This would have been as a young child campaigning for my Uncle Ronald M. Belt in my Mother’s arms at what they used to call “pie suppers” in North Missouri.  Campaigning was a family affair.  My Uncle served in the House during the late 1950s until the early 1970s when he left the General Assembly to become a Circuit Court Judge.

Rep. Nate Walker, R-Kirksville

2. In what ways have you made a tangible effect on your constituents’ lives during the past legislative session?

I have tried to represent all the constituents of the 3rd District in a fair, equal and conscientious way.  I have an “open door” policy at my State Capitol office.  I personally read all of my letters, e-mails and other correspondence, as well as listen to all of my constituents concerns and input before making any final decision on legislation.  I believe that good constituent relations are very important to being a good and effective legislator.

3. Who from the opposing party do you most respect? And your own party?

First of all, I respect all members of the General Assembly from both sides of the aisle.  In addition, I respect anyone willing to serve in public office at any level.  Today, it seems that less cooperation and not enough collaboration takes place in the political process.  I have the highest and most sincere respect for Dr. Jack Magruder.  Dr. Magruder is probably the strongest and best-known Democrat from Northeast Missouri.  Dr. Magruder has always treated me with respect and fairly over the many years we have known each other; he knows how to work in a nonpartisan way to get things done.

I also hold 45th District State Rep. Chris Kelly and 78th District State Rep. Penny Hubbard in high esteem.  Chris is bright, has vision and is fair, while Penny is very conscientious and a hard worker for urban issues and her constituents.  My favorite two democrats would be President Harry Truman and Congressman Jerry Litton.

On the Republican side, I have appreciated working with all the members and leadership of the majority caucus.  I consider President Ronald Reagan as my political mentor.

4. What was your dream job growing up?

As a young boy growing up on a farm near Anabel, Missouri, I dreamed of being president of the United States or the catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.

5. What do you most enjoy about the interim?

Getting away from the State Capitol to be able to get out in my 3rd District in North Missouri to connect with my constituents at community events, fairs, public forums and parades.  I try to be very assessable to the citizens of my district at all times.  I also like to spend additional time with my sons Madison and Sam, as well as with family and friends. It is always special and enjoyable getting to spend more time at the farm working and enjoying being outdoors.

The post Five questions with Rep. Nate Walker, R-Kirksville appeared first on The Missouri Times.

There still may be time before filing even begins for the race, but the history between the three already-announced candidates already has proved that this 2014 Senate race to be contentious.

• The candidates: Rep. Chuck Gatschenberger, and former Reps. Bob Onder and Vicki Schneider.
  

  Sen. Scott Rupp, R-St. Charles County

• The district: the western portion of St. Charles County.

“This is a hugely important district because of the massive amounts of growth that’s here,” Rupp, the current seat holder, said. “You have to be able to deal with a large district that’s always growing and the issues that come with that. They’re mostly suburban [issues], like school funding and things like that.”

The district, he said, is heavily tied into the St. Louis business community because of it’s proximity to the region, so economic development issues that the state as a whole faces are important, but so are those that affect the St. Louis area.

Rupp said while he knows the candidates fairly well and has communicated with all of them, he doesn’t intend to endorse anyone in the race.

“When I first ran for state representative and John Dolan was [in office], I was so young and just starting out,” Rupp said. “If he would have endorsed someone, it would have been the favored candidate and it would’ve changed the outcome of the race. I asked him to let me compete, give me a fair fight, and he did. That’s always meant a lot to me.”

Ultimately, Rupp said he thinks all of the candidates that have come forward so far are qualified, but that it could “definitely turn personal really quick. But, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Chuck Gatschenberger

Gatschenberger

Gatschenberger announced his intentions to run a few months ago and has since assembled a well-known campaign team including Robert Knodell, Steve Tilley, Jeff Roe, Michelle Colbert, David Barklage and Logan Thomas, in order to power his effort for Rupp’s seat.

“There have been a lot of people asking me to run for a while now,” Gatschenberger said. “These last few months I thought a lot about it and it really is exactly what I want to do.”

A third-year representative, Gatschenberger said he has represented about three-fourths of the Senate district.

Previously, Gatschenberger ran against Onder in a primary for the Senate. While neither of them won, Onder trumped Gatschenberger in terms of the voting margin.

Bob Onder

Onder

A former candidate for Congress during 2008 – who came in second during a primary against Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer, Onder is a former state representative who announced his interest in running for the Senate spot a few months ago.

