The Columbia Tribune remains the only newspaper making a legitimate effort to pin down Governor Matt Blunt's radical attempt to shift the education landscape in Missouri through his appointments to the State Board of Education.
I have noted the newspaper's efforts to put the governor's three appointments, Donayle Whitmore-Smith, whose official ascension to the board has been blocked, Rev. Stan Archie, and Debi Demien.
The newspaper's crack team of reporters, including Janese Heavin (pictured) have also been doing their best to pin down the governor. The Tribune has not been handling this story in the typical which set of politicians is winning this battle format that most major media outlets seem to follow. This has been a case of examining a policy and the efforts to implement it.
Ms. Heavin begins her post:
Gov. Matt Blunt is looking for State Board of Education candidates who support education, but his spokeswoman stopped short of clarifying whether that includes religious and private schooling, too.
Jessica Robinson said Blunt wants to appoint individuals "who believe all children should have access to high quality education."
When I asked if she meant public education, she said "education."
Public education or alternative education, as well? "Education," she repeated.
I admit the question put Robinson on the spot. After all, had she said "public education," Blunt would have risked losing support from All Children Matter, the anti-public education group that has funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into Blunt and other Republican campaigns.
But if she had said "education" includes private schools, Blunt would have likely heard more criticism of what some already consider his anti-public education agenda.
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