Love note from Jeff City

My Fellow Missourians:

This past weekend, Sunday, March 12, was the switch to Daylight Savings time. So we set our clocks ready to spring forward. The calendar and Mother Nature says Spring should be here, however, a cold Winter blast blew in, and it appears that it’s not quite time to hang our coats up yet.

My first stop on my way to the Capitol Monday morning was the Boring Drug Store “Coffee Caucus.” It is always a pleasure to visit with this great group of local citizens and gain insight from their wisdom and knowledge.

I then visited the Benton County Courthouse and discussed County Employees Retirement Fund (CERF) legislation with Benton County Collector Donna Hart. CERF was established in 1994 when half of Missouri counties did not have a county employee retirement fund available. It was expected that 7,500 employees across the state would join CERF; that number today has grown to 14,000 active and vested members. This rapid growth has outpaced revenue streams, and House Bills 979 and 1151 and Senate Bill 295 would help address this huge expansion of participants by increasing penalties and fines, which fund CERF, for individuals who do not pay their taxes on time and/or those who do not follow laws regarding information submission to the county. This legislation adds a slight increase for the cost of recording documents. The predicted revenue would increase CERF’s revenue by $8.7 million annually.

Big bill of the week:

The House members gave approval to legislation meant to provide young people in failing schools with additional educational opportunities. The bill would allow charter schools to expand to areas where at least one school is performing poorly.

The final version of HB634 is very different than the original version which simply involved charter school expansion to first class counties. The approved legislation would increase the accountability and academic requirements for not only new charter schools, but existing ones as well. Key points of the final version include: The foundation formula is to be fully funded before the bill goes into effect. Charter schools will be limited to districts with an APR score 10% points below provisional accreditation. Currently, a building will need an APR score of 60% or below before a district is eligible for a charter school. The accountability standards on charter schools will be some of the toughest in the country. If a charter is below the district average, they will be forced to close. The bill provides that charter schools will have a three year probationary period, and if a charter school performs poorly during two of the three years, that charter school will be ineligible for renewal and will be forced to close. Charter school board members must be residents of Missouri. The public school board will have the “right of first refusal” to sponsor a new charter school in the district.

The bill would limit the public dollars sent to charter schools to no more than 90 percent of the sending district’s tuition. As mentioned above, the bill is contingent on the public school foundation formula being fully funded. If the K-12 formula is not fully funded, then no charter school changes go into effect.

Supporters of the change say expansion of charter schools will provide additional opportunities to better serve the needs of children in failing schools. They say charter schools will help underserved populations, and will give parents a choice to do what is best for their children. As the House Speaker told his colleagues on the House floor, “Is a charter school the answer to a failing district? No. A charter school can be the answer for that child or that parent who has been trapped in a really, really terrible school district.”

During my 16 years of serving on the Osceola School Board, my philosophy was always to do what is best for the students. My philosophy has not changed and based upon the amendments to the bill, I voted to support the children of Missouri that live in failing school districts. I feel it is our obligation as Missourians to insure that every child has the opportunity to pursue a quality education. The students in District 125 are very fortunate to be offered a quality education by quality teachers and administration in a safe environment. It is highly unlikely this expansion will ever happen in our rural Missouri districts.

Veterans invited:

Missouri Vietnam Veterans Day is Thursday, March 30. In recognition of those who served in this conflict, Vietnam Veterans have been invited to the Capitol on this day for a special ceremony and presentation to be followed by a formal recognition at the start of session in the House Chamber. I am extremely privileged to have several veterans attending from District 125 so that the General Assembly may pay tribute to them for their service. The ceremony will begin at 9:15 a.m., and I will post more in an upcoming Capitol Report on these brave men who served our country.

Town hall meetings scheduled:

The General Assembly will not be in session next week, March 20-24. I will be in the district and have scheduled several town hall meetings. I welcome everyone to attend to share input and concerns regarding this year’s legislation.

Monday, March 20, 9 a.m., St. Clair County Main Library, 115 Chestnut Street, Osceola.

Monday, March 20, 1 p.m., El Dorado Springs City Hall.

Wednesday, March 22, 9 a.m., Hickory County Library, 99 New Hermitage Drive, Hermitage.

Wednesday, March 22, 1 p.m., Boonslick Regional Library, 102 E. Jackson Street, Warsaw.