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DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the
City of St. Louis, Missouri. Our goal is to cast a critical eye
on lawmakers, their policies, and those that have influence upon
them, and to educate our readers about legislation and the political
processes that affect our daily lives.
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In what is certainly the most disgusting use of the politics of personal destruction in state history, Missouri Democrats this week provided to the media STOLEN personal family photos of a member of Gov. Matt Blunt’s staff. The Missouri Republican Party immediately called for an investigation into how Democrats obtained the photos and who was responsible for these disgusting, politically motivated attacks on a female crime victim.
“Democrat Chairman John Temporiti as the head of his party should start his investigation with Senators Maida Coleman, Chuck Graham and Victor Callahan to ensure that everyone at the State Democrat Party who has knowledge of the perpetrators of this victimization come clean,” said Jared Craighead, executive director of the Missouri Republican Party. “Saying ‘we don’t know and we can’t find out who used these stolen photos for political gain’ won’t cut it! Democrats need to hold their own people accountable when deplorable tactics such as these are used. Winning at all costs should not be the standard in Missouri politics.”
The Missouri Republican Party today also called on the Missouri Democrat Party to apologize to the victim and her family for these despicable tactics and hold their people accountable for this reprehensible behavior by firing those responsible, cooperating with investigators, demanding resignations from elected officials involved in this exploitation and not stonewalling the family who has a right to know who did this. This story was irresponsibly reported by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and hopefully Democrats will responsibly take immediate corrective action as outlined above.
After moving the regular monthly board meeting from Tuesday to Thursday, SLPS school board president Veronica O'Brien has now cancelled the meeting all together. Her statement:
"The Regular Monthly Board Meeting for the month of March was scheduled for Thursday, March 29, 2007; with an executive session at 5:30 p.m. and the open session at 7:00 p.m. This meeting was scheduled to conduct business as requested by the Superintendent.
This meeting has now been cancelled because at least four of the seven Board Members are unable to attend tonight’s meeting. A reschedule date is not available at this time. Please direct questions to the Board Members Office at 345-2304."
If you haven't already seen it, click here to watch KTVI's J.C. Corcoran's recent commentary on the controversial president who was first appointed to the board by Mayor Francis Slay.
As the mayor prepares to announce his latest selection to help lead the city's public schools, many people are keeping their fingers crossed in hopes that he makes a wiser choice this time.
Considerably smaller than SLPS (just 3,500 students and an annual budget only a fraction as large), T.F. District 215 is a multi-campus district, located in southeastern Cook County, Illinois, approximately 25 miles south of Chicago and one mile west of the Illinois-Indiana state border.
Click here to read more about Williams' appointment.
A group of Soulard neighborhood residents are planning to attend Mardi Gras Inc.'s annual Mardi Gras Forum tonight to voice their concerns and opposition to the annual celebration of beer and boobs.
The residents say they began organizing last year out of fear for their safety and that of their neighbors. They say they are outraged at the destruction of their private property that follows the event.
In a press release, the residents say they are "discouraged by the general disrespect of the neighborhood by Mardi Gras planners and attendees [and] decided it was time to join together and speak out against the event."
"Mardi Gras has increasingly become an overly promoted, dangerous and out-of-hand event that the current event promoter, Mardi Gras, Inc., cannot or is unwilling to adequately oversee," the group writes.
The Mardi Gras Forum is tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Boilermaker's Union Hall, 1547 S. Broadway.
Click here to see our photos from Mardi Gras 2006 (Warning: some NSFW).
What happens if the St. Louis Public Schools becomes unaccredited? Well, the administration has released the following Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) sheet.
Is the St. Louis Public School District currently unaccredited?
No. The unaccredited status goes into effect June 15, 2007, as a result of recent action taken by the State Board of Education. However, the St. Louis Board of Education may appeal the designation within 30 days.
What happens now?
Missouri law gives the State Board of Education the authority to intervene in the governing of St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) by creating a “transitional school district.” The State Board did reinstitute the “transitional school district” in February. As a result of that State Board action, the District was to have a three-member advisory panel appointed by the mayor, the president of the Board of Aldermen, and our elected school board. If the District becomes unaccredited effective June 15, then the three-member board will become the governing body overseeing the school system. The member who would have been appointed by our elected school board would be replaced by someone selected by the governor.
