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Tag Archives: K-12

Just another grift

28 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by Michael Bersin in Congress, Mark Alford, social media

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

4th Congressional District, defunding public education, former newsreader, grift, K-12, Mark Alford, missouri, Public Education, right wingnut, sycophant, that ridiculous hat

Mark Alford (r) [2024 file photo].

Today:

Congressman Mark Alford
[January 28, 2025]
It’s National School Choice Week. Parents deserve to make choices that work best for their children’s education.
We will continue to support policy that keeps parents in the driver’s seat, so they can make the best decisions for their family!
[….]

Think about all those small rural school districts.

Some of the responses:

It’s national Defund Public Schools Week, bootlicker.

How’s it feel to be made totally irrelevant? And WE are still paying for your golf trips [….]

Parents are free to pay tuition and send their child to any private or religious school they want. Or to move to another public school district.
The US or Missouri spends one tax dollar on a religious or private school and I vote no on every bond issue from now on.

How about allowing choices of not having the 10 commandments or prayer crammed down our children’s throats in public schools Mark?

that’s not what he stands for. He thinks we should all be Christian nationalists.

You are Missourians biggest joke yet,trump patsy

TRUMP to put a 25% tariff on all semi conductors from Taiwan.
Doesn’t he realize it takes 3-5 years to ramp up production in the United States? (The TSMC lab in Arizona has been under construction for almost 10 years)
One of the many ironies of tariffs, especially “to protect domestic manufacturing”, is that they make lots of domestic manufacturers worse by raising input costs.
Get ready for increased prices, increased layoffs at factories.
Oh and get ready for another shortage of new cars, too.
Is this the Golden Age???

The Project 2025 plan is to destroy American education.
Why?
Isn’t that what Communist China did? Get rid of the educated people first?

By “school choice”, Mark means getting taxpayers to fund religious indoctrination centers….

ANother MAGA attack on Democracy.
“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

Stop taking money from public schools, and giving it to private, religious schools.

Otherwise known as “Defund Public Schools.” Let’s further underfund public education and put our rural schools districts, 2/3s are already in four day weeks due to poor funding, at further risk.
The rural areas continue to vote for politicians who gut our rural communities; politicians that cut funding for public education, make sure the child care deserts never get aid, and let rural hospitals close.

Make sure you thank the mango menace for cutting funding authorized by congress. I guess mark and crew are good with giving up their power and responsibilities and letting him overstep again. Ya’all should be happy.

There will be no choice for rural schoolchildren, they will just lose funding.

for a guy that campaigned so heavily in rural Missouri you would think Congressman Mark Alford would have heard that message loud and clear. Apparently those voices in DC just mean more to him. [….] rural schools be damned.

Make their own choice, but not with taxpayer money.

Just like the water ,in Henry county,you knew it was contaminated , talk about someone in the drivers seat , because it’s not you! What parent would want you to keep children safe , when you did nothing for their water systems!

called his Raymore office this morning and according to the lady who answered the phone. This isn’t Alfords problem. It’s a state and local issue not federal. So Henry County residents your Congressman doesn’t care unless there is a camera and microphone close.

FOR ANYONE WHO USES MEALS ON WHEELS.
Trump just cut their grants. Dont know when the money will be re-started.
Meal delivery can be impacted as soon as next Monday.
Call your members of Congress TODAY.

School choice means you’re paying for rich peoples private schools for their children while poor children get the shaft.

How were disabled kids treated in the “Golden Age” Mark?
sent to “workshops” instead of schools where they worked for pennies a day.
My uncle made Levelor blinds and made maybe $1 a day. For a multi billion dollar business.

And for folks in Missouri‘a rural areas, what choice do they have? This is a joke. You have no clue how to help education, but you’d rather not have an educated electorate, either. You want serfs, not citizens.

The people of Missouri deserve more than a yes man , do you have any original ideas?

School choice is only for those WITH a choice. Most don’t. How many choices in your district Mark?