“I think we know how to do this and I think I’m really in touch with the concerns of the folks of the district,” Onder said. “I feel like I’ve run a big, tough campaign once, and I’m ready to do it again.”

While Onder hasn’t announced who he’s hired to work on his campaign, he said he’s assembling a “Class A team,” and added that he thinks it could be a mistake to have too many high-powered consultants.

“Missouri faces big challenges right now, mostly economic, and as a small business man, a person with a background in economics and a history of being effective in the Missouri House of Representatives, I have a unique opportunity to address those challenges,” Onder said.

Vicki Schneider

Schneider

Announcing her candidacy well before the others, by two years, Schneider is a former state representative who said she’s hoping to continue the momentum and experience she was able to gain from her time in the House.

“When you’re a state representative, you’re only one of 163,” she said. “It’s difficult to get legislation through as one person. But when there are only 34 senators, it’s easier to have your voice and your priorities heard.”

Currently, Schneider said she’s interviewing potential staffers and comprising a list of about seven campaign events for the coming months to help raise money – two things she said she enjoys most about campaigning.

“Primaries are always interesting,” Schneider said. “One day you’re singing Kumbaya and the next day you’re fighting for the same seat.”

The contention

All of the candidates agreed that they know the race will get personal, if it hasn’t already.

As was previously stated, Onder and Gatschenberger faced off during a primary a few years back in which Onder took the lead – though neither ended up securing the seat.

“There’s a big difference between Bob and I,” Gatschenberger said. “When I get down there, I want to do my job. Bob is doing this to see what else will be available for him to run for next. This is just like when we ran against each other last time.”

A map of the Senate district (via senate.mo.gov)

Gatschenberger said he’s convinced Onder intends to use the Senate seat as a stepping-stone to a potential congressional spot down the road.

“When I go into the ring I’m not going to have gloves on,” Gatschenberger said. “I’m going to go in there with horse shoes. I’m in it to win it. I think the people of the district and Missouri deserve that.”

Onder stressed his intentions to run for Senate because he wants to be a Senator, and nothing more at the moment.

He also expressed some concern about the people Gatschenberger has hired to operate his campaign.

“Some of those guys were big forces in the push to expand Medicaid in this last session,” Onder said. “I wonder whether that telegraphs a change in position for Gatschenberger and whether that’s where [he] intends to get his money moving forward in this primary. Chuck doesn’t have the history of raising the sort of money that would be necessary to pay the sort of consultants like Roe and Barklage.”

Gatschenberger combatted Onder’s comments, saying he hired the people he did specifically for their individual talents to help him win – nothing more.

Right now there’s no bad blood between Onder and Schneider, and they both mentioned having sit-down discussions during the process so far, no matter how preliminary, about the race.

Schneider said when Gatschenberger was first elected, she helped with some of his campaign work, but when they both were in the legislature and he was Chairman of the Local Government Committee, he would “take all of [her] legislation out of bills and not let them pass.”

Schneider said she was never sure why he did that, but said the personal issues carried on through her most recent race for the O’Fallon City Council when Schneider said Gatschenberger helped send out a negative mail piece about her. She ended up losing the race.

“I believe it’s going to be me who wins this race, but if it’s not me then it’s going to be Bob Onder,” Schneider said.

Gatschenberger said when he was the committee chair, he strived to do as much as he could to work with Schneider, but was never able to do so.

“You can go through my MEC reports and see that I never spent a dime on any mailers, so I’m not really sure what else to say about that,” Gatschenberger said. “It’s just not true.”

If the pre-filing punches thrown are an indication of the way the primary will play-out, the Senate District 2 race will be a contentious one to keep an eye on.

The post Senate District 2 race heats up, and early appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Senate Interim Committees

Senate Interim Committee on Capital Improvement Assessment and Planning (announced June 18)

• - Purpose: To gather input on State Capital improvement needs and compile a report by Dec. 1.
  
• - What leadership said: “We want to study the needs across the state including parks, mental health facilities, state buildings and higher education facilities. The interim committee will be able to do a cost benefit analysis of the proposed projects to help us prioritize those needs and leverage private support.” — Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles
• - Chair: Sen. David Pearce, R-Johnson County
• - Vice-Chair: Has not been announced
• - Members: Specific senators have not been announced, but the release states the committee will have five Republican members and two Democrat members.

Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform (announced May 30)

• - Purpose: To study options Missouri has when it comes to Medicaid reform and take an in-depth look at what other states are doing
• - What leadership said: “We need to do what’s best for our state. The interim committee will be able take a good look at Missouri’s Medicaid program and see what ideas to improve efficiency and delivery can be implemented here at home.” – Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles County
• - Chair: Sen. Gary Romine, R-Farmington
• - Vice-Chair: Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville
• - Members: Sen. Dan Brown, R-Phelps County; Sen. Doug Libla, R-Butler County; Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-Buchanan County; Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau County; Sen. Jay Wasson, R-Christian County; Sen. Joseph Keaveny, D-St. Louis; Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Kansas City; Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis.

House Interim Committees

House Interim Committee on Government Responsiveness and Efficiency (announced June 13)

• - Purpose: to look for ways to improve the responsiveness and efficiency of state government.
• -What leadership said: “ I want the committee to perform a thorough examination of how our governmental agencies operate with the goal of reducing the red tape and improving the quality of service provided to Missouri taxpayers.” – House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka
• - Chair: Rep. Sue Allen, R-Town and Country
• - Vice Chair: Rep. Jeff Messenger, R-Republic
• - Members: Reps. Kurt Bahr, R-St. Charles; Kathie Conway, R-St. Charles; Gary Cross, R-Lee’s Summit; Charlie Davis, R-Webb City; Tom Flanigan, R-Carthage; Bart Korman, R-High Hill; John McCaherty, R-High Ridge; Mark Parkinson, R-St. Charles; Chrissy Sommer, R-St. Charles; Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville; Pat Conway, D-St. Joseph; Courtney Curtis, D-Berkeley; Keith English, D-Florissant; Michele Kratky, D-St. Louis; Karla May, D-St. Louis; John Mayfield, D-Independence; Stacey Newman, D-St. Louis.

Interim Committee on Legislative Institutional Infrastructure and Process (announced June 7)

• -Purpose: To make long-term improvements to the structure of the institution as well as the legislative process.
• - What leadership said: “We have produced great results for Missourians by putting other branches of government under the microscope and holding them accountable. Now it is time to take a look in the mirror and make an honest assessment of where we are as a governmental body, and where we need to go in the future to serve as an even more effective voice for the people.” – House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka
• - Chair: Rep. Dwight Scharnhorst, R-St. Louis
• - Vice Chair: Rep. Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff
• - Members: Reps. Kevin Elmer, R-Nixa; Kevin Engler, R-Farmington; Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob; Caleb Jones, R-California; Jeanne Kirkton, D-Webster Groves; Jeanie Lauer, R-Blue Springs; Gail McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City; Kevin McManus, D-Kansas City; Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau; Stephen Webber, D-Columbia

House Interim Committee on the Cause and Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (announced June 6)

• - Purpose: To examine ways to prevent the spread of CWD in Missouri’s elk and white-tailed deer.
• - What leadership said: “While we have only seen a few cases of CWD here in Missouri, it is a problem we must be ready to address if we are going to protect landowners, hunters and all of the hunting-related businesses that exist here in our state.” -House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka
• - Chair: Rep. Sandy Crawford, R-Buffalo
• - Vice Chair: Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon
• - Members: Jay Houghton, R-Martinsburg; Caleb Jones, R-Columbia; Randy Pike, R-Adrian; Rocky Miller, R-Tuscumbia; Craig Redmon, R-Canton; Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff; Jeanie Riddle, R-Mokane; Linda Black, D-Bonne Terre; Ben Harris, D-Hillsboro; T.J. McKenna, D-Festus; and Ed Schieffer, D-Troy

House Interim Committee on Election Procedure (announced June 3)

• - Purpose: To search for legislative solutions to preserve and strengthen Missouri’s elections process.
• - What leadership said: “My goal is for the committee to look at ways to clean up our elections laws so that they are up-to-date and not duplicative.” - House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka
• - Chair: Rep. Sue Entlicher, R-Bolivar
• - Vice Chair: Rep. Gary Cross, R-Lee’s Summit
• - Members: Reps. John Diehl, R-Town and Country; Tony Dugger, R-Hartville; Joe Don McGaugh, R-Carrollton; Myron Neth, R-Liberty; Dave Muntzel, R-Boonville; Bryan Spencer, R-Wentzville; Mike Colona, D-St. Louis; Randy Dunn, D-Kansas City ; and Stacey Newman, D-St. Louis
• Story: Jones appoints chair and members of interim elections committee

Interim Joint Committee on St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area Governance and Taxation

• - Chair: None
• - Vice Chair: None
• - Members: Reps. Sue Allen, Town and Country; Andrew Koenig, R-Machester; Mike Leara, R-St. Louis; Bill Otto, D-St. Charles; Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills.

