Joplin Progress Committee preparing to put money into R-8 Board election

With no city council elections this year, the Joplin Progress Committee appears to have started collecting money to influence the Joplin R-8 Board of Education election.

The collecting began last Wednesday, according to the committee's 40-days-before-election disclosure report filed Sunday with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

The report showed $1,400 was raised during a four-day period, giving the committee $4,621.40 when the documents were filed.

The biggest contribution, $500, came from Cynthia Schwab, Joplin.

Nine others contributed $100 apiece:

Brad Beecher, Carl Junction, Empire District Electric Company
Clifford Wert, Webb City, retired U. S. Bank president
Ronald Getz, Joplin, Empire District Electric Company
Karen Plott, Carl Junction, Choice Marketing
T. J. Franz & Associates, Webb City
Henry Robertson Sr., Joplin, retired
Troy Hill, Joplin, BKD LLP
Rodney Spriggs, Joplin, Vintage Stock
Sara Newman, Joplin, retired

Though the Joplin Progress Committee has not announced which candidates it will support, there appears no doubt that one of its favored candidates will be Nancy Good, who is one of three candidates running for the one-year seat left open by Dawn Sticklen's resignation after Sticklen enrolled her daughter at Webb City High School.

Good, a Joplin Progress Committee member and chairman of Bright Futures USA, was also the campaign treasurer for two of the committee's favored candidates, current R-8 board member Shawn McGrew and Joplin City Councilman Mike Woolston.

During last year's board election, the Committee endorsed five of the seven candidates, everyone except Debbie Fort and Dave Guilford.

Word has gotten back to the Turner Report that committee leaders have told candidates not to expect support if they are linked to this blog in any way.

Joplin R-8 Board expected to set March 25 as date for collective bargaining vote

A vote on what organization will represent Joplin R-8 teachers in collective bargaining will be scheduled for March 25, according to documentation for Tuesday night's 6 p.m. Board of Education meeting.

Both NEA and MSTA have filed requests to serve as the collective bargaining agent for district teachers, counselors, and librarians.

The following post comes from the Joplin NEA website and was written by NEA local president Crystal Stokes:

Ray Smith, MNEA Uniserv Director, and I spent a little over an hour with Dr. Huff, Tina Smith, Board attorney, another group, and the election judge, Mr. J. Dick Waers from Kansas City, discussing election parameters. The bargaining unit (any full-time employee on the teacher salary schedule who does not hire, fire, or evaluate) will be the ONLY people who will cast ballots.

Tentative agreement was reached on election sites, though this could change. At this time, it looks as though Cecil Floyd and Kelsey Norman Elementary Schools will be the two polling places. JNEA suggested a third site, but there hasn't been agreement on that. The first election is scheduled for March 25th from 3:15pm-7:30pm. (At this time, we cannot say for certain there will be a second election - stay tuned.) After meeting the election judge, who has overseen similar elections in Springfield and in the Kansas City area, we can assure you - without any doubt - that this will be a fair election process.

Field work portion of Joplin state audit concluding this week

While Joplin R-8 patrons await the results of the district audit, which is scheduled to be released during a 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday, March 3, in the Joplin High School cafeteria, it appears we are not far from finding out what has been going on in the City of Joplin.

Auditors have indicated that this week is the last week in which they will be in Joplin working on the city audit. After this week, they return to Jefferson City to work on the audit report. When it is finished they will hold an exit conference with the City Council, giving it a chance to respond to the findings.

Those responses will be included in the final audit report, which will be presented during a public meeting.

Lawsuit officially settled: How much did Mike Johnson cost taxpayers?

There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that there was a petition signed by 100 lawyers asking that C. J. Huff keep Mike Johnson on the Joplin R-8 staff.

The buildings project director and lawsuit magnet, who already cost the district $276,000 in the settlement in the United Metropolitan lawsuit in which Johnson was charged with racism, has cost the district more money (more likely in increased insurance premiums) after Judge David Dally officially approved the settlement and dismissed former custodial supervisor George Abbott's sexual harassment lawsuit against Johnson and the district Friday.

It would be nice if someone would ask for details of the settlement during Tuesday night's televised Board of Education meeting.