How about school lunches? How about Head Start? What Mark nothing?
Pull your head up and quit licking Shittler!

Marky Mark, just STFU

Public education is the third rail of rural Missouri politics, Mark.

Dumbass.

Everywhere for everyone, all the time

17 Sunday Sep 2023

Posted by Michael Bersin in social media

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Tags

Jess Piper, K-12, missouri, organizing, Public Education

Jess Piper (D) [2023 file photo].

This is how it’s done:

Piper For Missouri
[September 16, 2023]
While a certain sitting senator was busy blow torching a “woke agenda”, I drove five hours to speak to over 100 of his constituents about what he has done to their local schools…
We will win.

Campaign Finance: among the many benefits of a classical education

22 Friday Jul 2022

Posted by Michael Bersin in campaign finance

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

K-12, missouri, Missouri Ethics Commission, PAC, Public Education, right wingnuts

One would probably understand the meaning of “oxymoron'”

Today at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

C222160 07/22/2022 Gladius PAC Quality Schools Coalition 1100 Main St. 4th Floor Kansas City MO 64108 7/22/2022 $25,000.00

Something, something, charter school, something, K-12, something.

Previously:

Campaign Finance: sure, go ahead, name your new PAC after a Roman sword (June 24, 2022)

This is Missouri

15 Wednesday Jun 2022

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

gun violence, guns, K-12, missouri, Public Education, Terrorism

Today:

Cody Holyoke @CodyKMBC
[….] TEN districts have now cancelled summer school/district activities today because of a mass shooting threat in Blue Springs:
Blue Springs
Lee’s Summit R7
Independence
Fort Osage
Grain Valley
Oak Grove
Odessa
Lone Jack
Hickman Mills
KC Int’l Academy

Updates on @kmbc
[….]
8:18 AM · Jun 15, 2022

21st Century American exceptionalism, eh?

No surprise

30 Sunday May 2021

Posted by Michael Bersin in Missouri General Assembly

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Tags

audit, education, funding, General Assembly, K-12, missouri, Nicole Galloway, State Auditor

“…In Missouri, state funding accounts for about 32% of per-student funding. That places Missouri at 49th nationally for percentage of school resources coming from state funding. As a result, schools rely heavily on local sources like property taxes to fund schools…”

State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) [2019 file photo].

Priorities.

On Thursday:

Auditor Galloway’s examination of K-12 school funding trends finds Missouri ranks 49th in school funding from state resources
Unlike most other states, Missouri schools rely heavily on local sources to fund classrooms; Foundation Formula funding has not grown with inflation
05/27/2021

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released a report that examined funding trends in K-12 education in the state. The report found Missouri ranks near the bottom for the portion of classroom funding that comes from state sources and the formula calculating per-student funding has not kept up with inflation.

“The state is not stepping up to meet the needs of students in Missouri, shifting the burden and leaving Missourians paying higher property taxes to support their schools,” Auditor Galloway said. “The opportunity for a quality education is key to ensuring economic growth. My report details the facts that can spur change at the state level so we no longer rank at the bottom when it comes to supporting schools.”

The report looked at the portion of school funding that comes from state sources. In Missouri, state funding accounts for about 32% of per-student funding. That places Missouri at 49th nationally for percentage of school resources coming from state funding. As a result, schools rely heavily on local sources like property taxes to fund schools.

The issue of Missourians carrying a greater tax burden at the local level was first discussed by Auditor Galloway in a report released in February 2018 that examined the state’s annual budgeting process. That report found 68 percent of local school districts had seen an increase in reliance on local funding over the past 10 years.

The report also looked at funding provided through the State Adequacy Target (SAT), the mechanism used to determine whether the state has met its obligation to fund schools. This funding has not kept up with inflation.

The report looked at 10 years of data and found that from 2013-2017, the state did not meet its per-student funding obligation, a number that is based on average operating expenditures of the 25 top-performing school districts. Changes were made to the formula to cap growth and limit increases. While these changes have resulted in the formula being fully funded, the current formula to calculate the amount distributed has not kept up with inflation.

