State Rep. Connie Johnson is under investigation by the city Election Board for possibly living outside of her district.

KMOX Radio reported Tuesday that the Missouri Senate candidate met with the Board to discuss allegations Johnson lived outside of the 61st District last year.

In the report Johnson admitted to moving into a house outside of the district last fall to take care of her mother.

“(T)he fourth Commandment said honor thy mother and thy father (if I didn’t do that) everything I did in life would fail,” she told KMOX.

Johnson told KMOX she still owns property in the 61st district and considers it her legal residence. She said she has since moved back to the home.

Johnson is one of three candidates seeking to replace the term-limited Sen. Maida Coleman for the state senate seat. The other two are Rodney Hubbard* and Robin Wright-Jones.

*Hubbard is a client of PubDef.net publisher Antonio D. French.

Senate Bill 830 & Senate Bill 1036

Senator Maida Coleman thinks the best way to say “thank you to the brave men and women from Missouri who have answered this nation’s call to duty” is to help combat veterans and their families get a college degree.

Coleman is sponsoring a bill (SB 830) that would cap tuition at $50 per credit hour for returning Missouri veterans who are seeking a degree or certificate. She is sponsoring another bill that would pay up to 50% of the college costs for children and spouses of Missouri veterans who are killed in combat (SB 1036).

SB 830, known as the “Missouri Returning Heroes’ Education Act,” is cosponsored by Republican Senator Kevin Engler. It has unanimously passed the Senate and moves onto the House for consideration.

SB 1036 is currently in the Pensions, Veteran’s Affairs, and General Laws Committee. It would create 25 new educational grants that would pay up to 50% of the survivor’s tuition costs, $500 per semester for books, and $2000 for room and board.

Coleman sponsored legislation similar to both bills during the 2006 and 2007 sessions.

Senate Bill 771

Senator Ryan McKenna (D-Crystal City), introduced legislation to create an income tax credit for contributions made to provide military personnel with armored protection.

This dollar-for-dollar tax credit is limited to $1000 per taxpayer per year and works like a donation to a non-profit organization. The credit would also apply to in-kind contributions of body armor, armor plating for vehicles, or other materials used to make armor.

Senate Bill 1062

Senator Frank Barnitze (D-Lake Spring) says that “A lot of folks serving in the military…should not have to worry about filing (tax) reports in a timely manner in order to avoid financial penalties when they are putting their lives on the line for our country.”

His offering a bill that would allow active duty soldiers and members of National Guard and Reserves to delay filing corporate and franchise tax reports with the Missouri Secretary of State’s office for 120 days from the completion of their military service. The bill is designed to help farmers or small business owner serving in the military.

SB 1062 is currently being reviewed by the Pensions, Veteran’s Affairs, and General Laws Committee.

There is a crisis in public education in America, in Missouri, and especially in St. Louis. With 2008 being both an election year and, because of term-limits, the final legislative session for many legislators, it should come as little surprise that several bills have been filed recently taking stabs at the causes and symptoms of an undereducated population of young people.

State Representative Jamilah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) filed legislation this week that seeks to hold schools accountable for the academic success rates of their students. The bill would require the district’s accountability officer to ensure schools within the district are raised to an acceptable level of academic performance within two years.

“Right now we have far too many children in our district who are reading below grade level and the only way we can change this disturbing trend is by holding our schools accountable for the academic success rate among these children,” said Rep. Nasheed.

It’s not clear where additional funding for Nasheed’s mandate would come from or how districts would be penalized for failing to meet the requirements.

State Rep. Rodney Hubbard* (D-St. Louis) has introduced a bill aimed at reducing the number of dropouts by tying school attendance to something most teenagers value more than homework — the privilege of driving.

Hubbard’s House Bill 2078 makes eligibility for a driver’s license for 15-18 year-olds contingent upon proof that they have complied with certain school-related standards, including attendance and passing grades.

Though it has fallen in recent months, the dropout rate in St. Louis Public Schools remains high. Just as high are tensions between the two boards leading the district — one elected, and one appointed. Legislation has been introduced to put the power to run the city schools back into the hands of the elected board.