What about the elected board?
The elected board will remain intact but will have no governing authority. School board elections will continue as required by law.
Who will serve on the governing committee?
According to state law, the Missouri governor, the mayor of St. Louis, and the president of the city’s Board of Aldermen must each select one person to sit on the governing board. Governor Matt Blunt has already appointed St. Louis businessman Rick Sullivan to lead the committee and serve as the school district’s chief executive officer (CEO). This appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. Other appointments do not need Senate confirmation.
How will the unaccredited status affect graduating seniors seeking admission into colleges?
This year’s seniors will graduate while the district is still provisionally accredited.
SLPS recently conducted a phone survey of approximately 20 primary universities and colleges to which St. Louis graduates apply. The answer provided by each of the schools surveyed was the same. All said that they would consider each applicant from SLPS just the same as from any other school district, even if the district became unaccredited this school year.
We have identified only two schools – one public university and one private college – where students may have to submit additional information, and possibly face increased rigor, if they graduated from an unaccredited high school. However, please note that six of our high schools are independently accredited (see below).
What about students who don’t graduate this year? What are their chances of getting admitted to college?
Most of the colleges surveyed said that they would continue to accept graduates from SLPS for admission in subsequent years. A few said that they would also consider the student’s school to be accredited if that school is recognized by the independent school accrediting organization known as the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI). Six high schools in SLPS are currently accredited by the NCA CASI. – Central, Cleveland, Metro, Roosevelt, Soldan and Sumner.
Will I need to get my GED?
No. Students who graduate from a St. Louis high school will not have to get a General Equivalency Diploma (GED). A diploma from the St. Louis Public Schools will still be accepted as students apply to colleges, universities and vocational schools, or as they pursue employment.
May SLPS students transfer to another school district?
Yes, if another district will accept them. According to state law, students in an unaccredited school district are eligible to transfer to an accredited district in the same or an adjoining county. Accredited districts, however, may choose to accept or not accept transfer students from an unaccredited district.
SLPS would have to pay the tuition and transportation costs for any student who elects to transfer to an accredited district. SLPS may designate a single district to which students will be transported at its expense. Students who transfer to other districts would be responsible for their own transportation, but SLPS would still be obligated to pay their tuition. If a significant number of students transfer to other districts, the cost of tuition and transportation could be financially devastating for St. Louis schools.
How long will St. Louis Public Schools be "in transition"?
The transitional district is expected to be in place for six years.
Will students and families be affected in other ways?
State law requires that students not performing at grade level must attend summer school (with the exception of special education students).
Students reading at grade level or above, or at one grade level below, may be promoted to the next grade. However, the law states that students not meeting this requirement must be retained. For example, an 8th grader who cannot read at the level of at least a 7th grader will not be able to move on to high school with his or her peers. Again, there is an exception for special education students.
Will schools be affected?
Specific to schools, the statutory language that authorizes the transitional school board also provides the following powers and duties to the new board:
“(1) Creating an academic accountability plan, taking corrective action in underperforming schools, and seeking relief from state-mandated programs;
(2) Exploration of alternative forms of governance for the district;
(3) Authority to contract with nonprofit corporations to provide for the operation of schools;
(4) Oversight of facility planning, construction, improvement, repair, maintenance and rehabilitation;
(5) Authority to establish school site councils to facilitate site-based school management and to improve the responsiveness of the schools to the needs of the local geographic attendance region of the school;
(6) Authority to submit a proposal to district voters pursuant to section 162.666 regarding establishment of neighborhood schools.”
Comptroller Darlene Green today issued the following short statement on Ballpark Village:
"The comptroller's office met today with city officials regarding financing for Ballpark Village and is encouraging that minority participation requirements be met. I am calling for minority participants to be named in the project redevelopment agreement as it is being developed."
