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Next week’s mass vaccination events in Missouri have been scheduled

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Next week’s state-organized mass vaccination events in Missouri have been scheduled

Missouri has posted details about next week’s state-organized mass coronavirus vaccination events. Clay, Scotland, Henry, Jefferson, Jasper, Cape Girardeau, Cooper, Harrison, and Crawford Counties plan to hold clinics. Most of the events are for first-round shots.

There are also currently still openings for Saturday’s vaccination event in northern Missouri’s Unionville from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Missouri’s vaccination plan currently allows health care workers, long-term care staff and patients, first responders, those ages 65 and older, and ones with certain health conditions to get immunized.

For more information about these events, go to mostopscovid.com/events.

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Missouri House narrowly passes private schooling tax credit bill

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After years of attempts, the GOP-controlled state House has passed a bill that would allow donors to provide scholarships for students to attend a private Missouri K-12 school. In return, those donors would get state tax credits equal to the amount of their gift. The scholarships could also be used for tutoring, school supplies, and computer gear. The plan could cost the state up to $75 million annually.

Rep. Phil Christofanelli (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

House Bill 349 passed Thursday with 82 “yes” votes – the minimum number required for approval. There were 71 Representatives who opposed it. The House of Representatives is currently made up of 162 members.

Under the bill, students who would be prioritized would be those with special needs and those who qualify for free and reduce price school meals.

Only students living in a Missouri city with a population of 30,000 or more would qualify. For instance, students who attend catholic schools in Missouri towns like Moberly, Mexico, Monroe City, and Marshall would not be eligible for these scholarships.

Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters, is sponsoring the measure.

“I don’t feel like we have ever tried anything new,” he said during debate. “We have heard a lot about how we could do more in this area or maybe we should look over here and just try to invest more in this particular program. And maybe all that’s true. But I believe it’s time to give several thousand children a chance at something new because what we’ve been doing, I think everyone has seen, has not been working.”

He referred to testimony about a Springfield girl, named Izzy, with disabilities who left her public school because it did not have wheelchair accommodations. Christofanelli said Izzy now attends a nearby catholic school that meets her needs.

“That’s not an indictment of her public school,” said Christofanelli. “Public schools have a broad mission and their goal is to try to serve everyone as best they can. The beauty of our system is that the private sector can accommodate sometimes special needs better than the government can because they have a different incentives structure.”

Rep. Doug Clemons, D-St. Ann, opposed the legislation.

“I’ve got to tell you, I just don’t give a rat’s left toe nail about private institutions. I was sent here by the people to work for the people on public institutions. Anybody sitting in one of these chairs has a responsibility to public institutions,” he said. “You know, I watched the testimony. I saw Izzy’s mom give her testimony. I believe every word that she said about her interaction with her public school and I think it’s a shame. I think it’s a shame that we have lost our responsibility in giving that school the resources it needs to meet her needs. That’s our responsibility.”

The legislation would also require the state to fund at least 40% of the projected amount to bankroll transportation aid to K-12 public schools. Clemons has a problem with that piece.

House Speaker Rob Vescovo (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

“We sit here and we talk about putting a trigger of 40% for transportation funding for our children as a goal, as if that’s some victory. What’s the matter with us? It should be funded 100%,” he said. “We’ve got rural children trying to get to school and these districts have to make up that money in their budget. A private institution is not responsible to us – not beholden to us. We have to meet the minimums for our children. A free market system is fine. Let those people be competitive. That’s fine. If they are more competitive than a public school, then let them earn their money.”

The state is currently funding K-12 transportation at about 33%. Up to 75% of these costs can be covered by the state.

In a rare floor speech, House Speaker Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, was fired up. He said he dropped out of school when he was 16 years old.

“That was 28 years ago. What has changed in education in the state of Missouri in 28 years? Twenty-eight years, Mr. Speaker. What has changed? The only thing that has changed is we’ve gotten more and more special interests in this building that care about their own special interests. How are we going to fix our kids if we don’t do something,” he shouted.

He said there is nothing more positive in criminal justice reform than education.

“Why can’t we get these kids when they are 10 and 12 and 14 – when they need us to grab them and put them in a better learning environment than worrying about putting them in jail when they’re 16, 17, 18, and 19? I don’t want to grow my prisons. I want to grow my research department at Mizzou,” said Vescovo.

Rep. Allen Andrews, R-Grant City, was one of several Republicans who opposed the measure. Andrews is the House Republican Majority Whip.

