Missouri School Administrators PAC 2012 questionaire

1. Whether it is in the form of a voucher or a tax credit, do you support the use of
public money being spent to allow students to attend private schools? 
Nope.

Please explain:
Budget is tight enough without paying people to go to private school. There might be room for exception for low income families.


2. Do you support the full funding of the state foundation formula? If so, what are your thoughts on ways that the state can attain this goal? 
Kinda.

Please explain:
I don't think education is the state's priority when approximately one of ten people are unemployed. That said we can look for opportunities to fund projects that both educate and employ.


3. Do you support.requiring tax credit programs to be subject to the appropriations
process?
Yes

Please explain:
The loopholes in these programs are being exploited and there isn't any oversight. It is horrible to think that there is any consideration cutting education programs while this money suck gets relatively no attention.


4. Do you support requiring all tax credit programs to be periodically reviewed and
renewed to ensure the program is an effective use of state tax dollars?
yes
Please explain:
I think virtually everything should have a sunset clause. But as I said these programs need oversight.

5. Do you support taking independence away from the Missouri State High School
Activities Association in favor of greater state control? 
depends
Please explain:
I don't know a lot about the funding of sports programs because I don't really get the appeal. Before
making a decision I'd have to figure out how well the MSHSAA is running the program and think of
a way the state could do better or regulate the MSHSAA to improve it.

6. Do you support a state mandate that requires a majority of the criteria in teacher evaluations be based on academic performance of their students?€
Nope
Please explain: 
I think academic performance is a way to teach students to hate learning. I think learning should be based around teaching students to make a living from their passions and talents.


7. Should a student in the state of Missouri be allowed to attend any school in the state regardless of where that student physically resides?
nope

Please explain:

I can think of some scenarios to where I would like to see exceptions but my fear would be that children of privilege will be shuffled around to create a new "separate but equal" school system.


8. Do you support consolidating the Public School Retlrement System with other
state retirement svstems?
Probably Not

Please explain:
Putting all our eggs in one basket makes me nervous. The difference in pay off would have to be significantly better and certain.


9. Do you support the expansion of charter schools as an alternative to traditional
public schools?
Yes
Please explain:

I don't think charter schools are the answer but they are closer to what I see as the answer. America's economic future is based on our ability to raise creative and business savvy children. We currently have
an employee culture. Have an invention and call the number on your screen culture. Missouri will have more
innovators than any other state when our citizens are not only trained to recognize a good idea but how to create their own business around it instead of sitting on it until some fantasy employer hires them or buys it
off of them.


10. In order to implement innovative approaches to education, do you support lifting
administrative burdens and state mandates on school districts?
Yes
Please explain

 As I described above, I don't think the one size fits all approach will work in the future economy. Our ability to prosper will be only as diverse as our educational backgrounds.

MSTA Impact questionaire

Persona! information: (Please include any information you would like to potentially share with our members such as whether or not you have children or grandchildren or connections with education, as well as clubs, community service and other leadership positions of interest. Attach separate information sheet if necessary.)
I always had a love of learning but I realize not every kid wants to double up on sciences instead of taking a study hall.
Fun Facts; I was part of a progressive newspaper (editorial staff/ cartoonist) and I used to be part of the Triton Troopers Circus

Have you ever taught, or do you have relatives who teach? Who? Where?
One of my wife's conditions was that we continue home-schooling the kids as her ex insisted. So I home school. Also her bestie was a teacher of the year nom.


1. ln May 2007, the Missouri Supreme Court decided that public employees could bargain collectively, but left specifics open to interpretation by the Legislature. Should traditional bargaining practices such as strikes,
exclusive representation and binding arbitration be part of public employee bargaining for teachers?

Strikes- support

exclusive representation-

Binding arbitration- Oppose

I left exclusive representation open because I support the district by district voting for representation but I'm open to other solutions to strengthen negotiations for teachers

2. ln the past, bills have been introduced in the Missouri Legislature to establish vouchers, tuition tax credits

and tuition tax deductions for parents who choose to educate their children in private schools. What is your

position on these issues?

Vouchers-oppose

Tuition Tax Credits-oppose

Tuition Tax Deductions-oppose

These vouchers seem like a tax break for people who can already afford private school. I might be open to an exception for low income families but I would need some evidence that the private school is more than a status symbol

3. Open enrollment allows students to attend any public school in Missouri, including schools outside their home school district. Would you support legislation allowing open enrollment in Missouri?

Oppose

I would support a limited open enrollment in such cases as districts with overcrowding. My concern is that some parents will use open enrollment to avoid exposing their children to diversity and create a throwback to separate but equal.

