JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – With Election Day just around the corner, candidates and causes are making their final pushes and pleas to voters. Amendment 3, the Early Childhood Education Act, is arguably the most contentious measure on the ballot this cycle, and it had a similarly busy week.
Amendment 3 earns more endorsements
Amendment 3 scored some wins despite The Missouri Times poll. Leaders of the Associated Industries of Missouri and the Missouri Retailers Association met with reporters Tuesday to discuss why they supported the measure. Ray McCarty said that an educated workforce is a better workforce and that current jobs in businesses he represents usually require more job training. He believes that starting early can help children, and future members of the workforce, become better lifelong learners.
“Right now, my employers are having difficulty finding employees that are educated with the skills we need to be able to fill the jobs, particularly in manufacturing, that we have,” McCarty said. “Oftentimes that requires additional education beyond high school… What we found is Missouri is not educating our younger people before they have a chance to go to school.”
Overfelt supports the measure because he believes it will close the loophole in the Master Settlement Agreement for small tobacco granted in Missouri, and give all retailers an even playing field.
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Another group coming out in support of the amendment was the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). NOBLE President and Assistant Chief of the Seattle Police Department Perry Tarrant said that better-educated children are less likely to commit crimes.
“Amendment 3 could not be more important for the future of Missouri’s kids, and for the future of the state as a whole. Study after study shows that children with access to early education programs are more likely to finish school and less likely to turn to crime or end up incarcerated,” Tarrant said. “We should be educating and helping children as early as possible to create better citizens and ensure that every child has the opportunity to meet his or her potential.”
Pat Holterman-Hommes, the president and CEO of Youth In Need, also announced her group’s support of the initiative. Youth in Need is a St. Charles-based organization that helps homeless, abused,and neglected children and teens, among other services.
“All of our children deserve a future, which is why our organization serves homeless and runaway teens, and why we find Amendment 3 so promising,” Holterman-Hommes said. “Making significant investments in the earliest years leads to healthy kids and strong communities.”
ACLU, Planned Parenthood oppose
Two influential advocacy groups officially took a stance against Amendment 3 this week. Both Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), two groups usually associated and valued by the left, announced they would oppose the ballot measure.
Jeffrey Mittman, the executive director of the Missouri ACLU, said that the group feared the bill could violate religious liberties and freedoms because it includes a provision that states the “distributions of funds under this amendment shall not be limited or prohibited by the provisions of Article IX, section 8.”
Article IX, Section 8 prohibits public funding for religious institutions.
“Allowing for freedom of religious expression is at the bedrock of our democracy,” Mittman said. “In order for the U.S. to remain a nation with some of the greatest religious freedom in the world, we must be vigilant of any laws that compromise our constitution.”
Sarah Felts, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, said that the state’s two Planned Parenthood chapters oppose the measure on the grounds that it would needlessly restrict abortion access.
“It aims to raise the cigarette tax to fund early childhood education, but includes troubling language restricting the ability to share information about as well as provide a safe, legal medical procedure,” she said in a statement.
“Politicians” ad
Vote Yes on 3 for Kids has released a new ad titled “Politicians” that accuses some opponents of the measure for wanting the revenue the tax would raise for themselves.
A key part of Amendment 3 would create a special fund that “shall not be diverted to any other purpose” aside from early childhood education and health care in Missouri. This provision has caused some trepidation and sparked opposition from some advocacy groups who fear they will lose funding or have their funding impinged upon because of the amendment.
Jane Dueker, a spokesperson for Vote Yes on 3 for Kids, says that making sure the money goes to early childhood education is the only reason for these provisions, but that others always look for a slice of the pie.
“It’s no secret that a lot of long time politicians and special interests oppose Amendment 3,” Dueker said in a statement. “That’s because, unlike previous efforts, the funding derived through the amendment can’t be diverted to their pet causes and issues. This is funding to dramatically expand early childhood education in our state.”
Last week, Dueker accused NARAL of being one such organization, and multiple education groups like the Missouri Association of Rural Education, have opposed it in part because the money may go to some private school preschool programs.
Charles Smith, the president of the Missouri National Education Association, also said that the opposite was possible and that politicians would have too much ability to direct the money.
“The funds are at the mercy of politicians and their hand-picked political appointees,” he said. “There is no recourse to prevent Amendment 3 funds from being spent on politicians pet projects or elite parochial schools.”
