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By Otto Fajen
MNEA Legislative Director

TAX CREDIT VOUCHER BILL DEFEATED ON PERFECTION VOTE
The House debated House Bill 808 (Carl Bearden) for three hours on March 7 and brought the bill to a perfection vote. The bill failed on perfection by a vote of 62-96. H.B. 808 is the newest version of the tax credit voucher bill. The bill allows up to $40 million per year in tax credits for contributions to scholarship funds to be used to fund private and religious school tuition payments for low-income students in St. Louis City and Kansas City.

Prior to perfection, a few minor amendments were offered. Rep. Nathan Cooper offered House Amendment 1, a gimmick amendment that provides a payment voucher to the parent of a scholarship recipient student. The amendment was defeated by a lopsided vote of 5-142, in an attempt by the bill’s proponents to prove that the bill is not a voucher. Rep. Maynard Wallace offered H.A. 2 that would delay implementation until the average teacher salary reaches the national average teacher salary, but the amendment was ruled out of order. Rep. Jamilah Nasheed offered H.A. 3 which clarifies that students can use the scholarships to attend public charter schools. Rep. Nasheed offered H.A. 4 which requires a study of the program’s effectiveness by a legislative joint committee, and then the House adopted House Substitute Amendment 1/H.A. 4 (Scott Muschany) which also made minor revisions to program review language.

The lack of more substantive amendments was a purposeful decision on the part of the bill’s opponents not to improve the bill enough to allow more representatives to justify voting for the bill.

Missouri NEA strongly opposes H.B. 808 and any measure to transfer state funds to private, religious or home schools that are not accountable to all of the standards placed on public schools. MNEA appreciates the continuing effort by members in opposing passage of the bill, along with the efforts of other public education supporters. Now that the House has failed to move H.B. 808, attention will turn to the companion bill: Senate Bill 698 (Luann Ridgeway). On the House side, attention will turn to the open enrollment bill: House Committee Substitute/H.B.s 807 and 690 (see Open Enrollment Bill section on page three).

HOW THEY VOTED ON PERFECTION OF HOUSE BILL 808

HOUSE PASSES ALTERNATE CERTIFICATION (ABCTE) BILL
The House gave final approval (Third Reading) to House Bill 620 (Scott Muschany) on March 8 by a vote of 97-57. H.B. 620 requires the State Board of Education to create another alternative teacher certification based on certification by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence and to establish mentoring standards for beginning teachers and principals.

Missouri NEA opposes creation of another alternative certification program that lacks adequate requirements to ensure those teachers are properly trained in essential teaching competencies before achieving full certification. Missouri NEA continues to recommend that elementary and early childhood certifications be excluded from any alternate certification and that all alternatively certified teachers should have to pass the Praxis II exam and complete a course of study that covers all key teaching competencies before being given a full teaching certificate. On perfection, Rep. Joe Aull offered House Amendment 2/House Committee Substitute/H.B. 620 requiring a full semester of teaching experience prior to employment under an ABCTE certificate and requiring that ABCTE certified teachers successfully complete the Praxis II exam before being granted a full certificate. MNEA supported H.A. 2, but the amendment was defeated by a party-line vote of 73-83.

Missouri NEA also supports establishing state teaching standards so state policy is clear on what teachers are supposed to know and be able to do, how those standards will be assessed, and how mentoring, beginning teacher assistance programs and other professional development will help teachers meet those teaching standards. On perfection, Rep. Sara Lampe offered H.A. 1/HCS/H.B. 620 which establishes state teaching standards. MNEA supported H.A. 1, but the amendment was defeated by a party-line vote of 73-86. The bill will now move to the Senate.

OPEN ENROLLMENT BILL VOTED OUT OF HOUSE COMMITTEE
The House Special Committee on Student Achievement voted out House Committee Substitute/House Bills 807 and 690. The bill is a combination of two public school open enrollment bills. Rep. Steve Hunter offered an amendment to the HCS to make the open enrollment provision apply statewide, and the amendment was adopted. The HCS changed the requirement for determining whether receiving districts have available space from the “desirable” class size standard under the Missouri School Improvement Program to the “minimal” class size standard, which would have the effect of forcing districts to accept transfer students until the larger class sizes specified by the “minimal” standard is met. Rep. Scott Muschany offered House Committee Amendment 1 to change the standard back to “desirable,” but the amendment was defeated. Missouri NEA opposes the bill.

SENATE DEBATES SCHOLARSHIPS AND GAMBLING FUNDS
The Senate took up Senate Bill 430 (Charlie Shields) on March 8. S.B. 430 creates the Smart Start Scholarship Program. The program is a significant expansion of the approach of the A+ schools program to support two-year scholarship grants for graduating high school seniors. The scholarships would be supported by a separate funding source generated by repealing the $500 loss limits on riverboat gambling boats and enacting an additional one percent state assessment on gambling proceeds over $30 million per boat. Scholarships could be used at approved public and private institutions and proprietary schools in Missouri.