4. Charter schools are limited by statute to operate only within Kansas City and St. Louis School Districts. Would you support changing charter school legislation to allow for charter schools statewide?

Support though my goal is to make all schools more like charter schools and take it even beyond that. 

All sectors (of the U.S. economy) are counting on Americans to be innovators but don't want to allow children to have teachers that are innovators as role models.

I want to see independent entrepreneurs not just worker drones 

5. Career Ladder is a program that allows teachers in participating school districts to earn stipends for work done beyond regular classroom duties including student tutoring, parent contact, professional development, and mentoring. The stipends are paid with funds from both the state and the local school district and range from$1500 to $5000 based on the number of hours worked and the teacher's level of education. Due to budget shortfalls, the state hasn't funded Career Ladder since 2010. Do you support the Career Ladder Program?

I support but understand the reality of the budget. Funding has recently been cut for services for the blind for example. Ladder is a low priority but I would seek guarantees for the program to continue once revenues are increased.

6. Teacher salaries are paid based on years of experience and the teacher's level of education (bachelors,

master, doctorate, etc.) Do you support this method of paying teachers?

Support

I would also support consideration for teachers of special needs. Specifically where behavior is an issue. This is what the military calls hazard pay.

7. ln Missouri, teachers are granted tenure in their sixth consecutive year of working in a single school district.Tenure grants teachers due process in the event they are terminated. Do you support due process for

teachers?

Support

My understanding is that the problem isn't due process- it's that principals don't want to go through the hassle of firing teachers that deserve it.

8. Currently the State Board of Education consists of eight lay members. A change has been proposed for the Board to be made up of nine members: six lay members, one active superintendent, one active principal an done active classroom teacher. Do you support allowing practicing educators to serve on the State Board of Education?

Support

As long as there is a mechanism to control overt conflicts of interest

9. lf elected, what (if any) would be among the first bills you would sponsor or cosponsor?

Education Bill:

If the "Don't Say Gay" or "intelligent Design" bills are passed before I take office I will sponsor their repeal

Non-Education Bill:

Because I expect Democrats to still be in the minority and I don't know what the zeitgeist will be in January, I can't say for certain, but marriage equality and decriminalize/deprioritieze marijuana are on the wish list.

10. lf elected. what would be your committee assignment preference?

General Laws, Elections, Utilities, and Elementary & Secondary education

11. What do you believe is the number one issue facing Missourians?

The Economy. That is a little generic only because issues such as jobs, health care, and foreclosure are so intertwined.

12. What do you believe is the number one issue facing education?

Ultimately the goal of education has become to prep kids for the workforce. I think this is misguided. The goal should be to make kids able to go into business for themselves. Not only is this a more ambitious philosophy it reflects a post-etsy/post-kickstarter generation.

Any Additional Comments:

I am an idea generator, and as my understanding of the challenges of education deepens, the amount of solutions I throw out there will grow exponentially. http://www.electladendorf.us

Term Limit Pledge

This Blog was starting to look more cartoonist than political. I've been Obsessively rewriting the policy pages and it's really taken away from the blog (other than my webcomic Crawlers). Meanwhile I have been getting buries under mail from different PACs. So for the time being between updates of Crawlers I will be posting my responses to these mailings (which they didn't send me when I was in the Green/Progressive Party).
This first one as you can see is for term limits. As I've said before (I think on MySpace back in 2009) I think term limits are a bad idea that's time has come. What I mean by that is two year terms are what is supposed to keep politicians from getting corrupt, but that doesn't seem to be working.
If you notice the image above I crossed out "pledge" and replaced with "plan". I did this in part because I am anti-pledge. Pledges are McCarthy-esque over simplification that are designed to eliminate nuance. Yeah I know nuance is the refuge of a scoundrel but it is also where you find common ground. I'm against the political dynamic of finding the most extreme candidates from either side and seeing who can take over government. I am for finding people of differing ideas discussing policy and taking the best aspects of everyone's ideas.
The other part of me being against this pledge is that term limits are only a good idea until we can figure out what to do about the money gap in politics. If politicians were not overwhelmed with lobbyist, I would entrust the voters to limit political careers by voting for their rivals.
As a matter of principle I might have taken the position that lobbyist be damned, it still comes down to voters, term limits are anti-voter. But honestly I think most voters are for the term limits in place. Though Sara Lampe supporters may disagree with me on this...

www.electladendorf.us

CRAWLERS Intermission 3

Intermission 3