Bob Holden puts Missouri kids first

Three years into his first term, Gov. Bob Holden talks candidly about his goals for public education in Missouri and his struggle with legislative leadership to achieve adequate school funding.

What is the single most important issue
in education today?

The quality of teachers in the classroom. The classroom teacher has more to do with the success of every child than anything else. That is the reason I am so committed to funding education. We have to be willing to pay good teachers to stay in teaching and to attract them into education. The funding of education and retaining quality teachers are paramount.

What influences developed your passion
for education?

It really comes from my own environment. My parents wanted their children to have a good education so we could advance further than they did. The issue of getting a good education was always paramount. Coming from Birch Tree, a community that did everything that it could to help me and help all of us become successful, laid a foundation for always wanting to be successful. I’ve had wonderful teachers over the years.

To me, teaching is the most noble of professions. Many times teachers are not given the support that they deserve. I want them to know there is one public official who cares very deeply about what they do and what contribution they are making.

How does your role as a father to a nine-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy factor
into the decisions you make as governor?

It impacts every decision I make. What I try to do is look at the decisions I am making and consider how they will impact our two sons and all the other children. If it is not in their interest, then in my mind it is not good public policy. Short-term political gain and forfeiture of long-term opportunities for them is not why you should be in politics or government. Children truly reflect everything that I am about as governor and as an individual.

If I could grant you one wish for public education, for what would you wish?

More money for teachers. Money helps tell classroom teachers they are doing a good job; and it also sends a message to younger people in our high schools and colleges that you can go into teaching. Not only is it a noble profession, but also you won’t end up in the poor house pursuing it.

Why do you think the state legislature disagrees with you about education priorities?

I don’t think they are looking at the larger issue facing the state of Missouri. They don’t see the whole picture. I have to maintain a balanced budget. At the same time, I believe we have to make the right investments so our economy will grow and expand in the future. We have turned the corner, and that is starting to happen. There are too many politicians in Jefferson City trying to look at the political consequences of their actions instead of what is in the long-term interest of our children. I think that is unfortunate. But what we have to do is keep reaching out there and working with people in Jefferson City. Even more importantly, we need to reach out to people around the state of Missouri and say these are the values that have made this state great; these are the values that were given to you by generations before us. We cannot as a society today walk away from that responsibility to do the same for the next generation of Missourians.

I think there is an attitude that we don’t need to worry about every child as long as the children in our area are OK. I think that is very short sighted and would be a colossal failure for our democracy long term if it ever takes hold. I know Republican leaders who suggest you close schools and consolidate if you don’t have enough money in your area for schools. In rural Missouri, that is not an option. There are other Republican leaders who suggest raising your local personal property taxes. In certain areas of the state, you can’t raise your personal property taxes high enough to ever be able to afford a quality education. We are in this together, and we have to work together as a partnership. We have to make a commitment to all of our children. That is what I am about, and that is what we should all be about.

If the legislature does not shift its direction, what do you see happening to public education?

I think in 2004 the people of this state are going to have an opportunity to decide what future they want for their families and their children. I have laid out in very vivid terms my commitment to education in the future. The Republican leaders in the House and Senate will have the same opportunity to articulate their message. I think my message will win out. I’ve talked to too many people, listened to too many families and parents. They want something better for their children, for their state and for their families. We don’t maintain the high quality jobs in this state without the education and training programs to help us. We don’t lay the foundation for future economic growth without the investment in our elementary and secondary schools. I look forward to that discussion, and I feel confident that we will be successful. There are two possible futures. The question everybody is going to have to ask is, “What individual is going to sit in that office, and who do I trust to protect my interests and my children’s interest?”

If the people of Missouri re-elect you as governor, what do you want to achieve for public education?

First, we must continue to make the financial investment in education. That is ongoing, and we cannot turn our back on it.

Secondly, we ought to set a goal of saying we want to help every child reach his or her full potential. Children who are reaching their potential are not typically children who are going to end up in correctional facilities, the mental health network or social services. As long as we are helping students achieve something in a positive way, they are not going to look at negative forces as outlets for their future efforts. So we cannot develop an educational system that teaches to the middle of the class.
We have to look at each child and question what we need to do to help make this child a success. That is the reason for alternative school programs, the smaller class size, gifted programs, after-school programs, summer programs, the arts. What we have to do is identify each child’s strengths and then figure out how we intend to teach that child. Then we can be successful.

We are asking our teachers to do so much more than what we should, but they are our best avenue, and we must give them the tools to do this job and do it well. If our education system fails, then I pay for it and the taxpayers in the state pay for it many times over.

So how do you think President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act coincides with your goals for individual attention?

I think the rhetoric is “applaudable.” I think it is unfortunate that if your school is failing in any one area, the new law stigmatizes your entire education program for that deficiency. What we ought to be doing is encouraging schools to make change by giving them the tools to improve. We ought to work to make our schools successes, not work to make them failures. There is more that is right about our schools than most people understand. When a school is criticized for underperforming, that is what makes the headlines—when, in fact, most of our kids get a good education. Should they get a better one? Yes. Should we continue to encourage that improvement? Yes. But it has to be a team effort. It can’t be an “I gotcha” mentality. Unfortunately, I think the federal effort is long on rhetoric and short on funding.

Explain the significance of the upcoming election.

Elections do have consequences. What everybody needs to understand is we wouldn’t be where we are today in this mess in education funding if we had different leaders in the Missouri House and Senate. That leadership is elected by members. Those members are elected by citizens. Many times citizens who don’t vote elect the people who carry out these actions. Every vote is important. Every initiative and involvement is important. That is the reason it is so critical that people in education understand what this 2004 campaign is all about. It is about our children’s future and their role in it.

Constitutionally, a governor must have a balanced budget. Legislatures can pass a $100 billion budget, but if the money is not there to fund it, the governor still has to make sure the money is in the bank before the checks are written. That is where the confusion in the general public sometimes is. The legislature says we passed a budget that funded education, knowing full well that the money wasn’t there to fund it.

What do you think our members can do to help achieve the goals you have outlined?

They need to be explaining to their representatives and their senators the consequences of some of their actions and holding everybody accountable. Don’t let the rhetorical debate in Jefferson City cloud the debate in what really is at stake here. We have to stand up and support public education for all of our children. That means we have to make the right investments. That means we have to attract, retain and encourage good teachers to stay in the classroom. We have to give them the tools to do the best job possible. We have to look at them as professionals doing the most professional job we have in our society.