Sen. Chuck Purgason offered Senate Amendment 2, to remove the funding source of the bill by retaining the $500 per cruise loss limit, and the amendment was defeated by a vote of 14-18. Sen. Jeff Smith offered S.A. 3 to add his S.B. 443 to divert up to $1 million to establish the Missouri Teaching Fellows Program (see Senate Education Committee on page five). Sen. Matt Bartle offered S.A. 1/S.A. 3 to increase the funding for Missouri Teaching Fellows to $10 million per year. The bill was placed on the Informal Calendar, the parking lot for bills that have been debated but not yet brought to a first round (perfection) vote.

Missouri NEA supports the concept of the bill to expand affordable access to higher education and increase educational attainment in Missouri. MNEA urges that scholarships also be available to students who have a GED and other non-traditional students with high school credentials. Also, MNEA noted that a significant statewide scholarship program such as this should be supported by a general revenue appropriation supported by a general tax, rather than by a tax on gambling, especially if the state has a surplus of revenues.

MISSOURI HIGHER EDUCATION LOAN AUTHORITY BILL RESURRECTED
Sen. Gary Nodler distributed Senate Substitute for Senate Committee Substitute/Senate Bill 389 relating to the sale of assets of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority and providing funds to higher education institutions for capital projects. At the same time, Gov. Matt Blunt announced another revised list of funding projects for the MOHELA asset sale. Sen. Nodler provided notice that the Senate may take up the bill for further debate next week. Missouri NEA continues to have strong concerns regarding the impact of the tuition caps on the quality of programs and the effect of the MOHELA asset sale on the ability of that entity to fulfill its core mission of providing financial assistance to Missouri students.

CHILD CARE SUBSIDIES
The House Special Committee on Family Services met on March 7 to hear House Bill 676 (Jeff Grisamore) requiring the children's division to develop rules to modify the income eligibility criteria for any person receiving state-funded child care assistance. Missouri NEA supports this effort to support low-income working parents in providing appropriate early child care for their children to help them come to school healthy and ready to learn.

LOWERING STANDARDS ON DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard Senate Bill 532 (John Loudon) on March 5. The bill makes several changes weakening protections against discriminatory employment practices. Missouri NEA went on record in opposition to the bill.

EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES
The Senate Committee on Seniors, Families and Public Health met on March 6 to hear Senate Bill 515 (Jolie Justus). S.B. 515 requires the Department of Social Services to provide for the educational needs of children placed in licensed residential care facilities. Missouri NEA supports the assumption expressed in the bill that every child in public school deserves a full educational school day, but continues to work with the sponsor and representatives of residential care facilities to ensure that school staff are involved with the family support team in decisions regarding the education of children in such residential care facilities and that schools are compensated for services provided to such students.

HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
The House Special Committee on Student Achievement met on March 7 and heard House Bill 214 (Jane Cunningham) that creates the Teacher Choice Compensation Package. The bill will make extra salary stipends available to teachers who forego tenure and meet criteria based primarily on student test scores. Missouri NEA opposes the bill as another divisive form of merit pay that undermines best practices in comprehensive performance-based teaching evaluations and fails to provide respect and security to teachers by conditioning extra pay on giving up teacher tenure.

H.B. 689 (Brian Baker) was scheduled for hearing but was not heard. The bill requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to create mentoring standards for beginning teachers and principals. Missouri NEA supports the bill and urges the legislature to enact state teaching standards so state policy is clear on what teachers are supposed to know and be able to do, how those standards will be assessed and how mentoring, beginning teacher assistance programs and other professional development will help teachers meet those teaching standards.

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The Senate Education Committee met on March 7 and heard the following bills:

1. Senate Bill 572 (Carl Vogel) allows the curators of the University of Missouri to close certain financial records relating to donor or potential donors.

2. S.B. 243 (Rob Mayer) increases the compulsory school attendance age for all children in Missouri to 17. A proposed Senate Committee Substitute will phase the requirements in over time, affecting mainly just students currently in elementary grades. Missouri NEA supports increasing the compulsory attendance age so long as the state is committed to adequate, long-term funding for alternative education programs to ensure appropriate alternate settings are available for students who need them.

3. S.B. 111 (Scott Rupp) eliminates the Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators and replaces it with a Commissioner's Advisory Council on Teacher Quality. Missouri NEA continues to oppose the elimination of MACCE as this change would create a council with even less autonomy, diminish the participation of higher education institutions and move the state even farther away from MNEA’s goal regarding certification standards: the establishment of an Independent Professional Standards Board, composed of a majority of actual teachers, which would be empowered to set high state standards for teaching and teacher certification.

