River Campus issue settled

House Speaker Rod Jetton and Southeast Missouri State University officials have put an end to the funding controversy over the River Campus arts school project.

At a news conference Friday at the construction site, Jetton announced he will support state funding to help retire bonds for the River Campus project now that the university has promised it won't finance any future campus project with such a bond scheme.

Jetton dropped his earlier demand for the resignation of three Southeast regents.

Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins said the university's regents will enact a policy later this spring that would implement such a restriction. In addition, Dobbins said the university will support legislation by state Sen. Jason Crowell that would bar the Missouri Development Finance Board from issuing bonds for projects that depend upon state funding that hasn't been approved by lawmakers.

Letter from Ken Dobbins to Rod Jetton: