Education Archives - Missourinet

Missouri’s governor touts state government restructuring; says DED is being outperformed by other states

March 20, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor says a proposed state government reorganization plan is scheduled to take effect on August 28th. Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, updated the Capitol Press Corps on the restructuring plan during a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (at podium) briefs Capitol reporters about his state government reorganization plan on March 19, 2019 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of the governor’s office)

The restructuring involves four state agencies, primarily the state Department of Economic Development (DED). Monday was the end of the 60-day period in which Missouri lawmakers could vote to oppose the proposal, and that didn’t happen.

Governor Parson is praising the Legislature.

“And I want to thank the Legislature for their support of our efforts to improve state government and make Missouri the best in the Midwest,” Parson tells Capitol reporters.

The proposal involves moving DED’s Division of Workforce Development to the Department of Higher Education and several other moves, which Parson says will allow DED to focus entirely on economic development.

The restructuring plan also involves returning the Division of Energy from DED to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and making the Missouri Arts Council part of the Lieutenant Governor’s office. It would also move the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Office of Public Counsel to the newly-named Department of Commerce and Insurance.

Governor Parson says Missouri is not competitive with neighboring states, adding that Missouri’s DED houses more functions than any of its Midwest peers.

Parson says the Show-Me State ranks 14th among its Midwest peer states in gross domestic product (GDP) and eighth for wage growth. He says it ranks ninth for job growth.

The governor says the plan will focus DED.

“We must do a better job clearly identifying expectations and priorities, and ensure our agencies are structured in the best way to meet those goals,” says Parson.

Parson says DED has 865 full-time employees, more than any of its Midwest peers.

Missouri DED Director Rob Dixon joined Governor Parson at Tuesday’s press conference. Dixon says other Midwest states are outperforming his agency in nearly every measure, including workforce development.

Dixon backs the governor’s state government restructuring plan, saying that when everything is a priority, “nothing is a priority.”

“In economic development, Missouri is not competitive in economic development with other states and we had to take action or we’re going to continue that negative trend line,” Dixon tells reporters.

Governor Parson says DED has had seven directors in the past decade.

State Sen. Jeanie Riddle, R-Mokane, and State Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, also spoke at the press conference. Riddle and Fitzwater both praise the reorganization plan.

MU fires police officer for blackface incident in “swift and decisive” action

March 19, 2019 By Missourinet Contributor

-updated

University of Missouri leaders terminated MU Police Officer Marcus Collins Tuesday after leaders verified a photo of Collins in blackface.

A university spokesman says Collins acknowledged that he was the individual in the picture and that it was prior to his employment with the police department.

“This type of behavior is not tolerated at Mizzou, and we understand how this impacts our entire community profoundly,” MU Chancellor Alexander N. Cartwright said in a press release. “Racism, hate and insensitive behavior have no place on our campus. We are committed to our values of respect, responsibility, discovery, and excellence, and to making our campus a place where everyone feels welcome and protected.”

University spokesman Christian Basi says the termination happened within hours of the university getting the photo from an anonymous source.

“It is actions like these taken by our leadership that are swift and decisive when something like this happens, that tells our campus community that we value everyone very much,” Basi told Missourinet Tuesday.

Racial tension and protests hurt enrollment after 2015 when the university system president and the chancellor of the Columbia campus resigned.

Basi says the university and its chief diversity officer have made significant progress in creating a climate that is inclusive where everyone can feel safe. He cites recent freshman enrollment, which increased by 13 percent in 2018.

“We had a significant rise last year and are expecting another significant rise this coming year,” he says.

According to campus-based newspaper Missourian, the 2018 freshman class also includes 30.5 percent more students from minority backgrounds than the 2017 class.

2019 Missouri legislative session’s first half is praised by Speaker Haahr

March 19, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s House Speaker says the 2019 session’s first half has been successful. Lawmakers have left Jefferson City for their spring break, and won’t return to the Statehouse until Monday.

Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith (right) and House Speaker Elijah Haahr brief Capitol reporters on March 6, 2019 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, briefed the Capitol Press Corps on Thursday. He addressed numerous topics, including job growth, workforce development, transportation and criminal justice reform.

Haahr says the House has given final approval to 70 bills, adding that economic growth remains a top priority for House Republicans.

“We’ve passed four separate workforce development proposals,” Haahr says. “Obviously those were a priority for our members as well as for the executive branch.”

The House has voted 101-49 to approve one of Governor Mike Parson’s (R) top priorities, called the “Fast Track” program. The legislation, which is sponsored by State Rep. Kathy Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, is aimed at adults who are working toward a certification, undergraduate degree or a credential for a high-demand occupation.