St. Louis University High School recently made news by adding to its number of students that have received perfect scores on the ACT. According to the Post-Dispatch, in the past three years, eight SLUH students have received perfect 36's on their college entrance exams.
While the all-boys high school remains one of the top in the state academically, it is also making gains in its reputation as one of the most expensive. The St. Louis Business Journal notes in its latest issue that SLUH is raising its tuition next year to an eye-popping $10,500 a year — that's over $40,000 for a high school education!
Gov. Matt Blunt has appointed Matthew Potter, Deputy Democratic Director for the St. Louis City Election Board, to the Board of Governors for Truman State University.
Potter, 33, holds a bachelor's degree in English from Truman State University and a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His appointment is subject to Senate confirmation for a term ending on Jan. 1, 2013.
Comparing the actions of Attorney General Jay Nixon to a traffic cop that coerces money from a speeding motorist, Gov. Matt Blunt’s Chief of Staff Ed Martin today said he will testify Wednesday before the Public Service Commission (PSC) despite objections from Nixon. Martin plans to reveal information he received in private about the nearly $20,000 Nixon’s office sought and received from Ameren after Nixon became the criminal investigator in the Ameren Taum Sauk disaster case. “Anybody knows that law enforcement cannot take money or gifts from suspects or investigative targets,” Martin wrote in a letter to Nixon. “Everyone knows it is wrong for a police officer or deputy to take money at a traffic stop. Everyone knows a prosecutor must not seek money or gifts from a target or defendant.” Ameren is currently seeking a rate increase for their customers in hearings before the Public Service Commission. Last year, at the request of the Attorney General’s political office, Ameren funneled nearly $20,000 in campaign cash to Nixon through four Democrat Committees after he became the criminal prosecutor in the Taum Sauk disaster case. For more than a year, Nixon denied his involvement in the request for Ameren funds, but this month Ameren revealed that it was Nixon’s office that requested the money even though Nixon was conducting a criminal investigation into the utility company. Last week, Office of Administration Chief Counsel Rich AuBuchon asked the Attorney General’s Office to take all necessary actions to recognize Martin as a witness to provide testimony to the PSC. When the Attorney General’s office failed to comply with the request, the Administration worked directly with the PSC to allow Martin’s testimony. Martin said his testimony will show how Nixon’s actions are hurting Ameren ratepayers. “The Taum Sauk settlement and rebuild are worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” Martin wrote in a letter to Nixon. “The Ameren rate case could cost hundreds of millions more. Put simply, once you asked for and received Ameren’s money, you lost the ability to be trusted as Ameren’s legal adversary. An officer of the law who takes money at a traffic stop will lose the public’s good opinion. It only makes the matter worse if the officer refuses to account for himself. Therefore, I respectfully request that you recuse yourself from any and all dealings with Ameren. This includes the Taum Sauk case and the Ameren rate case.”
The Kennard Classical Junior Academy Parent Teacher Organization and The League Of Woman Voters are hosting a candidate forum for those running for two open seats on the school board.
The event is Saturday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m. at Kennard CJA Magnet Gifted School, 5031 Potomac (between Hereford and Brannon, two blocks east of the S. Kingshighway Business District). Free childcare is provided.
St. Louis is one of a handful of cities that will host a screening of the new documentary film, "American Blackout", which examines the alleged voting irregularities that occurred during the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004.
American Blackout chronicles the recurring patterns of voter disenfranchisement from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 while following the story of controversial Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.
Click here to RSVP for the screening on April 9th at Hartford Coffee Company. Seating is limited.
A couple of weeks ago, State Rep. Sam Page (who is rumored as a possible candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2008) talked to Pub Def about his bill (HB 802) to add the new vaccine for the human papilloma virus (HPV) to the list of required immunizations for Missouri's school-aged children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. About 6.2 million Americans get a new genital HPV infection each year.
Approximately 10 of the 30 identified genital HPV types can lead, in rare cases, to development of cervical cancer. Research has shown that for most women (90 percent), cervical HPV infection becomes undetectable within two years. Although only a small proportion of women have persistent infection, persistent infection with "high-risk" types of HPV is the main risk factor for cervical cancer.