The trial for the case, which was filed in 2010, was originally scheduled to begin last week in Jasper County Circuit Court.

George Morris alleged wrongful firing, retaliation, harassment, and sexual harassment against Johnson. Though Huff was not listed as a defendant in the action, he is prominently featured in the lawsuit,

The description of the lawsuit can be found in the February 4 Turner Report.

Columbia, West Central can wait, $60K needed for administration carpeting

The C. J. Huff Administration is preparing to sock us with a tax levy increase proposal, undoubtedly accompanied with stories (accurate) of the poor conditions in some of the school district's elementary buildings, especially at West Central and Columbia.

Those schools, however, will have to wait for their improvements.

Meanwhile, the Joplin R-8 Board of Education is expected to approve spending nearly $60,000 for carpeting for the Huff Administration's new home at the old Memorial Middle School building.

The proposal, which is signed off on by Huff and buildings project coordinator Mike Johnson, indicates that the money will come out of the 2014-2015 capital outlay funds and that bids have already been taken.

Of course, it is on the consent agenda for Tuesday night's 6 p.m. meeting, meaning unless it is specifically brought up by a board member, it will be passed without a word of discussion.

Report recommends spending $13.2 million plus for Joplin R-8 facilities

Be prepared for the tax levy increase proposal that is surely heading our way.

The final report of the Long Range Facilities Committee will be presented to the Joplin R-8 Board of Education when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday and it includes a recommended $13.2 million in expenditures over the next five years.

Superintendent C. J. Huff has been talking about the need for a levy increase to accomplish the things that needed to be done in the school district and during the August board meeting, the board took steps that would permit them to go for a levy increase this year if it decides on that route.

Committee members who asked what the district could pay for were told not to worry about that and just determine what is needed.

One thing that is not being recommended is new carpeting for the administration as it moves into the Memorial Middle School building. The Huff Administration will recommend spending $59,264 on that, an item which, as usual, can be found in the board's consent agenda.


These are the expenditures that the report recommends and what year the projects would be done:

Ex-Joplin master developer completes project- $84,000 pool at his home

For nearly three years, the Turner Report has searched for a project that former Joplin master developer David Wallace, formerly of Wallace-Bajjali Development Partners, has seen through to completion.

Mission accomplished.

The project was right in David Wallace's backyard. Not just in Sugar Land, Texas, but in David Wallace's actual back yard.

A mechanic's lien filed in Fort Bend County Texas, County Clerk's office shows that at the same time that Wallace and his former partner, Costa Bajjali were failing to get even one shovelful of dirt turned on any Joplin projects, it only took three months for Wallace to get an $84,000 pool installed in the backyard of the home he shares with his new wife.

The pool was provided courtesy of Premier Pools and Spas.

The pool was installed behind the new home David and Jennifer Wallace bought June 5, 2014, in the gated Greatwood community located in Sugar Land.

Fort Bend County records indicate the Wallaces took out a $361,000 homeowners' loan from Cornerstone Home Lending in Houston to buy the four bedroom, four bathroom home.

C. J. Huff: I'm ready to concentrate on running the school again

Superintendent C. J. Huff gave Joplin R-8 staff a hint Friday of one of the excuses he and the Board of Education likely gave to state auditors as reasons for the district's shortcomings.

As he provided a stirring speech to a captive audience at the conclusion of a professional development day, complete with a power point presentation on the Jumbotron the district bought for the Joplin High School gymnasium using funds from a federal job training grant, Huff said that nearly all of his time up to the October 3 ribbon cutting at the new JHS had been spent dealing with tornado recovery issues.

Now, Huff said, he is able to devote his time to normal school activities.

The superintendent did not mention  that his tornado recovery work took him many places during 2014 including the following:

Thursday, Jan. 23- keynote speaker for Wisconsin Association of School Boards

Thursday, Feb. 20- Columbia- An Evening With C. J. Huff- Council of PTAs

Tuesday, June 3- Bright Futures USA training session for Hazelwood Bright Futures

Monday,July 14, -Wednesday, July 16- National School Public Relations Association, Baltimore, Maryland. (panel discussion)

Thursday, July 17- Bright Futures USA presentation in Beaufort County, North Carolina

Tuesday, July 22 Tenth Annual Arkansas Safe Schools Conference, North Little Rock

Monday, August 11- Bright Futures USA morning speech in Pea Ridge, Arkansas

Friday, September 5- Mid-morning speech at Kansas City Rotary Convention

Thursday, September 25, Friday, September 26- Speeches in Chicago, Illinois

Friday, October 10- Keynote speaker at professional development for Elk Island Public School District, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada.

