How Are You Going to Fix Our Schools?

When I knocked on doors during my campaign for Senate in 2006, the most common concern raised on doorstep after doorstep, was the condition of the Kansas City Missouri School District. Since my election, the school district has remained in the top 5 concerns raised by my constituents.

The school district is one of the most politically and emotionally charged issues I have dealt with during my three years in the Missouri Senate. I have been steadfast in my belief that the majority of the issues facing the school district are local issues and must be solved at the local level. At the state level, we deal with the larger issue of school funding and we also discuss big-picture issues that impact all Missouri schools. It is rare to discuss issues that affect just one school district.

With continued bad news from the district, however, and tension about its governance on the rise, I have received an increasing number of requests from constituents who want to discuss possible Jefferson City solutions to Kansas City's number one problem.

One such meeting with concerned parents resulted in my filing SB253, which would require a special election for vacancies on the KCMO School Board. Current law says if a member leaves the board before his/her term expires, the remaining board members must appoint a person to fill the vacancy. If SB253 passes, the people of KC will make that decision.

This year I have heard from more and more parents, community and business leaders -- all concerned about the kids in the KCMO School District. The ideas presented about how to "fix" the problem are as diverse as the groups making the pitches.

Two competing organizations have come to the surface in this debate -- Do The Right Thing For Kids and Hands Off the Kansas City School District. "Hands Off" has called for a grassroots, bottom-up approach, leaving the current governing body in tact. "Do The Right Thing" argues that the district's woes will not be fixed until we change the governing body of the school district. They have a proposal that would allow the people of KC to vote on a change to the school's governance.

I submit that the answer is not one proposal or the other, but that real change will not come to the school district until we address the issues from the top-down AND the bottom-up.

Throughout this debate I have made two things very clear -- 1) I am against the status quo; and 2) the voters of KC should make the ultimate decision about how our school district is governed. To that end, the Senate passed an amendment on an education bill today that would create an interim legislative committee to address the governance of the KCMO School District. The interim committee will take testimony from all stakeholders and report back to the General Assembly in January 2010. I fully support this amendment and sincerely hope that it makes it through the rest of the process and to the governor's desk.

I also hope that all sides fully participate in the dialogue and bring genuine ideas to the table. One answer I will not accept is "just give us another chance," or "this is a different school board, just wait and see the good work we are doing." While that statement may be entirely true, the kids of KC can't wait just one more year. We are failing our kids now.

Change is going to come to the KCMO School District one way or another. The question we must ask ourselves is whether we want the decision made in Jefferson City, or whether we want the people of KC to make the decision. Every year we hear the possibility of a state takeover. Suburban lawmakers routinely file legislation requiring an appointed board or requiring all board members to run at-large. My warning to those who advocate for the status quo -- ignore this call for change at your own peril. This is not a crisis that will blow over and be forgotten during the long months between legislative sessions.

My sincere hope is that this legislative session has lit a fire under everyone who cares about the kids of KC. I want to see town hall meetings, debates and public testimony all summer long. I don't want to hear another report of one side refusing to meet with the other or complaints that the debate is taking place in a vacuum. Put the turf wars aside and get down to the business of fixing our schools KC. If you don't do it -- Jefferson City will.

Huge Week in the Missouri Senate

It was a HUGE week in Jefferson City and I'm excited to report that many important bills made significant advances.

On Tuesday I was able to add my childcare subsidy bill (SB 94) and my foster care education bill of rights (SB96) as amendments on a House bill that was before the Senate. While the foster care bill has passed the Senate twice already this year, this is the first time that the childcare subsidy bill has received a yes vote in either legislative chamber.

Then on Wednesday we had two more major victories, when the Senate passed two of my housing bills, one of which I've been working on for three years. These bills would increase the money in the Missouri Housing Trust Fund and provide protection for tenants who are renting a property that is sold due to foreclosure.

All four of these bills have been my top priorities and I'm going to continue to fight to ensure they make it to the Governor's desk. Most of these bills still face significant hurdles, with stops in Fiscal Oversight and conference committees. Over the next week, I will highlight each bill on this blog, so you can learn more about the legislation and find out how YOU can help move the bills over the finish line if you are so inclined.

Many of you know that this session I have been providing real-time updates of all the action in the Missouri Senate, via Twitter. I've been using it as a micro-blog of sorts. Through Twitter, and it's link to my Facebook page, I'm able to communicate instantly with thousands of constituents who can then provide me with their comments and questions.

One unintended consequence of my "tweeting," however, is that I have allowed it to supplant my longer blog posts. Although we are heading into the busiest part of the session, I am going to make a concerted effort to generate more posts on this blog. These posts will be for those who are interested in more info than I can relay in a 140-character tweet.

If you are interested in receiving the Twitter updates, you can subscribe here.

Finally, if you want to kick it old school and just hear a verbal update of everything that's happening in Jefferson City, you can meet me Friday mornings at 9AM at Coffee Break, 5400 Troost Avenue.