Education plan clears House

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden's two-pronged education plan passed the House on Wednesday, with new funding from higher casino taxes and new accountability measures for troubled schools.

"It's a win-win all the way around," Holden said while congratulating supporters on the House's side gallery.

The funding legislation would raise around $150 million through higher casino taxes, the elimination of some business tax incentives and various other small tax changes.

The money, along with revenues from a new keno-style lottery game, would be used to meet the expected growth in the state formula that funds most of Missouri's elementary and secondary schools.

Under the separate accountability legislation, poor-performing schools would be required to develop improvement plans or face a loss of state money. Some teachers and administrators in those districts also would have to undergo more training.

Representatives passed the funding bill by an 87-63 vote -- just five more than needed to send the legislation to the Senate.

But a provision failed that would have allowed the bill to take effect immediately upon Holden's signature. Sponsoring Rep. James Foley, D-St. Ann, said the delayed implementation would mean slightly less money from the higher casino taxes during the fiscal year that starts July 1. But he did not have an estimate.

Representatives passed the school accountability legislation 111-33, also sending it to the Senate.

Although both bills had been debated extensively in previous days, there was little discussion before the votes. But there was plenty of opposition.

"I'm not going to support dumbbell Bob's ideas for funding all these (education) programs," Rep. John Griesheimer, R-Washington, said in an interview after the vote.

Griesheimer said he opposed the additional casino taxes, the removal of some business tax incentives and provisions that would allow the state treasurer to invest in money market accounts -- potentially hurting small banks that don't offer the accounts.

Griesheimer was among those opposing both education bills. So was Rep. Peter Myers, R-Sikeston.

"I felt like the school accountability was just more bureaucracy on top of the teachers," Myers said. "I just felt like we were adding more problems."

Supporters said the opposite was true -- that the legislation would encourage schools to resolve problems that lead to poor student test scores. Also, the bill would allow the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to waive some administrative rules for schools with high-performing students.

"We're not only offering some assistance there, we're offering some rewards for those who are doing well," said sponsoring Rep. Dick Franklin, D-Independence, chairman of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.

Under the funding bill, the state's earnings tax on casinos would rise to 22 percent from the current 20 percent. Casinos also would have to pay $3, instead of the current $2, for each customer during each two-hour gambling period.

Casinos had strongly opposed the increased taxes and fees. They had lobbied for removal of the $500 gamblers' loss limit during each two-hour gambling period, but that provision was not included in the bill.

"If it's between gaming and education, I think this Legislature decided education was better than gaming," Foley said.

Also Wednesday, the Senate passed a bill allowing school districts to provide temporary administrator certificates as a way to address a shortage of school administrators. Applicants would be expected to obtain a full administrator certificate within five years. That bill now goes to the House.

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Education funding bill is HB1877 (Foley); School accountability bill is HB1817 (Franklin); Administrators bill is SB722 (Bentley).

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Missouri Legislature: http://www.moga.state.mo.us