The post Rolling list of interim committees appeared first on The Missouri Times.

At the top of the ballot this year will be the State Auditor’s race. However, with filing less than a year away, no top-tier Democratic candidate has stepped up to challenge incumbent Republican Tom Schweich who is amassing a huge warchest. However, speculation picked up last week when a mistaken tweet hinted that Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Jefferson County, was considering seeking the post.

“I have known Ryan for a long time and have a great deal of confidence in him,” Mark Habbas, Legislative Director for the Missouri State Council of Firefighters, said. “If he chose to run, he would be the clear Democratic front runner and a formidable opponent to Auditor Schweich, and if elected he would be a tremendous state auditor.”

Rep. Jeremy LaFaver said he’s been a fan of McKenna for years and thinks Missouri would be well-served if he ran for auditor.

Several top-tier candidates have taken themselves out of the running, most notably State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, House Minority Leader Jake Hummel, Senate Minority Leader Jolie Justus and former Sen. Victor Callahan. There are 10 candidates who are at the core of the most speculation:

1. Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Jefferson County

He is the most talked about name amongst Democratic circles. He has more $80,000 in his account and with his prominent name in the St. Louis metro area, a decade experience in state government and his father’s lifetime work in the public, he would have the inside track about labor support.

The affable Senator would likely be able to raise the resources needed to be competitive and his vote in favor of the Tax Cut Bill would make it difficult to label McKenna as extremely liberal. Two questions seem to face him as he returns from his trade mission from Europe with Governor Nixon: First, does he want to remain in elective politics and second, can he ignore the pleas from both prominent Republicans and Democrats to run for Jefferson County Executive — a race he would likely begin as the favorite, even against the incumbent.

2. Sen. Scott Sifton, D-St. Louis County

Sifton turned the Republican seat blue when he defeated Jim Lembke in the first district in south St. Louis County. Sifton has quickly developed a reputation for being an honest broker about issues in the Senate. He has always been a successful fundraiser and would likely retain the support of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys. He is also in the middle of his term, so he would not have to give up his Senate seat to run. However, he has given every indication that he is not interested.

3. Former Rep. Judy Baker, D-Boone County

Baker is a former member of the Missouri House and has lost elections for Congress and Lieutenant Governor. She is well liked in the Democratic establishment and would be a positive face for the party. The Missouri Times is also hearing that some within the party would prefer to see a women run statewide against Schweich. We hear she doesn’t consider herself finished with Missouri politics and a long-shot campaign against an incumbent could be just what she needs to put her career on track.

4. Sen. Jason Holsman, D-Jackson County

Holsman has hit the ground running in the State Senate after winning election during November. Like Sifton, he is mid-term so he wouldn’t have to give up his seat to run. He is young and energetic — any campaign he would mount is likely to be exciting. Some say he would be the perfect candidate to begin laying out the case against Schweich for Koster to pick up during the fall.

5. Rep. John Wright, D-Boone County

When you mention rising stars in the Democratic party, Wright is a name on everyone’s tongue. Wright won a surprisingly competitive race during 2012 and did so while raising an impressive amount of money. Wright also has a great résumé and image. While 2016 is potentially a more likely year to see Wright’s name on a statewide ballot, 2014 would be an interesting trial run.

6. Rep. Stephen Webber, D-Boone County

While speaking of tremendous résumés and bright futures, Stephen Webber is another likely name. Many speculate Webber to seek the term limited seat of Sen. Kurt Schaeffer, R-Boone County. However, if he chooses to seek statewide office, the state auditor seat would be a tempting option. Webber will soon be out of law school and would have the time to devote to the position. Furthermore, his military background is likely to make him an ideal Democratic statewide candidate.

7. Tishaura Jones, St. Louis City Treasurer

Jones is one of the brightest young stars in Missouri politics. She has all of the ability to place herself in line as a potential successor to the revered Mayor Francis Slay. However, a state auditor race would not mean she would have to leave her current post at city hall. Jones would be an attractive candidate whom Schweich would have a difficult time attacking. Further, a strong showing in this race would only brighten her star.

8. Steve Stenger, St. Louis County Councilman

Stenger has gained notoriety throughout the St. Louis area for his opposition to County Executive Charlie Dooley. He has credentials as a practical, conservative Democrat. Stenger is a political talent who many are urging to run for County Executive during 2014. Could Democratic power brokers look to avoid what would be a contentious primary for County Executive by supporting his run for statewide office?