Friday, October 17- speaker at Poplar Bluff Bright Futures kickoff breakfast

Wednesday, November 5- keynote speaker for Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas

Tuesday,November 18- Saskatchewan School Boards Association

That's a lot of tornado recovery.
'
It is easy to see why he had no time for normal school business.

Huff also claimed credit for teachers getting to wear bluejeans on Fridays, a similar statement to the one he has been making claiming credit for the wage and step increases R-8 teachers received thanks to the work of the Board's Finance Committee after Huff had submitted a budget which offered an extra $3 a week to teachers and no step increases.

During his speech, Huff shared the information that a survey taken of district employees by an outside company shows that an overwhelming majority of them are happy with their jobs, with their schools and with administration.

Of course, the surveys were taken by computer, and though teachers and staff were assured that their answers would be confidential, that assurance came from the same administration that paid Ronny Justin Myers $67,000 a year to handle the high school laptops and then hid the fact that he had spied on students through those very laptops and had pornographic photos of 10 Joplin High School girls.

The teachers also remembered other times when they were administered "confidential" surveys, then had principals approach them because they had not turned in those surveys yet.

The survey results indicate that the favorable rating  for C. J. Huff is just barely below that of Kim Jong-un during a recent confidential survey taken in North Korea and slightly above that of Vladimir Putin from a recent confidential survey taken in Russia.

Reportedly, eighty-three percent of those who gave high marks to the atmosphere at the school, would also have said that ice cream grows on trees if they thought that was what C. J. Huff wanted to hear.

The meeting Friday also included the spectacle of Joplin R-8 Board of Education President Anne Sharp enthusiastically leading the wave.

There is a possibility that soon Sharp, who has been on the board since miners frequented Joplin saloons, will lead the wave goodbye.

MSSU mourns loss of Dr. Al Cade

(From Southern News Service)

Missouri Southern State University today lost a longtime faculty member, senior administrator and good friend with the death of Dr. Alfred R. Cade, dean of the School of Education.

Cade, 54, passed away this afternoon after a long battle with cancer.

Known as man of integrity whose life was dedicated to serving others, he was a role model to both students and colleagues across campus.

"Dr. Cade was a man of honor and had a unique gift for making those around him feel very cared for," said MSSU President Alan Marble. "The efforts he made to encourage the best in our students and to keep a connection with our alumni are inspirational to our Lion family. We are only comforted knowing that after his courageous fight, he is finally at peace. We will miss him greatly."

Dr. Pat Lipira, vice president for academic affairs, had been friends with Dr. Cade since the two attended college together.

"Al was not only a colleague for 25 years, but a dear friend," she said. "Although my heart is breaking, I am a better person because our paths in life crossed."

Born July 15, 1960, in Kansas City, Mo., he would go on to pursue two of his life's passions following high school — education and football.

Cade received a bachelor of science degree in education (health and physical education) in 1983 and a master of science in education (health and physical education) in 1985, both from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville. He completed his doctorate of education in 2001 from St. Louis University.

In 1982, he saw action in seven games with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger Cats after he signed a free-agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He joined the Missouri Southern faculty in 1984 as a physical education instructor for the Department of Kinesiology and as an assistant football coach, working with the Lions' defensive line.

In 1993, Cade returned to his alma mater as a physical education instructor in the Department of Health, and a year later began teaching at Minnesota State University-Mankato State.

He returned to Missouri Southern in 1996 as the assistant to the dean of the School of Education. He served as chair of the Department of Teacher Education from 2005 to 2012, as well as serving as the athletic department's Faculty Athletics Representative, before he was appointed interim dean of the School of Education. He was lanter named the school's dean.

