Watch the CMNEA School Board forum from February 18, 2021!
Sunday, February 28, 2021
Charter School Expansion Debated in MO
Charter school expansion, 'school choice' scholarships divide lawmakers
JEFFERSON CITY — Senate Bill 55 is chock-full of contentious education measures.
The subject of a debate that lasted until about 2 a.m. Wednesday, the bill tackles charter schools and “school choice,” teaching the Bible in public classrooms and criminalizing the teaching of sex education without parents’ written permission.
Current legislation only allows charter schools in Kansas City and St. Louis. If passed, this bill would allow them to operate “in any municipality with a population greater than thirty thousand.”
For the past five years, Missouri lawmakers have tried to expand charter schools in the state. Because of the population provision, they may have a shot. Many conservative rural lawmakers have opposed charter expansion because their school districts don’t want it, but the population cap would exempt them.
Under the legislation, another 20 Missouri cities, or 58 school districts, meet that threshold and could potentially see a charter school open.
A major criticism of charter schools is their potential to pull money away from public schools if enough students were pulled out and sent to the charters. A portion of school funding is appropriated based on the number of students enrolled. The fiscal note for the bill states that public schools will report a negative impact if this legislation were passed.
When asked about these concerns, Sen. Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, said that “the notion that charters take money from public education is a flawed notion. … I don’t think (opponents of charter schools) are being entirely honest about what the actual ramifications are.”
Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, disagrees. “I don’t believe in the model of a statewide charter school expansion, where a district in my community of Springfield has no say if these entities, ... often times for-profit institutions, come in.”
Along with charter school expansion, the bill also establishes the Missouri Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program. Taxpayers would be allowed to donate to the ESA and receive a tax credit for their trouble. Students who qualify for support from the fund could receive up to $6,375 a year to attend schools outside of their district.
To qualify, students must be Missouri residents and have attended a public school full time for at least one semester. K-12 students up to 21 years old could qualify. Students enrolled in charter schools would not qualify.
The bill has expanded to include more than support for “school choice” issues.
In a narrow vote, senators agreed to add an amendment that would require schools to notify all parents that sex education would be taught and would require the parents’ written permission that their child could participate. If a school were to fail to get that written permission, they would be charged with a Class C misdemeanor.
For Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, the criminalization “will have to change. It creates a crime. I think there are major problems with that piece of the bill.”
Another element of the bill is that it would allow Bible courses to be taught as an elective in public schools. Specifically, the bill only includes “the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament of the Bible and the New Testament of the Bible.”
Lawmakers have tried to pass similar legislation for the past two years, without success.
Previous Missourian reporting on a similar bill from 2019 said that a resolution allowing the teaching of the Bible sought to clarify provisions of the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Abington v. Schempp, which bars public schools from facilitating Bible readings. But the ruling did not prohibit the “study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education.”
In regard to the Bible portion of the bill, Koenig said, “It’s fine that it’s in there, but I don’t know that it’s 100% necessary.” Senate leaders have said they plan to revisit the bill no later than Monday.
Meanwhile, emotions erupted among Missouri House lawmakers over a contentious bill calling for “school-choice” expansion through ESAs.
House Bill 349 — sponsored by Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters —would allow families to apply for a state-supported scholarship, known as an education savings account, to send their kids to private school. The House narrowly gave initial approval to the bill.
The proposal to establish the “Missouri Empowerment Scholarships Account Program” continues long-standing efforts among Republican lawmakers to expand so-called school choice legislation in Missouri.
Christofanelli said the move, while “not a silver bullet,” is a “lifeline for children at failing schools.”
“If you are a person of means, you can send your child to the school of your choosing,” he said. “But if you do not have those means, you do not have school choice — and that’s what this bill tries to rectify.”
The education savings account bill would operate similarly to other ESAs in states around the country.
A taxpayer can make a contribution to an approved education assistance organization, which are nonprofits tasked with managing education savings accounts. Then the contributor will receive a tax credit equal to 50% of the donation, which then can be deducted from one’s tax liability for that year. If passed, the total amount of tax credits distributed to donors would not exceed $50 million in the first year, with a hard cap of $75 million.
Both sides debating agreed that COVID-19 and the myriad of obstacles schools have faced has illuminated issues within Missouri’s public school system, but some — including some Republicans — raised concerns about the lack of accountability standards and draining resources from public schools.
Rep. Raychel Proudie, D-Ferguson, passionately opposed the bill, referring to it as “trash” and asserted that she could benefit if she wanted to. She said the legislature should focus on housing discrimination instead.
