot the bill. However, the other districts have been turning these students away. Thirdly, bring me to the special needs students. Many children with special needs need to have a tailored fit education. If their schools are not capable of doing this, they should be allowed to attend schools that are, even if the schools happen to be a private or have religious affiliation. Beyond these issues that are dear to my heart, there are many other issues we all need to confront and do something about them.

Adequacy Lawsuit

The adequacy lawsuit taking place in the fine state of Missouri has been getting a lot of press. I was happy to hear the judge's decisions so far, ruling in favor of the state. So now that Liberty has pulled out of the lawsuit and other districts need to follow suit. It is very disconcerting to me that I pay money in taxes for education, yet some of those funds are now being used for a lawsuit I do not agree with. The schools do not need more money, they need something else. Money has not fixed the schools in the past, why would they be fixed in the future. There are so many other options out there. Maybe some people have not heard of them.

Let's start with the teachers, Merit Pay for Missouri Teachers or Missouri Supporting Teaching Excellence are some sites I found with good info.

Choice is a huge issue that needs to be seriously considered for Missouri. Our schools are hurting and we need to do something. Your Child, Your Choice, right? At least it should be.

When you realize that money is not what the schools need, please call your school districts and convince them to follow Liberty's example and get out of this case.

Liberty

“Liberty has pulled out of the school adequacy case and I think we should follow suit. Why should the taxpayers in Independence be paying for a lawsuit we do not agree with. The judge already made his ruling and the school districts lost. Why would they insist on appealing and wasting more money. This money should be going to the schools, paying for more important things, for things most people deem important. We need to contact our district and let him know that we want to pull out. After all, it is our schools and our money at risk here.

You can email Annette Miller, the secretary of the board and express your concerns: amiller@indep.k12.mo.us

Just how long can we let this continue? It has been going on long enough and it is time to get out now before we watch more money go down the drain.”

Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Political Death:

submitted by: angrydad

The Kansas City Prime Buzz reports that Liberty School District announced that, after $42,000 of taxpayer money wasted on a failed lawsuit against the state, it was time to hang up the plaintiff attorney handouts. As a taxpayer - you have to ask - what took you so long? As a Missouri citizen, thank goodness that the Liberty School District found their school board priorities again - your community. I guess it could be worse - I heard that Columbia public schools has squandered nearly twice that even with some scandals of personal abuse on their local school board.

Parents, Pupils, & Progress:

Submitted by: urbangirl

Yesterday’s Rodney Hubbard statement in favor of improving student learning in the city was encouraging: someone focused around the children’s best interest, not failing institutions. Everyone can argue all that they want about who should pick up the pieces, but make no mistake – it is immoral to ignore what is best for these 30,000 St. Louis City children who cannot wait, nor move. Until parents have a legitimate right to choose the best school for their child, then parents and their children are indeed the victims.

State Lawsuit

Submitted by Missourian2009

It has recently been brought to my attention that several school districts have been in a court battle to get more money from the state for education. According to what I have found, they have spent over $4.6 million of the taxpayers’ money on this case. And to make matters worse, they lost the case. And then knowing they never notified the public of how they were going to use their money upsets me. And, the cherry on top…they may appeal this case! I wonder if they are going to ever ask the public if they approve…which I adamantly do not approve.

We need to all call our schools, our state board of education, our superintendents, and let them know we do not approve of this nonsense!!!

An Interesting NPO

The former mayor of Indiana has formed an interesting NPO the focus of which is to bring innovative education ideas to their community. He’s looking for “entrepreneurial leaders and organizations who are willing to reimagine public education.” Take a look, you’ll find some very creative thinking. Just the kind that we need here in Missouri.

Parents Deserve to Know Where School Money Goes

Submitted by: Dania

As news of the Springfield public school foundation heralds the benefits of citizen support of our local schools, there’s no doubt that athletics can cloud our local priorities compared to improving our reading, math, or science scores. However, on the issue of school districts using taxpayer monies to sue the state for more money, the fundamental foul here seems that few if any members of the voting public knew anything about the rising cost of a $4.6M taxpayer-funded suit. While I was glad to hear that some districts, like Springfield, dropped out of the case once the General Assembly increased funding for education, what about the other districts still on this crusade? I would be furious if my local school board didn’t tell me that this suit would waste $81,000. If the school districts have that kind of discretionary dollars lying around, and used it for community needs instead of plaintiff attorneys, maybe we wouldn’t have these shortfalls in the first place.

Textbooks, Not Taxpayer-Funded Litigation

Submitted by: teachersfirst

Ever since the Associated Press broke the story about the $4.6M spent by school districts using your taxpayer dollars, Missouri citizens have started speaking up. To be fair, many school districts never participated in this boondoggle since 2004, and many more have stopped the crusade since the new education formula was funded after 2005. The only way to really know about your school district is probably to ask your local school board. In response to today’s Southeast Missourian editorial, all that I can say is…right on!

When Public School Transfers Don’t Transfer

Submitted by: johnqpublic

With all of the controversy surrounding St. Louis Public Schools, it seems ironic that some parents this fall were actually trying hard to enroll their children back in the City even though they lived in St. Louis County. But, as the St. Louis Post Dispatch recently-pointed out: few options really exist for parents that need new choices. Missing in this article was that parents caught in this pinch between public school districts cannot even apply for a public charter school option, either. Now, call me naïve, but isn’t it time to figure out some way for parents to have a public school option available to them without requiring them to move?