JC/DC ACTION ALERT: STOP THE POLITICIZATION OF DESE

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 1^st 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:

• 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

 

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)

JC/DC ACTION ALERT: Missouri State Board Call to Action

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

Tell Your Members of Congress to Invest in Family Engagement!

Dear Public Education Advocate, Right now, Congress is debating what federal programs to fund next year. Make sure they know you demand funds to increase family engagement in public education. Send a letter to your members of Congress TODAY urging them to fund Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFECs) at $10 million in fiscal year 2018. Time is running out, so we have made it easy for you to make your voice heard and increase family engagement funding. All you need to do is click on the “Take Action” button below to send a letter to your members of Congress. Thank you for your continued support for family engagement in education, National PTA Government Affairs Team Tell Your Members of Congress to Invest in Family Engagement!

JC/DC Alert: Tell Congress to Invest in Public Education!!!

Dear Advocates— Thank you for taking action to #StopCutsToClassrooms! Your voice has helped raise awareness about the cuts to education funding that are hurting our schools and the critical need for Congress to make sure funding for public education is more than 2% of the federal budget. While the first phase of the #StopCutsToClassrooms campaign has been a great success, our work isn’t done yet.  We’re counting on you to send a letter to your member of Congress demanding federal funding for public education is more than 2% of the budget. Congress hasn’t passed a budget yet, so there is still time to make your voice heard! To make it easy for you– we have a letter ready to go. All you need to do is make sure to send this letter to your members of Congress and encourage others in your network to do the same. Thank you for your continued support to #StopCutsToClassrooms, National PTA Government Affairs Team Tell Congress to Invest in Public Education and #STOPCutsToClassrooms!