The article “A to-do list for legislators” offered opinions on state funding for the St. Louis Public Schools and the State of Missouri.
The authors share their conclusions but offered zero facts from which they were based. The article suggested the funding formula be changed because the city schools (according to them) were not using their money effectively. The State of Missouri took over the city school district several years ago. If there is something wrong with the district, it’s the state’s fault. That’s not a good reason to change policy for the other 523 school districts.
The Missouri K-12 budget is short some 500 million dollars.To suggest that the legislature give out tax credits worsens the problem.
Perhaps since these doctoral fellows are working from Arkansas, they aren’t familiar with public education in the state of Missouri and have no idea about what’s going with the St. Louis Public Schools. But likely they do. We know the authors are KIPP school promoters. KIPP, like Imagine, is a corporate school operator. Like any business, they are motivated by profits. They make promises and take over schools. They selectively weed out the underperforming kids and your left with the same problems and a lot less money.
The legislature must deal with the state’s education funding formula. They also have a challenge dealing with the St. Louis Public School District since they took it over. These simple solutions offered by those with corporate agendas will only help their shareholders.
Mike Heins Concord/SouthCounty
