COOK SAYS MEETING WAS USEFUL; EDUCATION BOARDS ENDORSE TAX PLAN

A Cape Girardeau attorney serving on the State Board of Education said Sunday that last week's joint meeting between her board and the Coordinating Board on Higher Education was a good session. She said she believes the two groups should get together on at least an annual basis.

"It is always good for groups involved in education to get together," said Rebecca Cook, a member of the board since September. "I am certainly pleased that we discussed some substantive issues. If I had been setting the agenda I might have devoted more time to other things, but all in all, we discussed specific issues that are currently problems in education which concern both of us."

As part of the meeting in Jefferson City, the two boards both issued a joint, unanimous endorsement of Proposition B, which will be going before voters in November. The proposal would raise an additional $385 million in revenue for education and economic development.

Cook explained that efforts to set up the joint meeting had been under way since the first of the year and it was scheduled before the General Assembly approved the education tax and reform package last month.

"It was just a happy coincidence that we could do that," said Cook.

Commissioner of Education Robert E. Bartman and Commissioner of Higher Education Charles J. McClain called the joint session "a landmark meeting" and said it showed a renewed spirit of collaboration between the boards in responding to the challenges facing education at all levels.

The joint meeting was only the second time the two boards had gotten together since they were organized. The state Board of Education was formed in 1945 and the coordinating board was formed in 1963.

Several members of each board suggested more frequent joint meetings would be appropriate, but Cook said both boards are made up of volunteers and have heavy workloads to consider at monthly meetings.

"I think there is always an advantage in people communicating with one another but I don't feel it needs to be more than maybe once a year," said Cook. "We are all volunteers and there is just a limitation to the time we can spend. We need to communicate, but I'm not sure formal meetings is that much of an advantage."

Cook said she believes members of both boards are excited about Proposition B and willing to go out and play active roles in spreading the word to voters this fall.

Cook said that the final plan approved by the legislature is not perfect, but leaders in education are comfortable with it and ready to hit the campaign trail.

"I feel very strongly if we don't pass it we will have chaos in education," said Cook. "I feel we have an obligation to go out and inform people of the needs that are out there."

Some school districts are on the verge of serious financial difficulty, and Cook said that problems will only increase. Some schools will have to cut back on needed programs next fall because of tight money.

"I think everyone is happy with Proposition B and ready to go to work on it," Cook said. "It's the only shot we've got ... it's the only train that left the station and I'm just happy one left."

In their joint meeting last week, a key point of discussion was what standards should be for students wanting to enter teacher education programs. In Missouri, the state Board of Education sets the standards the universities must follow.

"The state board makes the decision but the coordinating board has some strong ideas," said Cook. "Teacher education was a big issue; what should the criteria be for determining who is qualified for entering teacher education programs anywhere in the state."

Another point of discussion was ways to increase graduation rates and prepare students to enter college.

"We have got to be graduating students who are prepared to attend college," said Cook, suggesting that it might be necessary to increase not only standards for admission to college but also standards for graduation from high school. The issue fits in with teacher education programs, she said.

"It is their job to send us teachers of such a quality to prepare students to go to college," said Cook. "It is real important that both of us keep talking so that we obtain that goal."

There is also some debate over whether the state is facing a teacher shortage.

"That is a subject of disagreement and I certainly don't know what the answer is," said Cook. On one hand there are reports that many teachers will be retiring over the next few years, but there are other reports that there are many certified teachers who are not using their degrees.

Cook said there is a definite shortage in the number of minority teachers in Missouri and that the number of minorities taking teacher education courses is declining.

"We know we have a problem in that area," she said. "We need minorities teaching to give all our children an understanding of the way the world works."