Rep. Allen Andrews (Photo courtesy of Tim Bommel, House Communications)

“I believe we as Missourian citizens, have a moral obligation to provide a good and basic education to all of our youth, from the richest to the poorest to the most costly to educate and the least costly to educate. We bombard our public schools with new responsibilities, even with the unfortunate breakdown and the devastating fracturing of the family. We insist that our schools compensate for society’s failures and neglect, all the while we demand they meet rising academic expectation. In this chamber, our sensitivity toward political correctness here and at home, many times deters us from addressing the root cause, which is undeniably backed up by data that the family is the greatest institution ever created. School vouchers, open enrollment, charter expansion, education savings accounts, or a plethora of other ideas cannot substitute and will absolutely not address the challenges faced within our public school system and will not accomplish that moral obligation of providing a good and basic education to all students. Students, our most vulnerable students, will be left in an educational system where funding has trickled away when the money follows the child. For those children that are left behind, for the least of these children, I stand today as their voice, asking that we stop the back and forth rhetoric and begin to address the root cause and begin to build legislation of substance for all children in this state – not only those with the ability to choose. Any attempt to chip away at the financial infrastructure of our public school system will have a negative effect on our ability to provide every young Missourian equal access to a good education.”

The legislation heads to the Senate for consideration.

Copyright © 2021 · Missourinet

Missouri has now completed 68 mass vaccination clinics

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The governor says more than 66,000 Missourians have received an initial COVID vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic.

The Missouri National Guard, the state Department of Health and Senior Services and Pettis County health officials assist residents at a mass vaccination clinic in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia on February 23, 2021 (photo courtesy of the State Emergency Management Agency)

Governor Mike Parson tells Capitol reporters that 68 mass vaccination clinics have been completed around the state. Another eight are scheduled for Friday. They will take place in Jefferson City, Springfield, in northern Missouri’s Chillicothe and Hannibal, in west-central Missouri’s Clinton, in southern Missouri’s Rolla and West Plains and in the Bootheel town of Caruthersville.

The mass vaccination clinics are operated by the Missouri National Guard, the state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and by local health officials.

The governor has also announced that targeted teams in St. Louis and Kansas City have completed another 24 vaccine clinics, with more planned in the coming weeks. The targeted teams serve vulnerable populations in areas with limited access to health care.

During Thursday’s briefing in Jefferson City, Governor Parson also touted improving numbers for COVID. He says CDC data shows Missouri now ranks second lowest in the nation for average daily COVID cases per 100,000 residents, over the past week.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says Missouri vaccinators have now administered more than 1.1 million COVID shots, which includes first and second doses. That’s about 12 percent of Missouri’s population. DHSS says 373,082 have received both shots.

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Missouri vaccination update: Get ready teachers, childcare centers, grocery workers

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The next tier of Missouri’s coronavirus vaccination plan will be activated on March 15. That means all teachers, faculty, and staff in public, private, and nonprofit pre K-12 will become eligible. So will state licensed childcare center workers, some food production employees, as well as grocery and convenience stores workers.

Missouri is currently vaccinating residents in Phase 1A, Phase 1B – Tier 1, Phase 1B – Tier 2.

During a press briefing today, Gov. Mike Parson says the next group to become eligible, Phase 1B – Tier 3, allows 550,000 additional Missourians to get vaccinated.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on February 4, 2021 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“Tier 3 represents another very important part of our society,” says Parson. “They are the workers in many of the industries we depend on each day to keep our day-to-day lives operating normally.”

Earlier this month, Missouri’s 2017-2021 Teachers of the Year sent a letter to state Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams asking him to prioritize educators and support staff for immediate coronavirus vaccinations. Missouri’s K-12 schools have been operating for months with at least partial in-person education.

The following is a statement from the Chair of Missouri’s Education Roundtable, Dr. Doug Hayter:

“The Education Roundtable, representing eight major education organizations in Missouri, appreciates Governor Parson’s announcement allowing educators to begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. Getting educators vaccinated as soon as possible is an important step toward keeping educators in the classroom and providing our students with in-person instruction.”

Missouri’s Education Roundtable is made up of the American Federation of Teachers (Missouri), the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals, the Missouri Association of School Administrators, the Missouri National Education Association, the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals, the Missouri School Boards’ Association, the Missouri State Teachers Association, and the Missouri PTA.

