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IF YOU THOUGHT THE WHOLE CONTROVERSY OVER THE KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI SCHOOL DISTRICT
HAD DIED DOWN, THINK AGAIN. THIS WEEK, THE MISSOURI SENATE, AND WE HAVE TWO SENATORS WITH
US, SURPRISED MANY THIS THIS COMMUNITY BY PUTTING THE DISTRICT CARELY BACK ON THE
FRONT PAGE BY UNANIMOUSLY PASSING A BILL ALLOWS FOR A QUICK STATE TAKEOVER OF THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE LEGISLATION ACTUALLY IS WORDED TO ALLOW THE STATE TO
SWIFTLY TAKE CONTROL OVER ANY UNACCREDITED DISTRICT IN MISSOURI.
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS THEY'RE MAKING PROGRESS. WHY THIS MOVE NOW?
THE STATUTES WERE SET UP TO REQUIRE A TWO-YEAR WAITING PERIOD ONCE YOU BECOME
UNACCREDITED. WHAT WE DID IS WE SAID DESE COULD DO IT IMMEDIATELY.
THE KANSAS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS BEEN PROFESSIONALLY UNACCREDITED FOR DECADES.
I ASKED WHEN THEY WE WERE LAST FULLY ACCREDITED, AND NO ONE CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION.
SHOULD WE WAIT TWO MORE YEARS? THE ANSWER IS WE DON'T KNOW BUT DESE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME IN
NOW IF HE THIS NEED TOO. WHY NOW, THOUGH? IS THIS ARE THE PA OF THE
ECONOMIC ARGUMENT? ABSOLUTELY. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE
TAKING CARE OF OUR KIDS, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. IT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED LAST
YEAR. THE SENATE IS UNANIMOUS -- YOU ASKED WHY SHOULD IT BE NOW?
BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED LAST YEAR. WE GO IN AND MAKE SURE WE HAVE
GOOD SCHOOLS FOR OUR KIDS, WHICH BUILDS OUR COMMUNITY. I HAVE TO SAY, DAVE HELLING,
IF WE WERE DOING OUR REGULAR REPORTING ROUNDTABLE THIS WEEK, I'D SAY, WOW, WE HAVEN'T TALKED
ABOUT THIS IN 9 MONTHS. WHY DID IT COME UP SO QUICKLY. IF YOU HAD THE REGULAR
ROUNDTABLE, THE LEVEL OF DISCUSSION WOULD BE MUCH LOWER THAN THESE GENTLEMAN.
I CAN VOUCH. GREAT CONVERSATION. IT'S COMING UP NOW THIS WEEK, I
THINK, BECAUSE DAVID PIERCE, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE IN JEFFERSON CITY HAS BEEN PUSHING
THIS FOR SOME TIME, AND HE IS GETTING SOME SUPPORT FROM KANSAS CITY COMMUNITY LEADERS AND
OTHERS INVESTED IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. I THINK THE CHALLENGE, AS THIS
BILL GOES TO THE HOUSE AND GOES FORWARD, NICK, IS THAT THE STATE MAY NOT BE AS ANXIOUS TO TAKE
OVER THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS SOME PEOPLE THINK IT IS, BECAUSE THE STATE WILL FACE THE EXACT SAME
PROBLEMS THAT THE CURRENT GOVERNANCE OF THE SCHOOL BOARD FACES, AND IT ISN'T CLEAR WHERE
YOU GO AFTER THE STATE IF THE STATE TAKEOVER FAILS. PLUS I'M NOT SURE SENATOR KRAUS
WANTS TO GET PHONE CALLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WHEN A CHILD MISSES A BUS, AND IF THE STATE
TAKES IT OVER, THOSE KINDS OF PHONE CALLS MIGHT ACTUALLY TAKE PLACE.
WE WILL BE PUTTING THE HOME TELEPHONE NUMBERS OF OUR STATE SENATORS ON THE SCREEN AT THE
END OF THE PROGRAM, BY THE WAY. DO YOU WANT THOSE PHONE CALLS, SENATOR KRAUS?
THE STATE TOOK OVER ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY MADE PROGRESS.
HOW MUCH PROGRESS, THOUGH, SENATOR, NOT A LOT? THEY'RE NOT ACCREDITED.
I'M NOT DISAGREEING WITH YOU. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS IT HAS BEEN DECADES SINCE THIS SCHOOL
DISTRICT HAS BEEN ACCREDITED, AND ARE WE GOING TO SIT BACK AND ALLOW TWO MORE YEARS TO GO BY
WITHOUT A CHANGE, AND IF DESE DOESN'T THINK IT'S THE RIGHT TIME, THEY CAN CONTINUE TO LEAD.
IF THEY'RE MAKING PROGRESS, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT DID CONTINUE TO CONTROL.
IF THEY HAVE A PLAN AND THEY PRESENT IT TO DESE, AND THEY CHOOSE NOT TO TAKE IT OVER, THEY
CAN WAIT. WHAT I'M SUGGESTING IS GOVERNANCE IS A PROBLEM, BUT
CHANGING GOVERNANCE WILL NOT SOLVE ALL OF THE PROBLEMS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND I THINK THE
SENATE AND HOUSE BOTH RECOGNIZE THAT. I'M LESS CONCERNED ABOUT WHO
IS RUNNING THE DISTRICT. I'M MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHETHER THE KIDS ARE GETTING A GOOD
EDUCATION. I THINK PART OF THAT DISCUSSION HAS TO INCLUDE SCHOOL CHOICE AS
WELL. ULTIMATELY, IF THE KIDS AREN'T GETTING EDUCATED, THAT'S.
BUT BACK TO DAVE HELLING'S POINT, JUST BECAUSE THE STATE IS IN CONTROL DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE
GOING TO BE ANY BETTER OFF. I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY TRUE. KANSAS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS
BEEN MAKING PROGRESS, AND THAT'S GOOD, BUT THIS IS ANOTHER OPTION TO GO IN AND HELP THE DISTRICT,
IF NEED BE. WE BASICALLY ASKED DESE TO LOOK AT IT, AND IF THEY NEED TO, GO
AHEAD AND INTERVENE. THIS IS A WEEK IN REVIEW PROGRAM, AND ONE OF THE BIG