DESEGREGATION SAVINGS SHOULD GO TO FUND CATEGORICAL SPENDING

The Joint Interim Committee on Desegregation and School Finance Issues has decided to take Cape Girardeau Superintendent Dr. Dan Tallent's advice and share the wealth of desegregation savings.

Committee co-chairman Sen. Ted House, D-St. Charles, said placing the desegregation savings into categorical spending items made the most sense to committee members because every school receives that funding.

Tallent was glad to know the committee members actually listened to the public rather than pursuing their own agendas. Hopefully, he said, there will be savings when the desegregation programs end and all schools will be able to benefit from opportunities students in Kansas City and St. Louis have been receiving.

"It's good that the students in Cape Girardeau and outstare communities will have access to some of the same programs and activities," he said. "I don't think we've given any students any opportunities they didn't deserve, but at the same time, our kids deserve some of those same opportunities."

The 18-member state legislative committee was created to consider how Missouri can move beyond court-ordered desegregation of public schools in St. Louis and Kansas City. Tallent was the first person to testify before the committee during one of five public hearings held on the subject.

Tallent appeared Aug. 19 before the committee on behalf of the district and the Missouri Association of School Administrators during a public hearing held in Cape Girardeau. He made two basic recommendations. First, he said, they need to make sure the school formula, which is used to determine the amount of state funding each school district receives, continues to be fully funded.

He also recommended to the committee that any savings gained from the phasing out of court-ordered desegregation be funneled into categorical spending such as transportation and special- and gifted-education programming.

House said the committee focused on both of those issues during work sessions last week. The work sessions are being held to develop legislation the committee will then recommend to the General Assembly by Dec. 15.

"The primary thing was to fully fund the school district formula," said House, who also serves as chairman of the Senate education committee. "I think that will be very beneficial for the school district in out-state Missouri, but also for all of Missouri schools."

Although the committee is focusing its efforts on fully funding the formula, more money will be needed for the entire education budget because urban districts will need bigger slices for their transportation and other categorical costs that were previously paid with desegregation funding, House said.

"There's no question that we will need some additional funding," he said.

"Any so-called deseg savings will, of course, go into the pot, but more additional funding will definitely be required. I can't say how much more; that will depend on what Gov. Carnahan feels he can do."