Statement from State Rep. Rick Stream in
Response to the Governor’s Veto of SB 493
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – State Rep. Rick Stream issued the following response to the governor’s announcement that he will veto the school transfer bill (SB 493):
“I am extremely disappointed by the governor’s decision to use one stroke of his veto pen to undo the hundreds of hours that members of both parties invested in developing a bipartisan solution that puts the needs of children first. The governor was completely absent throughout this process and never once even pretended that fixing our failing school districts was a priority. By vetoing the bill today he has condemned districts to bankruptcy and closure. It’s a shame that he has once again demonstrated a complete lack of leadership on an issue of such great importance.”
Stream noted that members of the House and Senate had worked during the past year to craft a workable solution to failing school districts in Kansas City and St. Louis. He emphasized that leaders in both chambers worked for countless hours to find a solution that gave students in unaccredited, failing districts options to obtain a quality education.
Stream also noted that the solution passed by the General Assembly gave parents and children every option available and kept students close to home and in their communities. He said SB 493 would have prevented the failing districts from going bankrupt and tried to put them back on track to recovery.
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