Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Transfer Turmoil
Post-Dispatch’s Jessica Bock reports that Ferguson-Florissant will be closing its doors to Normandy student. Read it here. “The district is the latest to announce a decision for the transfer students following the state's takeover of Normandy, which will become a new entity on Tuesday. Francis Howell and University City have made similar plans. Ladue Schools leaders will allow about half of the transfer students there to return at a lower tuition rate.”
The great Starsky Wilson tweeted a stinging response to the news: And now there are three. Interesting how all these districts accepted students at a higher price-point. #commodifyingkids
AP’s David Lieb explains the new Normandy’s non-status is legally problematic. Read it here.
Pull Quote: A decision by Missouri education officials to intervene in a struggling St. Louis-area school district is raising new questions about whether the school can still get state money intended to help it. The Normandy School District currently is unaccredited, meaning students have the right to transfer to other nearby schools at Normandy's expense under the terms of a 1993 state law. But that is about to change.
The State Board of Education recently decided to disband the district and create a new entity that, as of this coming Tuesday, will be run by a special state oversight board. The new Normandy district will be classified neither as accredited nor unaccredited… The decision to remove the "unaccredited" label from Normandy already is having ripple effects…
Among other things, the budget includes $3.5 million for "intensive reading instruction" and more than $4 million for preschool programs in unaccredited or provisionally accredited districts. Citing budget shortfalls, Gov. Jay Nixon this past week froze most of the preschool funding increase but left $1 million available. He also vetoed most of the reading money, but again left $1 million available that he said was for Normandy. But can Normandy legally get that money, since it will no longer be unaccredited?
"That's a tremendous question, and that's one we're going to have to come to terms with," said Sen. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, who is chairman of the Senate Education Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Senate Primary Guide
The Senate Primary guide is up in the Special Reports this morning. See it here. It follows the same format as the House Primary Guides. There are only four contested senate primaries, and two of them (Keaveny’s SD-4, and Brown’s SD-16) are contested in name only.
It will be updated next month, but I don’t foresee changing any of my predictions.
Senate 2: Onder Gets MCFG
Bob Onder announced yesterday that he’d received the Missouri Club for Growth endorsement in the Republican Senate 2 primary. And in the large contributions today, there’s a $15K check from MCFG to Onder.
House 3: Bailey Radio Ad
John Bailey – running in a Republican primary against Rep. Nate Walker in House 3 – released his first radio ad. The tag line is: “A physician, not a politician.” Hear it here.
House 139: Hope’s Wife Stealing?
The New-Leader’s Jonathon Shorman reports that the wife of House 139 candidate Michael Hope “has been charged with passing a bad check and is also a suspect in a stealing investigation at a local radio company.” Read it here.
Hope is in a three-way primary to replace Rep. Kevin Elmer who didn’t run for re-election because he planned to run for judge.
The MOScout Primary Guide currently favors Jered Taylor to win the primary.
CMT: Yes On 7
Citizens for Modern Transit endorsed the transportation sales tax proposal. See it here.
Pull Quote: The CMT Board of Directors weighed the options very carefully when considering the priority list for the St. Louis region. After many discussions with St. Louis City, St. Louis County and MoDOT, the list moved closer to creating a vision for the future of transit, including the addition of a light rail station and studies for future expansion and funding. There is significant commitment on the part of the City of St. Louis to ensure transit receives more than 30 percent of the revenues over the 10 year time period… In many Missouri communities, Amendment 7 will provide new public transportation funding to increase access and options for Missourians who don’t drive or don’t have access to a car. In the St. Louis region this equates to more than $145 million in public transit projects over 10 years including a new light rail station in the City of St. Louis, studies for future light rail extensions/incremental build-outs, streetcars, bus rapid transit and other transit improvements…
Budget Geek: Refunds Up
In the line items that make up the net revenue numbers for the state, it’s the “refunds” that are a leading cause to the negative number. Refunds are about $99 million higher than last year. And with individual income tax at a drifting negative .3%, the refunds push net revenue to be down nearly 1%.
Fundraising Calendar
Today’s fundraising events from Mary Scruggs’ indispensable events calendar:
Rep. Rocky Miller Golf – Old Kinderhook Golf Course, Camdenton.
$5K+ Contributions
Hanaway for Governor - $25,000 from August Busch III.
Committee to Elect Michael Headrick - $30,000 from Michael Headrick.
Committee to Elect Michael Headrick - $7,500 from Michael Headrick.
Committee to Elect Michael Headrick - $10,000 from Michael Headrick.
MOTruck PAC - $10,000 from TCSI-Transland Inc.
Midwest Region Laborers’ Political League Education Fund - $5,220 from Laborers Supplemental Dues Fund.
Hanaway for Governor - $10,000 from Jame Hebenstreit.
Missourians for Safe Transportation & New Jobs Inc - $25,000 from HNTB Corporation.
Missourians for Safe Transportation & New Jobs Inc – $20,000 from CDM Smith.
Missourians for Safe Transportation & New Jobs Inc – $30,000 from Associated General Contractors of St. Louis.
Missourians for Safe Transportation & New Jobs Inc – $50,000 from Ideker Inc.
Missourians for Safe Transportation & New Jobs Inc – $20,000 from Jensen Construction Company.
Onder for Missouri - $15,000 from Missouri Club for Growth.
House Republican Campaign Committee - $5,124 from Citizens to Elect Rocky Miller.
Schaaf for Senate - $10,000 from Stanley Herzog.
Schaaf for Senate - $15,000 from Hegeman for Senate.
Committee to Elect Allen Moss - $40,000 from Allen Moss.
Notes on Money
Headrick is running for Associate Circuit Judge in Pulaski County.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthdays to Rep. Charlie Norr (70), state senator Maida Coleman (60), former Reps. John Bowman (58) and Connie Johnson (45), and Diedra Ashley Freeman, and Matthew Block (29).
MOScout News
I’m taking off Thursday and Friday (July 4th), so tomorrow is the last Update of the week. No Weekly Summary or Who Won the Week this week. Enjoy the long weekend, stay safe. Send me a tip!