4. S.B. 443 (Jeff Smith) creates the “Teach for Missouri Act,” a program of loan forgiveness to encourage high school seniors with high grades or college entrance exam scores to enroll in a teaching education program, complete a degree and obtain a teaching certificate and then teach in a non-accredited school district for up to five years. Missouri NEA supports the bill as a proactive way to address the need to recruit and retain quality teachers in districts with low student achievement scores.

The committee also voted out the following bills:

1. Senate Bill 203 (Brad Lager) increases Career Ladder stipends by $500.

2. Senate Committee Substitute/S.B. 254 (Gary Nodler) creates the Missouri Legacy Fund to help support the MOST college savings plan.

3. Senate Joint Resolution 8 (Luann Ridgeway) increases the allowed school debt limit from 15 percent to 20 percent of district assessed value.

4. Senate Committee Substitute/S.B. 480 (Luann Ridgeway) requires mentoring standards and establishes a new alternative teacher certification based on the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence certification. Missouri NEA strongly opposes S.B. 480.

5. SCS/S.B. 106 (Chuck Graham) establishes voting student members on the governing boards of the University of Missouri, Missouri State University, Truman State University and the University of Central Missouri.

6. S.B. 133 (Scott Rupp) revises the special education due process law. The bill was voted as a Consent bill.

7. S.B. 140 (Scott Rupp) allows a district to appoint a person with authority to bind the district to a settlement agreement in a resolution session of a special education due process hearing. The bill was voted Consent.

8. SCS/S.B. 127 (Joan Bray) clarifies that teachers and other staff hired under the working-after-retired provision in a shortage area may work full-time or less than full-time for up to two years while receiving a school retirement benefit. The bill was voted as a Consent bill.

HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee met on March 7 and heard the following bills:

1. House Bill 418 (Jane Cunningham) modifies provisions relating to the First Steps Program. The bill seeks to remove the sunset on the First Steps Program. Missouri NEA supports removing the sunset on the First Steps Program.

2. H.B. 730 (Jerry Nolte) exempts school districts from the requirement to make up days of school missed or canceled due to inclement weather occurring on or after Jan. 12, 2007. The bill exempts districts from having to make up the eighth through the twelfth inclement weather days during a school year. The bill also waives the requirement to schedule two-thirds of the missed school days into the following school year’s calendar. Missouri NEA supports the bill.

3. H.B. 86 (Will Kraus) designates the third week in September as “Parent and Family Involvement in Education Week.” Missouri NEA supports this bill as an expression of the importance of seeking to involve parents in supporting the educational success of their children in public schools.

The committee also voted out the following bills:

1. House Bill 29 (Jane Cunningham) establishes term limits for members of the Governing Council of the Special School District of St. Louis County.

2. House Committee Substitute/H.B. 38 (Jane Cunningham) establishes a procedure for the transfer of credits and appropriate placement in public schools for students transferring from private schools, home schools and other public schools.

3. H.B. 86 (Will Kraus) creates “Parent and Family Involvement in Education Week.” The bill was voted out as a Consent bill.

HOUSE HIGHER EDUCATION
The House Higher Education Committee met on March 6 to hear House Bill 941 (Gayle Kingery). The bill would allow the curators of the University of Missouri to close certain financial records as they relate to donors or potential donors.

CAPITOL ACTION DAYS
MNEA’s Capitol Action Days continued this week, and over a dozen MNEA members from Governance District 1 made the trip to the Capitol. Capitol Action Days are a great chance to meet with legislators and discuss Missouri NEA’s priority issues and how to support great public schools.

Capitol Action Days will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays continuing through the first week of May. Your MNEA calendar includes the dates that members of the MNEA Board of Directors selected for your governance district.

As your Capitol Action Day approaches, please contact Otto Fajen (otto.fajen@mnea.org) by the preceding evening to confirm your plan to attend. If your travel plans change and you are not able to attend on your designated day, please call and speak to Judy Glover at 1-800-392-0236 by no later than 9:00 a.m. of the designated day to let us know of the change. Feel free to contact Otto Fajen by e-mail to arrange to attend a different Capitol Action Day.

Each Capitol Action Day will start with a briefing at 10:00 a.m. to provide you with the most up-to-date information. Participants should meet MNEA Government Relation’s staff at the Capitol on the second floor near the rotunda in the Senate side alcove under the grand staircase.

Legislative Update 2007
Missouri National Education Association
1810 East Elm Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101-4174
(573) 634-3202 or (800) 392-0236

Greg Jung, President
Ben Simmons, Executive Director
DeeAnn Aull, Director of Programs and Public Relations
Leila Medley, Political Director
Otto Fajen, Legislative Director
Judy Glover, Secretary