LET PARENTS MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES

Missouri's education chief wants to institute what he calls "universal preschool" for our state's youngsters. Commissioner of Education Robert Bartman pitched his proposal to provide universal preschool for Missouri children before a House committee earlier month.

Bartman says his plan would cost about $30 million a year and provide access to preschool programs to children whose parents currently can't afford the cost or who live in areas where such programs don't exist. He suggests funding come from the state's settlement with the tobacco industry. "This is indeed an investment we need to make in Missouri," he says. He said he favors 15 years of state-funded education for Missouri's children: two years of preschool, kindergarten and grades one through 12.

To be blunt, Bartman's vision comes from an approach that says little children are putty to be molded and that today's public educators should be the scupltors. Missourians who share this view will follow eagerly as the state moves in the direction of handing our children over to the state to be educated as the Bartmans of the world see fit. Others will view this latest expansion of public education with concern, or even alarm. One question: Are all or even most of our public schools doing their current job so effectively that they should welcome this huge new expansion in their role?

One caveat is essential where Bartman's proposed funding source is concerned. It is by no means certain that Missouri's share of the tobacco funding will be the oft-quoted $6.7 billion figure spread over 25 years. In fact, it is increasingly clear that the actual figure will be much less. Moreover, it is anything but certain that the politicians will get to fulfill their desire to spend this money at all. There is the question as to whether this money will be declared total state revenue. If it is, either by court ruling or by vote of the people, then it will likely trigger Hancock refunds to taxpayers rather than constitutng a huge new revenue gusher for the politicians to spend. We'd suggest going slowly on any proposal for universal preschool.