Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Chambers Still On Board
Rumors of Austin Chambers departure have been greatly exaggerated. Chambers tells MOScout that he is still Senior Advisor to Governor Greitens (the twitter-handle change didn’t change his real-life title). He’s splitting time between Atlanta and Washington DC, but “still traveling to MO like always… I have business in DC that is separate from my work with Greitens…”
More on MOScout Poll
In the Special Reports is the ward-by-ward breakdown of last weekend’s poll. See it here.
I do this somewhat reluctantly since it usually leads to an email or two questioning why this ward responded this way or that. So all together now: what happens when you look at crosstabs or smaller sample sizes within a poll? The margin of error goes up, way up.
Kraus Still in Cue for Trump Appt?
Here’s an interesting rumor… Some in the building still think that former Sen. Will Kraus is still in line to get a Trump administration appointment, but that Governor Eric Greitens appointed him to the Tax Commission for timing reasons: so a special election could be called and the “Senate would have 18 PQ votes for next session.”
More on SBOE
Although Governor Eric Greitens only ended up with two appointments to the State Board of Education, those watching the situation think two more could come this year with another to follow next year. That would mean a majority of the appointments would be from the new Republican governor.
One watcher: “At the federal level, there’s been movement to put more control of education back in the hands of the states. Could a new State Board that has a conservative bent want to further decentralize power into the hands of local schools, communities, and parents? Too often those opposed to big government are put into these sorts of positions and go the complete opposite way. As has been discussed, this is something the State Board does have authority over. It’s something traditional public schools have been requesting for years. AND a move to deregulate and lift requirements on traditional public schools would play well in a broader conversation on choice: schools get freedom, kids get choices…”
Meanwhile in SLPS, Governance Question Ahead
Many folks believe that a critical component of the St. Louis City’s public schools reacquiring accreditation was stability in leadership. The Special Administrative Board together with SLPS Superintendent Kelvin Adams were able to make plans and follow through without the “let’s try this, no let’s try this” whipsaw of the previous decade. But the time is coming when the SAB will have to fade out and an elected school board will take back the reins…
From the STL Schools Watch newsletter: On June 26, 2017 the three members of the appointed Special Administrative Board which governs the SLPS… sent a letter to elected Board of Education President Susan Jones. The letter was copied to the following people; Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven, the eight members of the Missouri State Board of Education, Governor Eric Greitens [and others]. They were coped because the DESE Commissioner makes recommendations to the Missouri State Board of Education about governance of the SLPS. The State Board members then vote to approve or reject her recommendation. The governor appoints the state board and the governor, mayor and board of aldermen president appoint the three SAB members….
The SAB’s letter began by congratulating newly elected members of the Board of Education, noting the district’s “recent award of full accreditation by the Missouri State Board of Education and consistent with the requirements of Section 162:1100.4(2) of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, we believe this is an opportune time for the SAB and BOE to begin to consider and discuss the future governance of the St. Louis Public School District and jointly develop a smooth and constructive process for transition.”
Greitens Stoked BY Survey Participation
From: Governor's Office
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2017 9:46 AM
Subject: Thank You!
Dear Colleagues,
Two weeks ago I requested your help: I asked you to complete a survey to share your perspectives about how we are working together every day to help the citizens of Missouri.
Today, I am proud to share that 75% of our entire State of Missouri workforce – over 35,300 of you - answered that call!
Thank you for your willingness to invest your time and share your experiences. This effort has been unprecedented. Across our entire state government, you stepped up… In the coming weeks, I will work with our entire Cabinet to review the initial insights from the survey. We expect that the survey will help us identify our strengths as a team and opportunities for improvement.
Thank you again for your engagement. We have a lot of work to do, but the enthusiasm you demonstrated in the past two weeks inspires me and our entire team….
Bits
Franklin County Leadership PAC was formed. Its treasurer is Mark Milton, a Husch Blackwell attorney who ran for House 90 last years a Republican, losing to Rep. Deb Lavender.
Here are the applicants for the circuit judge vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Edward Sweeney: Deborah M. Bird, Timothy J. Boyer, Michael A. Brockland, David A. Bruns, Steven J. Capizzi, Mary Pat Carl, Suzette Carlisle, Francisco J. Carretero, Nicole Colbert-Botchway, Michael J. Colona, Madeline O. Connolly, Matthew J. Devoti, Katherine M. Fowler, Micah D. Hall, Bridget L. Halquist, Heather J. Hays, Craig K. Higgins, Heather Highland, Jessica W. Kennedy, Richard L. Kroeger Jr., James J. Leightner, Annette Llewellyn, Patrick L. Mickey, Joan K. Miller, Patrick J. Monahan, Lynne R. Perkins, Deborah L. Price, David A. Roither, Calea F. Stovall-Reid, Larry D. Thomason, Jr., Lisl E. Williams, and Clinton R. Wright.
Jay Nixon Child Center, anyone? Joplin seeks nominations to name new building. See it here.
Help Wanted
House seeks Drafting Services Attorney. “The Missouri House of Representatives is accepting applications for the position of Drafting Services Attorney in the House Research Division. This non-partisan professional position is responsible for drafting and analyzing legislation and other documents, preparing legal and policy research, and assisting Members of the House with lawmaking duties. This position requires strong oral and written communication skills, the ability to meet frequent deadlines, and a general knowledge of the legislative process. The successful candidate will be required to be an attorney licensed to practice in the State of Missouri. Starting salary range for this position begins at $4,093 per month…”
DESE Seeks Keynote Speaker From the RFP: “The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education hosts an annual Interface Conference for K-12 math and science educators. The Interface Conference is organized by a Steering Committee that is comprised of educators that plan and work at the Interface Conference. The Interface Conference is broken down into two sessions; Interface A Conference is for grades K-6 educators; Interface B Conference is for grades 7-12 educators. The theme of the 2018 Interface Conference is “Missouri Learning Standards: The STEM Bridge”. The Interface A Conference will be held on February 22 through February 24, 2018 with the keynote address at lunch on February 22, 2018 and breakout sessions to follow. The Interface B Conference will be held on February 25 through February 27, 2018, with the keynote address at lunch on February 25, 2015 and breakout sessions to follow.
The Interface Conference uses keynote addresses to inform, engage, and inspire the educator in attendance. Due to the Interface Conference being a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) conference, the Steering Committee alternates between keynote presenters focusing on different aspects of STEM. The 2018 Interface Conference will focus on high quality mathematics instruction for each keynote address and subsequent breakout sessions….”
Lobbyists Registrations
Ashok Gupta added Natural Resources Defense Council And Its Affiliates; and deleted Natural Resources Defense Council.
Martina Johnson deleted St. Louis Association of Realtors.
Birthdays
Happy birthdays to Greta Bax, Shawn Furey, and Robbyn Wahby.