MOScout Daily Update: SBOE's $$$ Agenda - Billy Long Bits - Parson's Twitter Persona and more...

SBOE Conference Call: More, More, More

The State Board of Education met via conference call yesterday afternoon.  Topics tackled were more money (preschoolers), more money (teachers), more money (transportation), more career education and less violence.

The SBOE discussed their legislative agenda for 2020. Top on the list is a plan to make Pre-K available to every 4- and 5-year-old in the state.

·         DESE estimates this universal proposal will cost $314M phased in over five years in $50M to $60M annual increments.

·         Assistant Commissioner Roger Dorson says the price tag likely will be lower because not every parent will enroll their child.

·         Board member Peter Herschend cautioned that the state cannot mandate early childhood education or “we will have a Great Wall of China to get over; if we make it voluntary, the logic of the objection goes away.”

·         The board did not offer a plan to pay for expansion but when asked about a “Wayfair Fix” by the mighty Jason Rosenbaum, Governor Mike Parson is on record saying that early childhood “has to be part of the discussion.”  Hear it here at 23:00 mark.

Other board priorities include two interim committees, the first to study teacher compensation and the second to study violence directed at teachers and in school settings. They also went on record to support an increase in transportation funding of $195M phased in over three years.

The board debated requiring students to “declare” a career or college path in high school but struggled to pick the right word exchanging “declare” with “choose”, then “explore”, then “select” and finally “focus.” If a bunch of grownups can't figure out word choices, imagine asking freshmen students to commit to a career path.

Finally, the board wants DESE to study ways to incentivize school districts to share educational costs and look at “best practices.”  Don Claycomb jokingly suggested adding a bullet point that said they would also “stop chasing pigs and fix the fence”.

Vaping Mary Jane

NYTimes reports that “teenagers are drinking less alcohol, smoking fewer cigarettes and trying fewer hard drugs… But these public health gains have been offset by a sharp increase in vaping of marijuana and nicotine….

Most troubling to public health experts in this year’s report were sharp increases in marijuana vaping. Of 12th graders surveyed, 14 percent said they had vaped marijuana in the last month, nearly double the 7.5 percent reported a year ago.

The percentage of teenagers who said they had vaped marijuana once or more over the last year essentially doubled during the past two years as well, rising to 7 percent for eighth graders, 19.4 percent for 10th graders and 20.8 percent for 12th graders…”

And

Freakonomics looks at the different health risks between regular vaping and marijuana vaping.  See it here.

Billy Long Bits

First, this viral image of the congressman yesterday listening to impeachment debate with some greenbacks sticking out of his front pocket.  See it here.

But the better “Billy Bit” from yesterday is this… February fundraising event featuring the rock band KISS.  See it here.

Parson Persona

Governor Mike Parson parrots the GOP talking point that Dems have been trying to impeach President Donald Trump since “day one.”  See it here.

One MOScouter, who likes the governor: It's like his online and IRL persona are two totally different people. oh well. guess he's still concerned about a possible primary from somewhere…

Mark Your Calendar

Governor Mike Parson to give the 2020 State of the State Address on Wednesday, January 15 at 3PM.

eMailbag: More on that Parson Fundy

Of course the sitting Governor will get all the heavyweights to a fundraiser.  With the possible exception of Greitens who showed no positive interest in KC issues, the exact same group showed up at fundraisers for Nixon, Blunt, Holden, Carnahan, Ashcroft, etc.  At this point in 2015 virtually all those folks were at Koster fundraisers. Whether they actually vote for him or also quietly find ways to help his opponent too, for now everybody in the corporate community wants to be seen as the Governor's friend regardless of party.  It's smart lobbying strategy, and so far Parson has been helpful on some KC issues especially the border war bill and transportation funding which were GKC Chamber and bipartisan priorities.  So I wouldn't read any more into it than that.  If Galloway is elected next year, they will all show up at her fundraiser too.

New Committees

Barbara Phifer formed a candidate committee (Citizens for Phifer) to run for House 90 as a Democrat.  The current incumbent, Democratic Rep. Deb Lavender, is running for states senate.

Alfred Montgomery formed a candidate committee (Friends for Alfred Montgomery) to run for St. Louis City Sheriff as a Democrat.

$5K+ Contributions

MO Opportunity PAC - $10,000 from William S Thompson Jr.

Midwest Region Laborers' Political League Education Fund - $8,296 from Laborers Supplemental Dues Fund.

STL Approves - $40,000 from Center for Election Science.

Lobbyists Registrations

Gary Burton, Tony Dugger, Andy Foley, and Jim Foley added Missouri Coin Operators Association.

Michael Grote added CoxHealth; and deleted Independent Colleges & Universities of Missouri, Notarize Inc, Oxford Health Care, and David Humphreys.

Elizabeth Lauber added David Lotsoff MD, and John Snider II.

Steven Tilley, Thomas Robbins, and Jake Silverman added The Opportunity Trust.

Birthdays

Happy birthdays to Rep. Nick Schroer, Greg Porter, and Josh Haynes.

MOScout Schedule

No weekend update ahead, and then I’m off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week!