Parson says vaccine supply remains limited, but he expects slow and steady increases.

“We heard news this week that the pharmaceutical companies are increasing their production,” says Parson. “The federal government is planning to increase our allotment and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to be approved at any time.”

The governor says he expects that Missouri will be able to order vaccine from Johnson & Johnson by early next week.

He says if supply continues to improve, Parson says he thinks Phase 2 of Missouri’s vaccination plan will begin mid-April.

A press release today from Parson’s office says the state also continues to move forward with regional mass vaccination events. There have been 68 completed across Missouri, and more than 66,500 Missourians have received an initial vaccine dose at one of these events.

The release says targeted teams in St. Louis and Kansas City have completed 24 vaccine clinics with more planned in the coming days and weeks. These teams serve vulnerable populations in communities with limited access to health care.

For more information about the next tier of eligible Missourians, click here.

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Proposed Missouri constitutional amendment is aimed at helping disabled veterans

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A proposed constitutional amendment aimed at preventing the approximately 13,000 Missouri veterans who are 100-percent disabled from paying real property taxes is backed by a St. Charles County veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 11, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

O’Fallon resident Charles Frederickson served six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He traveled to Jefferson City on Wednesday afternoon to testify for legislation sponsored by State Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City. Mr. Frederickson has a total service-connected disability, and testifies he cannot find a job and made only $400 last year.

“If my (property) taxes can double in just four years, or I’m sorry ten years, you can imagine my income is not doubling in ten years,” Frederickson testifies.

Frederickson also has a daughter, who’s been battling a brain tumor. He testified for House Veterans Committee Chairman Griffith’s proposed constitutional amendment, which would exempt from taxation all real property used as a homestead for any veteran with a total service-connected disability.

Representative Griffith also testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, telling Chairman Rep. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, that there are 13,153 Missouri veterans who have a total service-connected disability. Griffith praises Frederickson and Missouri’s other disabled veterans.

“These men and women that are 100 percent disabled, they got that way for a reason,” Griffith testifies. “We need to honor them, we need to show them the appreciation that we have for the sacrifice they made and the disability they live with everyday.”

Griffith has filed House Joint Resolution 32, which is three pages. If Missouri lawmakers approve Griffith’s measure, it would go to the statewide ballot in 2022.

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Missouri lawmaker wants to see statewide mass vaccination event for teachers (AUDIO)

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A freshman Missouri lawmaker is calling on the Parson administration to prioritize teachers for COVID vaccinations. State Rep. Michael Burton, D-Lakeshire, wants to see teachers moved from tier three to tier two.

State Rep. Michael Burton, D-Lakeshire, speaks on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on February 23, 2021, as State Rep. Neil Smith (D-St. Louis County) listens (photo: Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“Right now, there’s a potential that they could not get the first vaccination shot for possibly months. Could be possibly two to three months, there’s no guarantee,” Burton says.

State Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) director Dr. Randall Williams told Capitol reporters last week that the Parson administration’s main focus continues to be the most vulnerable and elderly residents.

“Our north star is our most vulnerable, and I think I’ve told you (Capitol reporters) the second thing I look at every morning after I look at the case rate is the percentage of our senior citizens who’ve been vaccinated,” says Dr. Williams.

That percentage is now 38 percent for those 85 and older, and 26 percent for those ages 75-84.

As for Representative Burton, he’s also asking the Parson administration to consider a statewide mass vaccination event for teachers.

“It will make the parents of those students safer, it will make the grandparents of those students safer. And I think that we need to prioritize the teachers,” Burton says.

An online petition is circulating in support of Burton’s call.

“We do have a petition going around right now, it has over 2,000 signatures. It’s been signed from people all across the state,” says Burton.

Burton tells Missourinet he’s had good conversations with Dr. Williams, adding that they both understand where the other is coming from and will keep the conversation going.

Missouri vaccinators have now administered more than one-million total doses of the COVID vaccine. About 709,000 Missourians have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is about 11.5 percent of the population.

The Missouri National Guard, DHSS and local health partners are planning multiple mass vaccination events on Wednesday. Events will be taking place in northern Missouri’s Moberly, northwest Missouri’s Princeton, southwest Missouri’s Anderson, west-central Missouri’s Warsaw and in southeast Missouri’s Bollinger County.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full five-minute interview with State Rep. Michael Burton, D-Lakeshire, which was recorded on February 22, 2021:

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Missouri Senate puts off vote on giant K-12 education package

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After about twelve hours of debate, the Missouri Senate refrained from voting overnight on a contentious K-12 public education package. There was some confusion towards the end that appeared to ultimately lead to the plan getting shelved – at least for now.