9. Barry Aycock, Farmer, New Madrid County

Aycock flirted with running for Congress in the 8^th District special election but unfortunately decided against running. Since that time, he has been everywhere in Democratic politics, evening penning an anti-Right to Work editorial that drew return fire from Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder. Aycock could likely compete with Schweich’s fundraising prowess and could be the ambassador to rural Missouri that seems to be the standard path to success for statewide victors.

10. Rep. Jeremy LaFaver, D-Jackson County

LaFaver has quickly made a reputation for himself as an extremely capable operator in the House. He has already risen to the head of Democratic House campaign committee. Any offer of support that would tempt LaFaver to leave a promising career in the House would have to be a very large one. While he is very unlikely to run during 2014, this will likely not be the last list of this sort that his name appears on.

Other potential candidates include Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders, who many speculate is looking to run statewide during 2016. Several high-profile, potential state representatives include:

• Rep. Vicki Englund, who would likely be a female candidate that provides a stark contract to Schweich
• Rep. Courtney Curtis, an African American House member with a background in the technology industry, and
• Rep. Keith English, a pro-gun, pro-life Democrat whose straight talk would certainly make for an interesting race.

One wild card that exists is Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul. We are not entirely sure of his party affiliation, but his enemies in Ellisville made him a statewide name with a very compelling story.

The Democrats’ dream candidate that they could never recruit? St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.

The post Potential Democrat candidates for auditor appeared first on The Missouri Times.

For the state’s unaccredited districts like Normandy and Riverview in the St. Louis area and the Kansas City school district, students now are able to transfer to neighboring districts with accreditation on the failing district’s dime, thanks to the court’s ruling.

“The State Supreme Court has now ruled on this twice,” said Katie Casas, State Director for the Children’s Education Alliance. “So there’s a pretty clear message that this is what the law is: you have to give kids in failing districts the choice to access high quality education in a neighboring district.”

Katie Casas, state director of the Children’s Education Council of Missouri

While Casas said the organization was “thrilled” with the ruling, she said their primary concern was enforcement and the possible need for legislative action to ensure local districts comply with the ruling.

“This entire case began because a district wasn’t complying with the law,” Casas told The Missouri Times. “So this is something that, in terms of enforcement, we’ll be watching very closely and trying to determine if we need to work on some legislative actions to protect this ruling.”

Evaluations and Report Cards 

Casas’ organization was one of several supporting new evaluations for schools as a whole. In particular, Casas supported a measure that would have given a letter grade to each school district around the state to inform the public about the school’s performance.

The information would have resembled a report card, where the school’s strengths and weaknesses are laid out. Casas said informing parents in a simplified way about how a school is performing will ultimately allow parents to make better decisions on which schools to attend.

“Whether you get a C or an A or an F, it’s going to inform your questions,” Casas said. “If a parent is looking for a new school because, let’s just say, they’ve got a very poor one or an unaccredited one in their district, well this would allow for that parent to have the information in a condensed and readable way.”

But the debate to grade schools has, at times, been folded into a larger debate about evaluating teachers and administrators in public schools on an annual basis. Organizations like StudentsFirst — that would call for annual performance evaluations of teachers and administrators — heavily backed legislation that failed in the House this year.

Lea Crusey, State Director
for StudentsFirst

Lea Crusey — who announced her departure from her position of State Director for StudentsFirst Monday — said the repeated defeats of legislation evaluating schools as whole as well as individual educators is largely the result of political pressure and a lack of understanding for the content of the bill.

“A lot about [teacher evaluations] was mischaracterized from the state,” Crusey told The Missouri Times. “People out there claimed we wanted to evaluate teachers based on test scores. That is such an oversimplification and misrepresentation of the language we fought for.”

Crusey and her organization back the new teacher evaluation currently being piloted by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in more than 100 districts throughout the state. The new program calls for a percentage of a teacher’s performance review to be based on student growth as measured by test scores, but does not state what percentage of the review must consider these factors.

“The research says anywhere from 33 to 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation should be based on student growth and performance,” Crusey said. “We’re calling for the low end of that, 33 percent. That still leaves 67 percent of the evaluation parameters to be determined at the local level, by the local administrative mechanisms in place. This does nothing to limit local control.”

The combination of giving schools a report card-like grade system as well as the court ruling could result in thousands of Missouri children moving into new school districts, prompting activists to lean toward the Missouri General Assembly for continued attempts at legislative fixes to education.

