Video- Missouri Senate, House week examined

Video- Missouri House of Representatives Week in Review

The Joplin R-8 Board, C. J. Huff, and the spending spree that has endangered the school district

When I was in newspapers, we had a saying (and they still use it today) that you never want to bury the lead.

My friends at KZRG buried the lead earlier this week when they interviewed Joplin R-8 Board of Education member Randy Steele. Steele, who has been on the board throughout the tenure of Superintendent C. J. Huff, talked about the financial problems facing the school district and admitted, "We have overspent."

How have you overspent?

Why have you overspent?

Just how bad is the school district's financial condition?

How are we going to get out of this dire situation?

Those were questions that probably should have been asked, but there was no follow-up. The district is heading toward what its own strategic plan says will be an eight percent reserve this year, but will somehow (according to the same strategic plan, which is on the district's website) get the reserves up to 25 percent by 2015...less than 10 months from now.

Randy Steele volunteered that the district will seek grants. Steele may not realize it, in fact, it is clear he does not, but grants are a major part of what has put the district in its current financial trouble. Most of the grants are for new programs and call for new hires, almost of whom are not in the classroom. The biggest problem is that the grants run out, but the school district continues with its programs, absorbing them into the general revenue fund.

A grant started the spy network and administrator training ground called learning coaches. The grant long since ran out, but the school district has continued to pay for the positions and even added to them.

The district has added dozens of counselors to help students deal with problems following the tornado. At the Feb. 25 meeting, Huff said the grant for one of those programs would run out soon, and he gave every indication the district would find some way to pay for those.

The same mindset was evident in the R-8 School District's federal Race to the Top application, approved 7-0 by the board, including Steele and Board President Jeff Flowers, who are running for re-election.

Grants are not the way to get the district out of its precarious financial situation. Neither is selling the naming rights to every building and classroom in sight.

I detailed the spending in the November 17 Turner Report and things have not improved since then:

Over the past few months, the spending has remained at all-time high levels. At a time when the taxpayers are already paying nearly $100,000 a month to rent the mall high school and $36,000 a month for the East Middle School warehouse, the following expenditures have been reported.

-The board approved spending at least $30,000 to send 15 administrators to Washington, D. C. for a conference.

-An additional $15,000 was approved so 15 employees could update Facebook pages.

-Huff plunked down $2,783.88 of taxpayers' money to pay for a celebration banquet where he told the city's business leaders the good news about the 86 percent graduation rate- news, it might be added, that he had been aware of for weeks, but kept secret so as not to spoil the banquet.

-$334,000 for IPads for all district eighth graders, with plans to add sixth and seventh graders soon at a cost of another $650,000 to $700,000

-Nearly $2.2 million over the next four years for more 21st Century learning coaches, who primarily serve as the eyes and ears of upper administration in each of their schools, and at the present time are reportedly participating in all-day meetings one day a week at the administration building at 32nd and Duquesne. A lot of coaching gets done that way.

-Approximately $1.7 million over the next four years for the new career pathway directors. The district is now shuttling high school students into one of five career pathways. Each of the pathways has its own director, and the administration also added a sixth director to direct the directors. In the old days, these duties were taken care of by people called principals. Not under Dr. Besendorfer's 21st Century learning plan.

-The last three items were all part of the district's 2012 federal Race to the Top application, which was roundly rejected by the U. S. Department of Education, yet district taxpayers were handed the bill when the federal government refused to pass it along to all American taxpayers. Another item on that Race to the Top list was a request for money to pay all high school and middle school teachers to spend an extra non-contract hour at school every day for mentoring and meetings (under this administration, everything is about meetings). Movement is already being made in that direction. The district's estimated cost to pay the teachers to work an hour longer- $3.5 million over four years. That was the one district officials told the federal government they would not be able to cover with their regular budgeted money and would have to go to the Joplin R-8 taxpayers for a levy increase. That statement was made less than six months after voters, by a 46-vote margin, approved the largest bond issue, $62 million, in the district's history.