Senate Bill 1129, sponsored by State Senator Maida Coleman (D-St. Louis), seeks to repeal the law which authorized the creation of the Special Administrative Board led by real estate developer Rick Sullivan, who Governor Matt Blunt appointed to run the city schools. Just this week, Sullivan and the SAB surprised many, including Superintendent Diana Bourisaw, when the asked her to reapply for her job, effectively firing her after just 19 months.

“I have little confidence that the governor’s handpicked henchman will do the right thing for our students when he chooses a new superintendent,” said Senator Coleman.

*Hubbard is a client of A D French & Associates

State Senator Maida Coleman was not happy when she heard that St. Louis Public Schools was about to start looking for its seventh superintendent in five years.

“I believe the [Special Administrative Board] just put the final nail in the coffin of the St. Louis Public School district,” said the St. Louis Democrat. She also hinted that this new instability may be intentional.

“It may be by design in an effort to continue the attack on the public school system in St. Louis in favor of marginally efficient and questionable outcomes of charter schools,” said Coleman.

The district’s governor-appointed CEO, Rick Sullivan, said the move was not about the record of Superintendent Diana Bourisaw, who was quickly appointed in July 2006 following the sudden firing of Superintendent Creg Williams, but rather about getting in place a superintendent that can meet the long-term needs of the district.

“I don’t know if they have a favored candidate waiting in the wings to take over our city’s school system,” said Coleman, “but this decision flies in the face of assurances we had received recently that Superintendent Bourisaw would continue to serve as the leader of our school district.”

Coleman defended Bourisaw as having proven herself to be an effective leader “who cares about our students.”

“I have little confidence that the governor’s handpicked henchman will do the right thing for our students when he chooses a new superintendent,” said the senator.

Coleman also noted the timing of Bourisaw’s firing, less than a week after the Senate confirmed Sullivan’s appointment to the SAB.

“The assurances of CEO Rick Sullivan meant nothing as he completely misled his Senate sponsor, Joan Bray of St. Louis,” Coleman said.

In response to SAB’s action, Coleman has filed legislation to dissolve the Board and return local control of the St. Louis Public Schools. Senate Bill 1129 simply repeals the statute which created the transitional school district.

State Senator Maida Coleman (D-St. Louis City) today voted against the reappointment of Peter Herschend of Branson to the State Board of Education. Coleman spoke against the nomination for more than 40 minutes in committee Wednesday and for nearly an hour on the Senate floor today before he was eventually confirmed by the Republican-controlled senate.She released this statement afterwards:

“In the committee hearing yesterday, Mr. Herschend told me I should be embarrassed of my school district,” Sen. Coleman said. “I think Mr. Herschend should be embarrassed that he has decided to play politics with the children of my district. He should be embarrassed that he callously disenfranchised the citizens of my district by turning control of the St. Louis School District over to the state.”In March 2007, the St. Louis Public Schools lost their accreditation when the State Board of Education voted 5-1 to rescind the accreditation after concluding that the district had met only four of the state’s 14 academic performance measures. Peter Herschend was serving as President of the State Board of Education when the decision to strip the school district of local control was made.At the time the state board voted to classify the St. Louis Public Schools as unaccredited, several other school districts possessed 2006 Annual Performance Review ratings that were equal to or below the scores assigned to the St. Louis City School District.“It makes me wonder why Mr. Herschend has taken no action to reclassify other low-performing school districts,” Sen. Coleman said. “There seems to be no apprehension by Mr. Herschend or the Board that they are disenfranchising the voters of a predominantly black city. We are still forced to pay taxes, so we have taxation without representation.”Additionally, Sen. Coleman expressed reservations about any person serving such a lengthy term on a state board or commission. Peter Herschend has served on the State Board of Education for 16 years, and with his confirmation by the Senate today, will serve another eight years on the board.“Is it a good idea to allow anyone to sit on what is arguably the most important board in state government for 24 years?” Sen. Coleman asked her colleagues on the Senate floor today.“If someone were to serve the maximum amount of time in the General Assembly, they could only serve 16 years. If the citizens of Missouri think it’s a good idea to limit the terms of their elected representatives, surely the length of service of an unelected official should be limited as well, especially one who wields so much influence over our children’s education.”   

Members of the Missouri Senate affirmed the reappointment of Herschend to the State Board of Education today on a voice vote.

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