Several changes were made over the course of the day and night. As Senate bill 55 stands now, here is what it would do:

Missouri Senate

*Allow charter schools in any school district located within a charter county as well as in any Missouri city with a population greater than 30,000 people. Under the bill, charter schools could open in more than 50 districts statewide.

*Let parents use tax credits on things like private school tuition, school supplies, and tutoring. That portion could cost up to $50 million annually. This piece could only begin once state funding for K-12 public school transportation funding reaches 40%. According to Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, the current transportation funding level is at roughly 33%. The amount of tax credits available would also be tied to how much state aid is designated to schools annually.

*Cap Missouri superintendents’ total compensation at three times the average teacher pay within their district.

*Strip a district of state aid if it is a member of a statewide activities association that bans a home school student from participating in activities offered by the district or requires a home school student to attend the school to participate in any activity.

*State Board of Education members would be restricted to one, eight-year term.

*Penalize school districts if they do not get written permission from a parent or a legal guardian prior to handing out course materials or teaching about human sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases.

Two provisions originally in the bill were stripped out – a process to recall school board members and giving state aid for full-time equivalent online learning enrollment to a MOCAP virtual school provider.

School choice supporters have pointed to increased educational challenges students and families have dealt with during the coronavirus pandemic as a leading reason to not wait any longer to pass school choice measures.

Rowden has been working vigorously to get the bill passed.

“Everybody knows my passion for this and everybody knows I’d run through a wall to try to get this thing done,” said Rowden.

During floor debate, he said his sister is a principal at a religious school in Columbia.

Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, supports the bill.

“I don’t want to disparage teachers in any way shape or form because I think a lot of teachers feel the same way we do in that we have to be able to have that competition. We have to be able to kind of upset the apple cart in order to incentivize that they do better,” Brattin said. “I think a lot of these teachers receive a lot of misinformation to think that bills like this are literally the impending doom upon education as we know it.”

Brattin said from the time he started in the House to the time he left that chamber, he says the increase in state funding to education was more than $100 million.

“Yet all I ever heard was how horrible we were, that we weren’t fully funding, that we weren’t up to par where we should be,” Brattin said.

Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, agrees.

“Our total budget here in Missouri is $30 billion. We could increase it to $100 billion and spend all that money on education,” said Koenig. “In five years from now, they’ll be crying that there’s not enough money.”

Koenig said traditional public schools do not work for all students.

“It’s not saying that every public school is bad,” said Koenig. “Actually, the opposite. A lot of these public schools are doing a great job. But for that 3%, they might something different – something that’s not offered at a traditional public school.”

During debate, Koenig also blasted several schools he said were underperforming.

Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, said she understands being responsive to what she describes as a once-in-a-century pandemic. But she said the Legislature should be careful.

“We are charged with making sure that we do everything we can to support the kids who haven’t had the greatest educational experience in the last year. I think this is an opportunity to reflect on what’s working and to see where there are opportunities for transformation. But that is one piece of a much broader discussion about how we’re going to approach education policy in the state for generations to come. I just don’t want to get too tied up in the fact that as a result of this event, that now we have to change everything in a way that’s just entirely reactionary,” said Arthur.

Bill sponsor, Republican Cindy O’Laughlin of Shelbina, said she agrees.

“I don’t think that we are suggesting that just because of this event, we have to change everything,” she said. “But I do think that this event has kind of exposed the differing levels of commitment and the differing levels of commitment to excellence and to student outcomes.”

O’Laughlin, the Senate Education Committee chair, sang a similar tune as Koenig.

“I just believe that sometimes a certain method works for some people, but it doesn’t work for others,” she said. “I don’t know why we would want to lock people into one thing, recognizing that maybe it just doesn’t work for them.”

Arthur said there are ways to create options without undermining the parts working in the current system.

Another opposing argument raised by the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) is that charter schools should have the same accountability measures as traditional public schools.

Under current law, charter schools are allowed in Kansas City, St. Louis, and any unaccredited Missouri public school district. Charter schools are independent public schools that receive public and private money.

The MSBA also says that taxpayer-funded tax credits should not go to private schools if the schools are not held to the same accountability standards as their traditional public school counterparts.

To view Senate Bill 55, click here.

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