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Missouri’s State Board of Education is framed by the Missouri Constitution to be both bipartisan and independent of state politics. This purposeful intent makes Missouri unique and our Department of Education has been afforded stability and flourished under this design. Board members are appointed by the Governor and then approved by the Senate.
Over the last few months Governor Greitens has made five interim appointments and revoked the appointments of two appointees. Currently the Senate is out of session and therefor has yet to review and approve or disapprove the appointments. It has been widely reported the Governor wishes to have the current Commissioner removed in order to bring in an out-of-state individual. This individual is being brought in to appease political donors and forces from outside MO. This is in direct opposition to MO PTA’s stance that schools operate best under local control. A special meeting was called and a vote was taken. The motion was defeated however, this will not stop these individuals. December 1st the State Board of Education will convene in a regular meeting. It is our fear that the Governor will again seek to impose his will for DESE.
Missouri PTA is deeply concerned with the politicization that is currently occurring with regard to the State Board. Our children, all our children, do best when non-political independent individuals focus on what is best for kids instead of their own political aspirations. Our state operates best when it is under local control both at the state, county, city and community level. Outside forces and big money does not have MO children’s best interest at heart. Local control is best for education and our students. Please join us in advocating for local control!
If you are concerned as advocates of education for all children please contact the following:
Senate Committee on Gubernatorial Appointments
MO State Board of Education, [email protected] , request email be sent to all members
and your State Senator
Let them know your thoughts on this matter. Below is a letter you can copy and edit with your information to easily contact all those mentioned above.
Thank you,
Carla Wiese
VP and Director of Legislation and Advocacy
There have been several articles posted lately regarding this development:
Dear (insert title),
I do not believe that the current actions Governor Greitens has taken with DESE is in the best interest of the children of Missouri. The Governor is trying to bring in a Commissioner with no ties to MO other than appeasing forces and political donors outside of MO. He has made five appointments that have yet to be confirmed by the Senate. I believe that these members need to be properly vetted and voted upon prior to making any decisions that could be detrimental to all the gains in education MO has experienced.
Our children, all our children, do best when non-political independent individuals focus on what is best for kids instead of their own political aspirations. Our state operates best when it is under local control both at the state, county, city and community level. Outside forces and big money does not have MO children’s best interest at heart. Please do not allow the politicization of DESE.
Thank you,
(your name)
(PTA Unit)
Missouri’s State Board of Education is framed by the Missouri Constitution to be both bipartisan and independent of state politics. This purposeful intent makes Missouri unique and our Department of Education has been afforded stability and flourished under this design. Board members are appointed by the Governor and then approved by the Senate.
Over the last few months Governor Greitens has made five interim appointments. Currently the Senate is out of session and therefor has yet to review and approve or disapprove the appointments. It has been widely reported the Governor wishes to have the current Commissioner removed in order to bring in an out-of-state individual.
Three newly appointed interim members to the State Board of Education (Claudia Greim, Dough Russell, & Eddie Justice) are calling for a special meeting to discuss the firing of the current Commissioner of Education, Dr. Margie Vandeven. This comes after developments this past September when Melissa Gelner’s appointment was revoked after she refused to agree with a request from the Governor’s to fire the Commissioner.
Missouri PTA is deeply concerned with the politicization that is currently occurring with regard to the State Board. Our children, all our children, do best when non-political independent individuals focus on what is best for kids instead of their own political aspirations.
If you are concerned as advocates of education for all children let both the State Board of Education and your State Senator know your thoughts on this matter.
Emails can be send to the State Board of Educations at [email protected], request your email be distributed to all board members.
State Board of Education members:
Charlie Shields – President
Vic Lenz – Vice President
Michael Jones
*Claudia Greim
*Eddy Justice
*Dough Russell
*Tim Sumners
*Marvin “Sonny” Jungmeyer
*Newly appointed State Board members
The have been several articles posted lately regarding this development
• STL Today – Greitens Attempt to Oust Top School Official Appears Back On
• STL Today – In Five Months Gov Greitens Has Turned Over More Than Half the State School Board
• STL Today – Ex-School Board Member Accuses Governor of Strong-Arm Tactics
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Dear PTA Leaders,
The deadline to fund the federal government was extended to December 8, 2018. Therefore, National PTA has decided to extend our #STOPCutsToClassrooms campaign to December 8 to continue to spread our message and advocate for greater federal investments in public education.
PTA members nationwide made their voices heard through social media to #STOPCutsToClassrooms from July through September amounting to millions of shared posts to raise awareness of the critical need to invest in federal education programs. As Congress is still working to fund the government for next year, we too still have a job to do as PTA advocates to ensure every child receives a quality education and reaches their full potential.
So we are asking every state PTA, local unit and PTA member to get involved in the #STOPCutsToClassrooms campaign again by participating in Funding Fridays on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. Attached is an updated social media toolkit with specific tweets and posts you can use each Friday from November 3 to December 1.
Sample Social Media Posts for November 3
We are joining National PTA in Funding Fridays to say #STOPCutsToClassrooms! Send a letter to your member of Congress TODAY asking them to #STOPCutsToClassrooms and ensure funding for public education is more than 2% of the federal budget in fiscal year 2018. Make your voice heard by sending a letter at https://goo.gl/Y5z3rH.
Social Media Graphics
You can find additional information about the #STOPCutsToClassrooms campaign at PTA.org/STOPCuts. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Joshua L. Westfall
Government Affairs Manager
National PTA®
1250 N. Pitt Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Office: (703) 518-1249 |Cell: (571) 289-8258
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