The “Fast Track” bill is now in the Senate.

Meantime, Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith’s (R-Carthage) proposal to use $100 million in general revenue for the state road fund has the support of Speaker Haahr.

“We’ve had some fruitful discussions with both Senate leadership and the governor’s office on reaching an agreement, and I think those discussions will continue and I’m hopeful,” says Haahr.

The governor’s office has said they’re confident that a final transportation agreement with lawmakers is possible, before the end of session in May. Chairman Smith says the state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has paid more than $700 million in debt payments in the past two years.

Speaker Haahr also supports the concept of a proposed constitutional amendment that would reduce the House’s size in Jefferson City. Haahr says the proposal from State Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, is a “great idea as far as conceptually.”

“This is something that we’ve discussed for a long time. The House body (163 members) is the fourth-largest in the country. I think it’s something we need to at least consider going forward to how we streamline some of our procedures, and I think his is a good starting point for that discussion,” Haahr says, in response to a question from Missourinet.

Missouri currently has 197 lawmakers, although there are two current House vacancies. Fitzwater’s proposed constitutional amendment would decrease the House’s size from 163 to 136.

If lawmakers approve the plan, it would be placed on the November 2020 statewide ballot.

While Democrats are outnumbered in the Missouri House by a 114-47 margin, the House Minority Leader says their efforts have led the Department of Revenue (DOR) to “abandon its false cover story of a withholding error.”

Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, also briefed Capitol reporters on Thursday. Leader Quade says Democrats pre-filed a tax bill in December, to force the conversation.

“Our efforts to bring awareness to the surprise tax bills countless Missourians are being hit with under the Trump tax law changes count as a major accomplishment for the Democrats this session,” says Quade.

The withholding issue has been the topic of four hearings conducted by the bipartisan Missouri House Special Committee on Government Oversight, and DOR Director Joel Walters is resigning on Friday.

Quade is calling on her House colleagues to approve legislation from State Rep. Dean Dohrman, R-La Monte, which would prevent penalties for delayed payments on outstanding income tax liabilities for the 2018 tax year.

Criminal justice reform has also been a key issue for Quade and House Democrats. Haahr notes the House has already approved six separate criminal justice reform bills. They have strong bipartisan support in the House.

The final day of the 2019 legislative session is Friday May 17.

Controversial Missouri daycare files appeal in attempt to remain open

March 18, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A St. Louis-area daycare has appealed the state’s intentions of closing the place after security video released last month showed a worker throwing a three-year-old against a cabinet. An employee at Brighter Day Care and Preschool in Pine Lawn has been fired and has been charged with child abuse in connection to the incident. Online court records state that Wilma Brown, 27, is being held without bond.

Wilma Brown

The victim had to have seven stitches on her head.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services spokesperson Lisa Cox tells Missourinet the attorney for the daycare has sent a fax to the department appealing the decision to revoke the daycare’s license at the end of this month. Attorney Timothy Smith has also requested a hearing before the Administration Hearing Commission about the matter. Cox says the commission will schedule a hearing.

The department has 90 days to file a complaint with the commission.

Brighter Day Care and Preschool will be allowed to continue operating during the appeals process.

During a press conference this month at the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Gov. Mike Parson condemned the allegations against the daycare.

“There is a number of quality daycare centers that do a great job every day. However, one case of abuse is too many,” the governor said.

Parson also announced the creation of a childcare work group that aims to ensure safe and quality care for Missouri children attending daycare sites.

“After seeing the horrific video last week at the Brighter Day Care in St. Louis and videos from multiple cases in recent weeks, we can do more to hold people accountable and work to prevent future incidents,” he says.

The group is charged with making recommendations to the governor by June 1.

Missouri Representative wants more focus on funding financial aid programs

March 14, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

State Representative Kip Kendrick, D-Columbia, is concerned about creating the governor’s proposed Fast Track program when he says Missouri’s three college financial aid programs are significantly underfunded. Bright Flight, A+ and Access Missouri are the state’s current programs.

State Rep. Kip Kendrick

“Access Missouri – this is our only need-based aid program in the state of Missouri. It’s currently being funded at 72 percent,” says Kendrick, the ranking Democrat on the state House’s Budget Committee.

Republican Governor Mike Parson’s Fast Track financial aid program would provide tuition assistance to eligible Missourians to get or grow into high-paying, high-demand fields like advanced manufacturing, computer science, and healthcare.