-$2,000 to motivational speaker Terri Tucker for a retreat in which she encouraged board members to ignore the day-to-day concerns of the public and listen only to their administrators. Ms. Tucker was a school board member at Reeds Spring who was voted out because she supported Dr. Besendorfer as superintendent and then she later wrote a letter to the Joplin Globe praising Besendorfer shortly after Besendorfer was hired six years ago.

-At least 10 district employees attended the National Career Pathways Network Conference at the Grant Hyatt Hotel in San Antonio where the overriding topic was "Linking Education and Economic Prosperity." Topics discussed at the conference included the following: "Building a Talent Pipeline That Connects Business with Future Employees," "Testing and Common Core Statements vs. the Classroom Environment," and "Using the Internet and Social Media to Collect Data." The district's representatives reportedly made a presentation on career pathways. The cost for registration for the conference (expenses not included) was $5,690.

-Six district officials presented at the National Career Academy Coalition Conference Oct. 24-27 in Phoenix on the subject of "Designing School As Unusual," which reportedly featured another explanation of how the district, to use a phrase that has been used often by Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer, has found a "silver lining in a funnel cloud" and built the kind of schools that it had always dreamed of creating. At this point, the records on the cost of that trip do not appear to be in the board documentation.

-A $20,000 device to allow administrators to make sure teachers are using enough technology in their lessons.

-$15,000 to put Wi-Fi on school buses

Perhaps I have been a bit too hard on the Board of Education. After all, they did approve a contingency plan to take care of servicing every need that C. J. Huff or Angie Besendorfer might have.

Joplin Schools will raise $1 million annually for the next 5 years to ensure the sustainability of district programs and initiatives for our kids. 

And their strategic plan promised to keep a balanced budget, unless, of course, they don't.

The annual budget proposal will be for an overall balanced budget unless reductions in reserves are planned due to capital projects in process or other board approved purposes.

That, of course, falls under the accounting principal of we will spend taxpayers' money wisely, unless there is something expensive we can buy and slap the tag 21 Century on it.

Financial accountability will be demonstrated through increased financial transparency by 
providing timely, meaningful and reliable information to the public.

Now that one is true. The board probably just never dreamed when it approved that part of the strategic plan that it would be the Turner Report that would have to provide that information.

Meanwhile, our board of education, with its never-ending string of 7-0 votes, has spent millions of dollars in taxpayers' money for today's version of $24 worth of trinkets.

Thoughts on Mark Rohr and corruption on the Joplin City Council

Mark Rohr has been one busy ex-Joplin city manager.

Let's review. In the month since the Joplin City Council fired him by a 5-4 vote he has done the following things:

-He promised to expose corruption on the City Council.

-He called the five council members who fired him liars and damned them all to hell. (He's the one who said they would get their judgment in the next life.)

-He came close to tears (that seems to be a requirement for the people the media have described as heroes of the Joplin Tornado) and shamelessly brought his children into his speech (another thing that those same heroes of the Joplin Tornado seem to like to do).

-He was hired as the new city manager of League City, Texas.

Since Mark Rohr's firing, I have watched the coverage, both online and in print and it has been, for the most part, unabashedly pro-Rohr. In its editorial pages, the Joplin Globe has done everything but tell voters that the two council members who were with the majority and fired Rohr should be voted out of office (and I am sure that editorial is coming).

In their now-independent blogs, former Globe bloggers Anson Burlingame and Geoff Caldwell have referred to the five council members as "The Feral Five," and "The Bloc of Five" with Burlingame insisting that the pages of the Loraine investigation that we have not seen have people describing Rohr as a bully. How he knows this, I have no idea, but that accusation is probably in those pages. Though it does not appear their blogs receive a great deal of traffic, both men are staples on the Globe's editorial page and Burlingame, in particular, has made it clear he intends to influence the outcome of the April elections.

The Globe has painted the five council members as the ones who are responsible for not releasing the entire report, even though the last time I looked there are nine council members, all of whom know what was included in the report...and Mark Rohr knows what is in the report, as well.

The Joplin Tri-State Business Journal also included several pages in its most recent edition that appeared slanted solidly on Rohr's side.