[….]

The audit.

We’re 49th! We’re 49th! We’re 49th…

HB 2229: if there is no football there will be no marching band

01 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

HB 2229, K-12, missouri, sports, Steve Cookson

A bill, filed today by Representative Steve Cookson(r):

SECOND REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL NO. 2229

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE COOKSON.

6453L.01I         D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk

AN ACT

To amend chapter 160, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to school-supported sports.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:

           Section A. Chapter 160, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 160.2525, to read as follows:

           160.2525. 1. Within six months after a school district first scores less than seventy-five percent of the available points on its annual performance report and, if applicable, within six months after the state board of education classifies a district as unaccredited or provisionally accredited, the school board or governing body of the district shall consider the issue of whether to continue to offer school-supported sports.

           2. The meeting required under subsection 1 of this section shall be open under chapter 610, held after 5:30 p.m., and may be part of a regular meeting. The agenda shall allow at least one hour for testimony from the public. If the school district has issued a revenue bond for the construction of an athletic facility under section 164.231, the district shall disclose the financial implications as verified by the school audit of continuing or discontinuing school-supported sports at the meeting.

           3. The school board or governing body shall vote on the issue of whether to continue to offer school-supported sports within thirty business days after the hearing required under subsection 1 of this section is concluded.

[emphasis in original]

Interesting. Shouldn’t the question really be about the relationship among extra-curricular, co-curricular, and/or curricular activities? Just asking.

HB 2091: micromanaging readin’, ‘ritin’, an’ ‘rithmatic

06 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Michael Bersin in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Caleb Jones, Common Core, education, General Assembly, HB 2091, K-12, missouri

A bill on banning “common core” in Missouri, filed yesterday by Representative Caleb Jones (r):

SECOND REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL NO. 2091

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES JONES (50) (Sponsor), SPENCER, ANDERSON, FITZWATER, DAVIS, FUNDERBURK, HICKS, GUERNSEY, REHDER, KOENIG, ROSS, RICHARDSON, HAAHR, FRAKER AND MESSENGER (Co-sponsors).

5672H.02I      D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk

AN ACT

To repeal sections 160.514, 160.518, 160.526, 160.820, and 161.092, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof five new sections relating to common core educational standards.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:

[….]

5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary:

           (1) The state board of education shall not implement or take any action relating to common core standards;

           (2) No school district shall adopt common core standards to provide instruction in the essential knowledge and skills required for each grade level; and

           (3) No school district or open-enrollment charter school shall adopt a curricular framework or materials derived from the common core state standards and shall not accept public or private money for the purchasing of materials to support a common core standards curriculum.

           6. Any actions taken by the state board of education prior to August 28, 2014 that are in violation of section 160.514, 160.518, or 160.526 shall be considered null and void.

           7. For the purposes of this chapter, the term “common core standards” shall mean the standards developed by the common core state standards initiative.

….The state board of education shall not adopt or develop a criterion-referenced assessment instrument under this section that is based on common core standards. The statewide assessment shall measure, where appropriate by grade level, a student’s knowledge of academic subjects including, but not limited to, reading skills, writing skills, mathematics skills, world and American history, forms of government, geography and science.

           2. The assessment system shall only permit the academic performance of students in each school in the state to be tracked against prior academic performance in the same school and shall not be reproduced or duplicated in any form for reporting to educational entities that are not funded by this state.

[….]

2. The state board of education shall consider any memorandum of agreement with any assessment consortium funded by the United States Department of Education null and void by legislative action, and shall by contract enlist the assistance of such national experts, [as approved by the commission established pursuant to section 160.510,] to receive reports, advice and counsel on a regular basis pertaining to the validity and reliability of the statewide assessment system.

[….]

[emphasis in original]

Do we detect that all too common twitch of tentherism in this legislation? Just asking.

“In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made School Boards.”

– Following the Equator; Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar

The republican controlled General Assembly is a school board, only with more people and a nicer meeting place.  

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