Kendrick says Parson’s program could cost more than $22 million – a number Parson announced during January’s State of the State Address.

Kendrick wants to move $12 million from the proposed Fast Track program to Access Missouri.

“It would bring funding (of Access Missouri) up to around 84 percent. That’s still significantly underfunded and that’s money coming directly out of the pockets of some of our lowest-income individuals attempting to improve their lives and escape poverty by obtaining higher education,” says Kendrick.

He goes on to say the Fast Track program has some merit.

Missouri’s Nobel Prize winner decides where his award money will go

March 13, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Last October, retired University of Missouri professor and 2018 Nobel Prize winner George Smith said he would donate his prize money “in a way that would indirectly honor the award”. Smith – the school’s first-ever Nobel Prize winner – has announced that he will give the money to support students in the university’s College of Arts and Science. A press release from the university says Smith’s gift of more than $243,000 will create a new scholarship for the college’s students.

Mizzou Professor George Smith waves to the crowd at Faurot Field in Columbia on November 10, 2018, before receiving an award from Governor Mike Parson (left). Smith won the 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry (file photo from Bill Greenblatt/UPI)

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Smith and two other researchers the Nobel Prize for chemistry by “harnessing the power of evolution”. Smith developed a method with the goal of producing new prescription drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. Since then, it has also produced anti-bodies that can counteract autoimmune diseases and cure metastatic cancer, which spreads to other parts of the body.

Smith was a Mizzou professor for about 40 years in the Division of Biological Sciences.

Missouri House set to debate private college campus security legislation (AUDIO)

March 11, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that would allow Missouri’s private colleges and universities to employ police officers on-campus is expected to go before the Missouri House in Jefferson City this week, possibly on Monday.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr speaks to Capitol reporters on February 7, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

College of the Ozarks (C of O) in southwest Missouri’s Point Lookout supports the bill, and the college’s Operation Head for Crisis Management, Kurt McDonald, traveled to the Statehouse in February to testify for the bill. McDonald says it’s because of what he calls the too-often threat of an active shooter.

“Actually last year, in part of ’17 and the first part of 2018, there was a school shooting (in the United States) every month from October through June except for one month, which is terrible,” McDonald says.

McDonald notes the bill is not a mandate, and would give private colleges and universities the option.

House Bill 105 is sponsored by State Rep. Jeff Justus, R-Branson. McDonald testified in February before the House Higher Education Committee, which approved it on a bipartisan 9-0 vote.

McDonald tells Missourinet that College of the Ozarks’ Point Lookout campus is about 30 minutes away from Taney County Sheriff’s deputies in Forsyth.

“I don’t want to be the person that calls a parent in the loss of a student, and this is a way that we can put another level of protection by being our own first responders,” says McDonald.

McDonald emphasizes his respect for Taney County Sheriff’s deputies, saying this is all about response time.

Bill supporters say it would help ensure campus safety and would require a professionalism for campus security. Under Justus’ bill, the officers must take an oath of office and finish police officer training to obtain a peace officer license.

Representative Justus, Mr. McDonald and a group known as “Independent Colleges and Universities of Missouri” testified for the bill in February. While there was no testimony against the bill during the House committee hearing, McDonald says some Missouri police chiefs oppose it. He says he’s not sure why.

Justus’ three-page bill exempts any Missouri private college or university “located in a home rule city with more than one hundred fifty-five thousand but fewer than two hundred thousand inhabitants.” The House website notes that currently only applies to Springfield.

Click here to listen to the full five-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Kurt McDonald with College of the Ozarks, which was recorded on March 8, 2019:

Troubled St. Louis County daycare faces possible closure

March 4, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri has taken steps that could close a St. Louis County daycare by March 31 where security video reportedly shows an employee tossing a three-year-old against a cabinet. The worker in the February video reported that the girl fell. The child had to have seven stitches on her head.

From left: Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten, DHSS Director Randall Williams, Gov. Mike Parson, DSS Director Steve Corsi, and DESE Commissioner Margie Vandeven gather for March 4 press conference.

During a press conference today at the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Gov. Mike Parson and other agency officials say the state is working to revoke the license and terminate its agreement with Brighter Day Care and Preschool in Pine Lawn.

“There is a number of quality daycare centers that do a great job every day. However, one case of abuse is too many,” says the governor.

The daycare could appeal.

During the course of the police investigation, authorities learned a second worker allegedly harmed another child last month. Video reportedly shows the employee squeezing a four-year-old girl’s arm and carrying the child by her foot.