“This bill helps me in my purse, but it’s not about me and my purse; it’s about doing the right thing,” she said. She took issue with the idea that most rural districts are exempt. “If it’s not good enough for your kids, it’s not good enough for mine, so stop using poor kids and Black kids to experiment on.”
Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, D-Kansas City, said she wouldn’t support the bill because she doesn’t believe lawmakers should be diverting public funds to private schools.
Rep. Peter Meredith, D-St. Louis, said the tax credits would strain the state’s budget and drain general revenue. “Fifty million dollars of it is going to subsidize private education in cities.”
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CMNEA School Board Forum
Systemic racism and LGBTQ+ community key at School Board candidate forum
Five candidates for the Columbia School Board discussed diversity, equity and the superintendent at a Thursday evening forum hosted by the Columbia Missouri National Education Association.
Teresa Maledy is the only incumbent in the race, facing candidates Lucas Neal, Aron Saylor, Katherine Sasser and Jeanne Snodgrass for two open seats in the coming election on April 6.
Cortni Gonzalez, a math teacher at Hickman High School, and Shelli Thelen, a third-grade teacher at Paxton Keely Elementary School, moderated the forum, which was livestreamed to 100 viewers via Zoom.
Gonzalez asked the five candidates a question she believed would "rock the boat."
"How will you as a School Board member actively retain and then recruit teachers of color for CPS?" she asked.
Maledy, who applauded a current program through local colleges called "Grow Your Own," said it was important to understand why teachers of color are leaving.
Neal, who noted his mother’s career in the district and his involvement in Young Life, mentioned a program that gives scholarships to high school students toward an education degree. He said he wants to put more effort into the program and look inward toward the district.
While Maledy and Neal approached their answers by backing current efforts, Sasser, the only candidate who has taught in Columbia Public Schools, responded with the following:
"As five white people running for School Board, the first thing we need to say is that we need to address systemic racism," Sasser said. "We need to address the fact that our system has been built for white people. And that includes oppression for Black teachers and other teachers of color — in particular those teachers of color in intersectional spaces."
"How are we making it difficult for you to continue to do your job as a person of color in this district?" she added.
Sasser then presented information that she collected from teachers of color who previously spoke with her. She mentioned microaggressions, a lack of support in comparison with white teachers and challenging workloads.
Both Saylor and Neal also mentioned finding people who are transitioning to a second career and recruiting them more directly.
The moderators then asked how the district can support LGBTQ+ students, families and staff members.
Neal said the district needs to continue to provide training for teachers so classrooms can be accepting spaces for every child. He added that teachers who defy that acceptance should be reprimanded.
Snodgrass, who currently has children in elementary school, middle school and high school, distanced herself from previous answers made by Maledy, Neal and Saylor and instead focused on policy implementation.
"It's important that there are changes to the systems so that those students understand that their dignity as a person, just as they are, is being respected and supported," she said. "We know that there are much higher rates of suicide for students and for others that identify as LGBTQ."
She mentioned changes such as preferred names on legal forms, using terms like "guardian" instead of "mother" and "father" and providing nongendered physical education.
Sasser, who has a child who identifies in the LGBTQ+ community, said this question was very personal. Although her daughter has struggled to get support, some teachers have learned and adjusted.
In order to improve, the district must have more representation in its staff and implement a human development curriculum that centers around all experiences, Sasser said.
The moderators also posed this question: “What qualifications do you think our next superintendent should possess to meet the needs of our community?”
Neal said that he would like a superintendent who has done the job before.
Saylor and Snodgrass added that the next superintendent must be able to communicate, be transparent and collaborate with teachers.
Sasser addressed the question from a teacher’s perspective.
"Our superintendent … has to have a proven record of transformational equity work in their background," she said. "Not just be able to say the buzzwords."
Gonzalez also asked what programs need more funding and what cuts should be made.
All five candidates said they understand the crucial decisions of budgeting and the importance of funding early education programs. They all suggested that the School Board analyze the current allocation of finances and identify programs that are not currently serving students.
"We've lost 800 students, which is a major loss of funding from the state of Missouri," Neal said in reference to the pandemic. "One of our first priorities should be to restore confidence in our schools and hopefully gain back trust in the community."
He argued that the best option was to turn to the district’s chief financial officer, Heather McArthur.
Snodgrass noted that the community and the School Board must prioritize and support programs for students who have been underserved and underrepresented.
"If you can raise them up, you raise up the quality for everybody," she said.
CMNEA will announce its endorsement for School Board during the week of March 8.
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