With Crusey calling for the state to codify the new DESE evaluation system into law and Casas emphasizing the possible need for legislative action to enforce the latest court ruling, it’s likely education reform bills will continue to play a large role in the Missouri General Assembly, and be a source for major contention.

“When you talk about making changes to a system it’s important to remember that no one thing magically fixes our schools,” Casas said. “And second is to remember that every dollar we allocate for education is supposed to be for kids, not for propping up a system or a method that doesn’t work.”

Casas said a combination of reforms is required to elevate Missouri into the upper echelons of public education in the country.

Early Childhood and the Budget 

While several education groups waded deep into the reform battles during the last session involving various teacher and school board organizations, the Partnership for Children quietly lobbied for more funds for education and care for children ages five and younger.

Director of Advocacy and Public Policy Erin Brower said that a well-funded Pre-K system could vastly improve education overall in the state even if no other changes were made.

“There are people out there who will tell you First Steps or Head Start doesn’t have a long-term benefit,” Brower said. “But those are people who really don’t understand the data as it exists, and don’t understand that the benefits of early childhood education are long term benefits. We’re talking 10 and 20-year investments.”

Erin Brower, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for The Partnership for Children

Brower said Missouri needed more funding for 3 and 4-year-olds to prevent waste in education funds. The state of Missouri spends more than $27 million annually just on children repeating Kindergarten, and children are not technically required to attend public school until the age of 7, far too old, Brower says.

“We can save money across the board if we are willing to invest in the youngest children in the state because every piece of data out there says the return on investment for Pre-K education is huge,” Brower said. “It’s not spending money, it’s investing money.”

Currently, nearly 80 percent of Missouri 4-year-old children attend no form of Pre-K education according to a study by the National Institute for Early Education Research. The same NIEER study says Missouri ranks 37th in overall spending for early childhood education.

But with the foundation formula continually underfunded and bills proposed by some legislators to cap future state spending, Brower said she and other education activists were largely “playing defense,” and trying to preserve whatever funding they could. They did support language sponsored by Sen. Joseph Keaveny, D-St. Louis, to include Pre-K education in the foundation formula. The bill received only 30 minutes of debate on the floor and was never passed.

“We need to educate our legislators that this simply has to be a priority,” Brower said. “If we continue to make funding education or allocating money for early childhood a second or third thing on our agenda, it simply won’t get done, and an entire generation of Missourians will suffer for it.”

Big Picture

Unions — including those for public school teachers — often use their Committee on Political Education (COPE) to track legislators’ voting records with regard to union issues, listing various lawmakers on a scale of being pro or anti-union.

With unions and organizations for teachers and school boards classifying evaluation votes as anti-union votes, only one-fifth of the Democrats in the Missouri House were able to support a bill that included teacher evaluations.

On the other side of the aisle, some Republicans have been wary of certain reforms that they believe remove local control from school districts, though activists say this is a misrepresentation of their legislation.

“In the case of evaluating a teacher, 67 percent of the criteria is up to the local district,” Crusey said. “And that same evaluation system DESE is piloting was completely designed within the state of Missouri. A huge number of administrators and teachers came together to formalize it.”

And despite losses for education reformers in the areas of early childhood funds and evaluations, the court’s ruling on school choice has revitalized the efforts to expand access to public education.

“We need to be providing not only the information for parents to be engaged in the choice for their child’s school,” Casas said, “but we need legislation that gives local districts the kind of flexibility they need to meet the needs of their kids. That’s how we can provide high quality education for all. The court has ruled on the issue of choice, and I think other changes are likely to come.”

The next piece in our ongoing education series on education will be in two weeks. The focus will be on rural schools throughout the states and the challenges faced by students, teachers, administrators and legislators from districts within those communities. We’ll be addressing technology deficiencies and the implementation of common core among other issues.

The post Teacher evaluations, budget concerns, school choice on forefront of education reform appeared first on The Missouri Times.

With multiple family members working in the building as staffers throughout the years and her father working with the Capitol Police for two decades, she realized a long time ago that she wanted to join them as soon as she could.

Liane, right, with her two daughters, Stacy, left, and Kelsey, middle.

“It had always been a goal in my life that when I got older and had more experience, this is where I wanted to work and be involved in what happens at our state at a ground level,” she said. And now, she is.

After 13 years of working at the 4H office in Columbia, Mo., Kuhn said it was time to make a change. Her transition to the Capitol also kept her just a little closer to home in Jamestown — a small town in Moniteau County.