Two employees face child abuse charges. Wilma Brown, 27, has been charged for the incident in which the three-year-old was thrown against furniture. The other worker, Ariana Silver, 22, is accused of puncturing the second girl’s skin.

Online court records state that Brown is being held without bond and she was served a warrant today. Silver’s bond has been set at $50,000.

Coordination is underway to help families shuffle their kids to other providers.

“About 180 of them draw some sort of subsidies,” says Parson. “We’re well aware of the hardship that could occur. We have a plan in place to make sure we take care of those kids and those parents.”

Parson has also announced the creation of a childcare work group that aims to ensure safe and quality care for Missouri children attending daycare sites.

The group is charged with making recommendations to the governor by June 1.

Missouri official’s community, funny hats help to clinch ‘America’s Favorite Crossing Guard’ contest

March 4, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A mid-Missouri man who wears several hats, both figuratively and literally, is this year’s winner of America’s Favorite Crossing Guard through SafeKids.org. Lyn Woolford has been a crossing guard at Southern Boone Schools in Ashland for almost six years. He also serves as the city’s police chief, traffic director, city administrator and building code leader.

Lyn Woolford

Woolford tells Missourinet he started as police chief with his goal being to solve a community problem.

“I’m not sure the police department had the greatest reputation in the city. So, I wanted to make some changes. I thought, if I could find a problem and solve it, that would be a good way to introduce what maybe the community could expect from me,” he says.

Woolford set out and then noticed a major traffic headache near school before and after classes. That’s when his school crossing guard career launched.
“I started out just standing in the middle of the street directing traffic so that it would flow efficiently. Then also when the kids were walking to school, we could get everybody stopped and get the kids through the intersection safely. It worked. Once people got to understand to know my signals, everything was pretty fluid,” he says.

Woolford thought he’d take his traffic signaling to the next level by having some fun at the same time. Not only can you find him directing traffic on school days, but you can also find him performing this role while wearing one of his 55 quirky hats.

Woolford started buying hats for different occasions and holidays. Then the townspeople began pitching in. He now has one decorated with a pizza, another with a taco and one with a parrot.

Woolford’s talented police clerk knits quite the hats for him each year. He says two of the most eye-catching ones feature a chicken with the legs hanging down and another is a Viking hat with horns and a beard going down to his waist.

He says his goal was to lighten the mood during what can be a stressful time of the school day.

“It’s really popular with the people, with the kids,” he says. “It’s so much fun to see a car coming and people waving and smiling just because ‘What’s he got on today?’”

Woolford was nominated for America’s Favorite Crossing Guard by a local parent and the community agreed with the move. His hats might have done the trick to put him over the top and win the nationwide contest consisting of 169 nominations from 31 states.

“The community just really came together for me getting their friends to vote and relatives. It probably became a regional vote more than just the community here,” he says.

The top five competitors also had to write a letter and share with the judges why they should win.

The competition was intense. The first and second place winners were separated by only about 50 votes. The runner up has been a crossing guard for 50 years in a much bigger community in Maryland.

“It means a lot to me, that we were able to get this,” Woolford says. “Not only just obtain the money, but the recognition of what a great community that we have here to pull together – a town of 5,000.”

For clinching the top honor, the school district has been awarded $10,000 to use for road safety projects. Woolford’s award is knowing that everyone gets to and from school safely.

Ex-Missouri professor is accused of stealing and selling student’s invention

February 28, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

A lawsuit has been filed alleging a former University of Missouri-Kansas City pharmacy professor stole a student’s research and secretly sold the work for $1.5 million. According to the Kansas City Star, the suit says the sale has the potential of earning $10 million additional dollars in royalties over the next five years.

Dr. Ashim Mitra (Photo courtesy of UMKC)

The pharmaceutical invention would treat dry eye – one the university says could be a billion-dollar drug.

According to the newspaper, a UMKC spokesman says university policy allows the inventor to get a third of the money in current and future royalties. UMKC and the University of Missouri system gets the other two thirds.

The lawsuit attempts to strip Dr. Ashim Mitra of any claim to share because he reportedly violated university policy by allegedly making a secret deal with two drug companies.

Mitra is the same professor accused of threatening to revoke the visas of some of his international students if they did not work as his personal servants. They allegedly did chores at his home, mowed Mitra’s lawn, took care of his dog and helped at his social functions, sometimes for weeks.

The newspaper says Mitra denies the new allegations and claims the school is trying to cash in on his hard work.

In January, he submitted his resignation. It takes effect March 31.