His service to the Southern campus included work as the faculty advisor for the Southern IMPACT program, a member of the administrative council, the shared governance and strategic planning committees and the athletic council. He also helped develop the campus' diversity committee, which now sponsors the annual Martin Luther King Day of Service.

His passion for education served as a beacon for students at Missouri Southern.

"Dr. Cade had a particularly soft heart for the academically struggling student," said Olive Talley, Cade's administrative assistant. "He would often email or call students to see how they were doing, if they were happy and if he could help them in any way. He would have them come to his office to chat about school, life, home, their goals and dreams, and was even known to pay test fees for students who suffered financial hardship."

Along with serving on various committees for the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators, he served as vice president and president for the Missouri Association for Blacks in Higher Education for seven years.

Cade's call to service was also evident within the Joplin community.

He served as an executive board member as well as vice president for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Missouri, the city of Joplin Human Rights Commission and the city's Schools & Community Facilities Committee, as well the Miracle League of Joplin and the Southwest Center for Educational Excellence. He served as chair of the annual George Washington Carver Art and Essay Contest, which the university co-sponsored with the Carver Birthplace Association.

He was also involved with the Joplin Area Special Olympics, Joplin Chamber of Commerce Golden Apple Teacher Award Selection Committee and the Langston Hughes Celebration Committee.

In 2013, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from NWMSU. He had previously been inducted into the NWMSU Athletic Hall of Fame, in 2003.

In 2014, he was elected to two positions serving two statewide groups dedicated to strengthening teacher education programs. He was elected to the executive board for the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, a state affiliate of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, as well as vice-chairman for the Missouri Council of Education Deans.

Cade served on state and national accreditation examination boards for the assessment review of teacher education programs at universities in Missouri and across the country.

He leaves behind his wife, Dorothy Cade, and children Christopher and Keisha Smith; his mother, Marie Cade; his siblings Rick Cade, Joi Marie Cade, Lorine Webb, and Sherri Rawlings; and his grandchildren Brant Smith, Alyssa Smith, Destini Smith, Christopher Smith, and Jalynn Smith-Ward. He was preceded in death by his father, Alfred Cade.

Service arrangements are pending and will be announced when they are finalized.

Billy Long: Free trade will bring job creation

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

I want to take this opportunity to explain why I support Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, sometimes referred to as Fast Track, which will restore a key component of our trade policy to help our nation’s manufacturers and agricultural producers grow and create good paying jobs here at home.

To quote Edwin Messe, Attorney General under President Reagan, “It is extremely difficult for any U.S. President to negotiate significant trade deals if he cannot assure other nations that Congress will refrain from adding numerous amendments and conditions that must then be taken back to the negotiating table.”

A typical fast track agreement will set guidelines within which the president may negotiate the potential treaty. The president may not conclude an agreement that goes outside of the congressionally mandated guidelines. Once the treaty is concluded, both houses of Congress must then approve or reject the treaty through an expedited process that limits debate and procedural delaying tactics.

While the first modern Fast Track authority was granted in the Trade Act of 1974, the president and his diplomats have negotiated economic agreements since the earliest days of the republic. The first such treaty of note, commonly referred to as the Jay Treaty, was conducted by John Jay, one of the Founding Fathers, during his service to our nation as a special envoy to Great Britain for President George Washington. The Jay Treaty covered a variety of issues including issues of trade and commerce between the United States, Great Britain and British territories. Once the treaty had been concluded by Mr. Jay it was submitted by President Washington to the United States Senate for that chamber’s advice and consent. This pattern of presidential conduction of trade treaties continues throughout our nation’s history and because of this history I am confident that Congress has the constitutional authority to enact trade promotion authority.

Modern Fast Track authority is not a general grant of authority to the president and is in some ways more restrictive than the Congressional oversight of trade agreements exercised by Congress during our nation’s early history. This is because modern trade agreements typically reflect changes in the law beyond tariffs, such as certain regulations or other aspects of the law that can be classified as non-tariff barriers to trade. While I agree that we should eliminate regulations and roll back these barriers to trade so that future trade agreements can be conducted more easily, we cannot afford to pass up opportunities to achieve agreements on free trade right now.

Our economy needs the job creation which free trade offers for American workers and the lower prices it provides for American consumers.