Kuhn is the legislative assistant for Rep. Steve Cookson, R-Poplar Bluff, but before Cookson she worked for former Rep. Randy Asbury, who she said chose not to run for reelection.

“When I started here, people told me I was going to be so swamped and that I would never get a break,” she said. “While I’m busy and it’s challenging, after working for four full-time bosses for 13 years, working for one is not quite as bad.”

Kuhn said she had a new experience this year working for the chair of the Education Committee, which made her the secretary for committee meetings. She said it’s been an eye-opening opportunity and she’s learned a lot from watching the debates and discussions evolve into solidified legislation.

But, her favorite part of her job will always be constituent services.

“It means a lot to me to be able to help the people in the district when they call,” she said, adding that while helping the residents is her favorite part, it’s also the most challenging. “I do get upset when constituents call and no matter what we do, we just can’t help them.”

She said there are times when personal issues that residents face require help that they don’t have the power or ability to provide. Sometimes, she said a constituent might have gotten into trouble and wants to see how to get it pardoned, and other times it’s a federal issue.

“I can help move them up the chain, but I don’t always feel that sense of really solving their problem,” she said. But, all in all, she said the rewarding aspect of getting to help solve most of the issues that are brought to the office means a lot to her.

Kuhn is a single mother with two daughters, Stacey, 26, and Kelsey, 20, who was crowned the 2012 Miss Missouri and is set to give her crown to her successor this August.

The family lives in Jamestown, Mo., with Kuhn’s father — her mother passed away this past January.

“We take care of dad and he takes care of us,” she said.

The family home isn’t the exact house she grew up in, but she said it was on the same homestead, which dates back in the family for nine generations since they got the grant in 1843 — something the family cherishes.

Looking forward, Kuhn said she’s enjoying her job at the Capitol and looks forward to continuing her work there for as long as she can.

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Sunday, Nixon and Sen. Ron Richard visited the Normandy American Cemetery to honor Missourians who lost their lives. (Submitted photo)

Joining Nixon and the different business leaders on the trade trip were Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard, R-Joplin, and Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Jefferson County.

The primary purpose of the trip was to attend the Paris Air Show, a week-long show every two years and the largest single exhibition of aerospace companies in the world. It was during the air show that Boeing showed off their newest prize item: the 787 Dreamliner.

The aircraft, which has some parts manufactured in Missouri, is the company’s answer to Airbus’ A350, which debuted its first successful flight during the show as well.

Nixon said the presence of governors from Oklahoma, Kansas and Michigan, among other states, showed that the realm of aerospace jobs is a “growing market” in the region.

“[The governors] are all here because they see the potential to improve investments in a key economic sector,” Nixon said. “And for Missouri, it represents a clear sign that we are going to move our products around the world, whatever that product is.”

Nixon will be traveling to Brussels later in the week for a civilian North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) briefing on the European markets with Missouri companies like Boeing, Essex Industries and Saberliner.

While in France, Nixon and Boeing President and CEO W. James McNerney announced plans for Boeing to build an information technology center in the St. Louis region, which the pair said would create about 400 permanent jobs.

“It’s just one small part of a larger mission on our part to expand industries that already have a place here in Missouri and bring more jobs to the state,” Nixon added.

The governor is set to return this coming Saturday.

The post Nixon touts success, new Boeing operations, during trade mission appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Rep. Caleb Jones, R-California

“The Republican party thrives on competition,” Jones said in a press release. “We should have a robust debate about where we are going as a Caucus and who is the best leader to take us there. I’m excited to get to work.”

Currently, the only other candidate who has announced interest in that position is Majority Floor Leader John Diehl, R-Town and Country.

After Diehl announced, Jones said he considers Diehl a good friend, and thought he was “clear in line for Speaker.”

“No one should expect a free pass,” Diehl told The Missouri Times. “I will work tirelessly, as  I have done for the past five years, to maintain and hopefully grow our historic majorities. I have committed to my caucus that, if elected, I will focus 100 percent of my time on being Speaker  and not using the office as a stepping stone to seek higher office.”

Jones, a sophomore representative, is the Chairman of the General Laws committee.

Check out The Missouri Times tomorrow for an interview with Jones following the announcement.

The post Jones announces run for House Speaker appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Attorney General Chris Koster announced earlier this year that he intends to run for governor during 2016. Last week, during the state party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner, he publicly discussed his plans to donate at least $100,000 per year for four years to help elect more Democrat legislators to combat the Republican veto-proof majority in both chambers.