And those media have made Rohr's characterization of the five who fired him as being a part of a good old boy network that is intent on stopping progress from coming to Joplin, sound like a fact, instead of what is, a talking point planted by Rohr to influence coverage from people who were already inclined to be on his side.

Some questions we should consider:

-Where is the corruption that Mark Rohr promised to reveal? It was a great sound bite, but he has not produced any evidence that there is widespread corruption on the Joplin City Council. An allegedly stolen sticky note is not corruption, its elementary school name calling. Unless, of course, Rohr's corruption allegations are centered around his (successful) attempts to woo Globe Editor Carol Stark into fighting his battles with Councilman Bill Scearce.

-Why are the five council members being described as part of a good-old-boy network, when the most secretive group involved in the April city election, the Joplin Progress Committee, has received contributions from many of the major power players in the city- and none of their contributions are going to anyone who voted to fire Mark Rohr. Apparently, they don't make good old boys the way they used to.

-Why is the media acting like Wallace-Bajjali has disproven the accusations in the Loraine report? The last time I looked, all they did was provide their own version of the facts and did not disprove anything.

-Why is the media ignoring the bankruptcies, fraud accusations, and securities violations, as well as numerous lawsuits involving Wallace-Bajjali. As far as I can recall, it has never been brought up in any of the local media except for a paragraph in the Globe, which quoted Mark Rohr as saying none of it amounted to anything.

Some final thoughts

If the Joplin Globe is successful in its legal efforts to force the city to release the complete report, this is what I expect will occur:

-The report is not going to be what the Globe, Anson Burlingame, or any of the other Rohr supporters would expect. The council members who voted to fire Mark Rohr were not taken by surprise by the reaction. Rohr's influence over the Joplin Globe is well known. Two council members, Trisha Raney and Jack Golden, voted to fire Rohr, knowing full well that it could cost them their council seats. That is not the way good old boys usually operate.

-Bullying may have been a factor in Rohr's dismissal, but it was not the deciding factor. I would say there were things that occurred that the five council members saw as Rohr abusing his office. We probably will wonder why the other four did not join them in their vote. The allegations could have prevented Rohr from landing the League City position and could have landed the city in a lawsuit. When Rohr left Piqua, Ohio, he successfully sued someone who accused him of wrongdoing. I reported the following in the June 3, 2007, Turner Report:

The Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County, Ohio, is $3,000 richer, thanks to a settlement of a libel suit brought by Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr against a Piqua, Ohio, businessman who Rohr says defamed him while Rohr was Piqua's city manager.

According to an article in the March 29 Dayton Daily News, Rohr had initially won his lawsuit against Gustin, but the jury voted not to award him any money. A retrial was ordered, but will not be held thanks to the settlement.

Rohr sued Charles "Mo" Gustin after Gustin claimed police cruisers had been to Rohr's house three or four times to check out domestic abuse complaints;

Rohr said his lawyer, Grant Kerber of Troy, suggested the donation. Rohr liked the idea.

"My sole objective was to send a message that you can't go around saying untrue things about someone without repercussions." Rohr said.

Rohr said he thinks he made his point.

Nixon announces $1.3 million to be provided to homeless, domestic violence shelters

(From Gov. Jay Nixon)

Gov. Jay Nixon announced today that Missouri homeless service providers, including emergency and domestic violence shelters, will receive $1.3 million to help bridge a gap caused by reductions in federal funding. The new funding will be provided by the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) and the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS).

“Missouri’s network of shelters provides safe haven for thousands of domestic violence survivors, as well as provide housing solutions for the homeless in both rural and urban communities across the state,” Gov. Nixon said. “We will take the steps necessary to ensure that funding to the shelters is not reduced, even in the face of these federal cuts.”

Federal funding for the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program, administered by MHDC, was cut this year. This deficiency, coupled with newly implemented federal regulations placing a greater emphasis on permanent housing solutions, has resulted in less funding being available for emergency shelter services in 2014.

At Gov. Nixon’s request, the Office of Administration, along with DSS and MHDC, has identified a multi-year, long-term solution to bridge the funding gap caused by the federal cuts.

