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Statement from House Speaker Tim Jones Regarding Appointment of Lou Ann Saighmann to Education Standards Workgroup

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – House Speaker Tim Jones today issued the following statement regarding the appointment of Lou Ann Saighmann to the 6-12 English Language Arts workgroup:

“In an effort to resolve the issues that have emerged in the workings of the 6-12 English Language Arts Workgroup, I have appointed Ms. Lou Ann Saighmann to bring her knowledge and experience to the group as they move forward with the process of developing Missouri-based education standards. I made this decision pursuant to the authority granted to me under Article 3 Section 18 of the Missouri Constitution and Rule 22 of the Rules of the Missouri House of Representatives, and in compliance with the experience requirements outlined in HB 1490.

I appreciate Mr. Nick Kremer’s interest in participating in this process. Contrary to what some members of the media have reported, Mr. Kremer is more than welcome to continue participating, as any member of the public is, with this particular work group or any other work group. However, because we learned that Mr. Kremer was not qualified pursuant to the specific requirements of HB 1490, his appointment as an official member of the workgroup was therefore “void” under the law requiring us to fill this void with Ms. Saighmann pursuant to the Constitution and Rules of the Missouri House.  I look forward to the recommendations that will ultimately come forward from this group and the others that are diligently working to produce effective standards for Missouri’s system  education.”