Attorney General Chris Koster

While Koster’s news wasn’t exactly breaking to the House and Senate chairmen who are responsible for fundraising, the support and excitement it rallied during the event was all but tangible.

“The Democratic Party is benefiting from an early unity, but it’s important not to put any carts before any horse,” Koster told The Missouri Times. “Gov. [Jay] Nixon is the leader of the party and he has the most difficult job in state government. It’s important that we stay focused on his leadership and his responsibilities.”

Rep. Jeremy LaFaver, D-Kansas City, who chairs the House Democratic Victory Committee, said he found last weekend’s dinner to be a turning point in the leadership of the party.

“From my standpoint, the vast majority of the statewide candidates have been phenomenal,” LaFaver said, listing Koster, Treasurer Clint Zweifel, Secretary of State Jason Kander and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill.

But one statewide candidate is missing from LaFaver’s list — the governor.

“I look forward to working with Gov. Nixon as much as he will allow during the next couple of years,” LaFaver said about the party’s current leader.

LaFaver said that Koster’s public pledge was something he and his Senate fundraising chair counterpart, Sen. Paul LeVota, D-Kansas City, have known about for a while.

Rep. Jeremy LaFaver, D-Kansas City

“We’ve been moving forward with campaign plans and a budget that included the attorney general’s support,” he said. “Him making it public I think not only keeps him accountable for his pledge, though there was never a fear of that, but it somewhat alters our plan because other people are perking up an saying ‘wow, this is the real deal.’ No one wants to be the first in the water.”

The advice and assistance that LaFaver said he’s gotten from Koster during the past few months have been “incredible,” and he said the financial pledge shows the attorney general likes the direction they’re heading.

“We have to shed light on what I think myself and a lot of my colleagues have seen, which is in large part an extreme agenda by legislative GOP leaders,” LaFaver said, citing the McCaskill-Akin race as an example of voters seeing the extreme agenda and turning away from it. “People who work with the legislative branch long enough know that Akin isn’t an outlier.”

Teamwork and unity were the themes of Koster’s speech at the dinner last weekend, as well as the themes for a few other statewide elected officials’ speeches.

“We need to recognize that individual success is not going to get us where we need to go,” he told The Missouri Times. “The challenges we face are no different than the challenges the Republican Party faced when they rose up to the majority. It’s making realistic and intelligent choices on winnable districts and finding candidates that can do the job right.”

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Patty Skain, Executive Director of Missouri Right to Life

“We’re very pleased with this session,” Skain told The Missouri Times. “We got some protective language on budget items, we had a lot of good pro-life legislation, this is one of the most pro-life sessions we’ve had in years.”

Skain said the most important thing to remember, though, was that pro-life issues were no longer strictly about abortion’s taking place in a clinic. The rise of certain pharmaceutical and biotechnology issues has created several new areas of concern for the pro-life movement, Skain said.

“When you think about things like the Plan B pill or embryonic stem cell research or human cloning, you’re talking about issues that absolutely deal with life, but that weren’t on the horizon 10 or 20 or 30 years ago,” Skain said.

Skain said MOSIRA, the availability of over-the-counter “Plan B,” pills and new research dealing with embryonic stem cells and human cloning have added new layers to the pro-life movement and have added new complexities to the issue.

“There are people out there who ask me why we don’t overturn Roe v. Wade,” Skain said. “And I tell them two things. First, the courts won’t allow for that yet and second, I don’t know that it makes a big difference in terms of life.”

Skain said traditional abortions could be outlawed, but the new definitions of pregnancy adopted by many medical professionals could allow “chemical abortions,” to continue unchecked.

“We aren’t concerned about a true contraceptive,” Skain said. “Because a true contraceptive stops conception. But in the cases of say an IUD, that doesn’t prevent the sperm from reaching the egg, it just prevents attachment to the uterine wall, and that’s not the same thing. That woman is still pregnant whether we define it that way or not.”

And as newer issues dealing with life move through the legislative process, Missouri Right to Life continues to track voting records to determine members on both sides of the aisle worthy of their endorsement. Skain said the organization is non-partisan, and any member who supports life will end up having the support of Missouri Right to Life.

The organization says although party platforms reflect different stances on abortion, its only concern is whether the individual legislators have a pro-life record.

“Our concern is protecting innocent human life,” Skain said. “To that end we do whatever is possible to influence the policy and the public discourse in that way.”

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