The funding solution announced today by Gov. Nixon will include more than $500,000 for domestic violence shelters from DSS through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Another $800,000 for homeless service providers will be made available from MHDC through other existing funds. These resources will be available in future years, providing a long-term, stable solution for emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters and other homeless service providers. The proposal for the MHDC share of the funding will be presented to the MHDC board for approval at its March 14 meeting.

“It is critical that Missouri keeps the safety net of shelters available to domestic violence survivors and our state’s homeless,” said Attorney General Chris Koster, a member of the Missouri Housing Development Commission. “I appreciate Governor Nixon’s quick action in identifying resources to keep the doors open at these shelters.”

“I support Governor Nixon's efforts to work with housing commission members to implement a plan that will provide crucial funding for emergency and domestic violence shelters,” said Treasurer Clint Zweifel, also a member of MHDC. “I look forward to working with the Governor and my fellow commission members to address this issue and begin creating a long-term solution for these shelters next week.”

Hartzler: We must send a clear message to Russia

In her latest newsletter, Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler writes about the situation in the Ukraine.
This week, the House has addressed a number of issues. Among them, the growing uncertainty of the situation in Ukraine and high energy prices here in Missouri. This week also brought an unveiling of the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget. The House also worked to address concerns over the Obamacare penalty taxes set to take effect this year.

As you may know, Russia sent troops to the Crimea region of Ukraine, violating Ukraine’s national sovereignty. In response, many options are being discussed here in Washington and with our allies and partners abroad. This week, the House took action to condemn this act of aggression by Russia and provide support for the government of Ukraine. One action that the President has advanced is to provide loan guarantees for Ukraine so that they would not have to rely on Russian energy. The House passed H.R. 4152 this week, which would ensure any funds would come from existing appropriations rather than from future spending. This helps to accomplish the U.S. objective of assisting the Ukrainian people, without increasing future spending. It is important that we send a clear signal to Russia that its violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine is not acceptable, and the international community will ensure there are consequences.

McCaskill events scheduled in Joplin

(From Southwest Missouri Democrats)

Senator Claire McCaskill will be our special guest at twoSWMO Democrats gatherings on Tuesday, March 18.  We have limited spots available for a March Mixer ($100 per person suggested donation).  This will include two drink tickets, an appetizer buffet, and a chance to meet the Senator. This event will run from 5:45 to 6:45 and will be held at the Ralph L Gray Alumni Center at Missouri Southern State University, 3950 Newman Rd, Joplin, MO 64801.  To get there, park at the very west end of the two big parking lots along Newman Road.  Walk up the steps, cross the road, enter the campus, and look for the Alumni Center on your right.
 
At 5:45 at the Billingsly Student Center Ballroom on the MSSU campus, we will also start registration for another gathering for which Senator McCaskill will be our guest at aDemocratic Meet and Greet (suggested donation $20 per person).  First there will be an auction with the hilarious Pat Kelly and a get-together with cookies and punch.  Senator McCaskill will arrive at 7:00 for a talk and a meet and greet.  Of course everyone is welcome to come to both events: after the first one, just walk the short distance to the Billingsly Center and join in for no extra donation.  That way you won’t miss anything that the Senator says!
 
To RSVP for either event please contact Krista Stark atswmodems@gamil.com or 417-437-8443.
 

Kansas City Democrat receives threats after bill proposes changes to Castle Doctrine law

The Castle Doctrine law was never needed in the first place. It was one of the unnecessary gun owners in crisis bills that the NRA pushes every year in state legislatures. KCTV5

Already one resignation on Mark Rohr's League City staff

There are no indications that it has anything to do with the impending arrival of new City Manager Mark Rohr, but League City's website says that an assistant city manager has submitted his resignation to return to a consulting business:

“Working for the City has been rewarding in many ways,” (Assistant City Manager David Benson said. “I have learned much, but that benefit does not compare to working alongside an outstanding set of colleagues. I am thankful to have served with them and many others on the City team, from volunteers and my co-workers to the City’s elected leadership. I’ll miss League City and wish only the best for the organization and community.”

Benson's final day of work will be April 18.

Hickman Mills superintendent: Board members being trained to follow the law