There is not much to celebrate in Missouri politics these days, with a rash, know-nothing Republican governor and veritably sociopathic United States president undermining and dismantling our state and federal governments. What might begin to turn things around would be new, surprising, unexpected coalitions committed to preserving the protections of our state and federal constitutions. In Missouri, such a coalition may be forming around the resistance to Governor Eric Greitens’ brazen attempts to undermine the State Board of Education and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
At stake is Greitens’ manipulation of appointments to the State Board of Education in an attempt to form a new majority that will vote to oust Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven. A new attempt may be made as soon as Friday, December 1, when the board meets next, but thus far, Greitens has failed, he has failed publicly, and he has failed badly.
Most recently, he failed at the November 21 state board meeting in Jefferson City where – despite Greitens having packed the board with five new members, in moves that violated the state constitution – he still failed to create the new majority. He was stymied by resistance from all over the state, including conservative areas that supported his candidacy. “Leading up to the meeting,” writes Mike Jones, a member of the state board (and of our editorial board), “the board received over 1,400 emails from every corner of Missouri. The emails were from parents and teachers, both active and retired, from superintendents in districts large and small, from school board members, both rural and urban. Social media was alive with criticism of the governor’s ill advised, ham-handed attempt to undermine Missouri public education.”
In most of the school districts around the state – that is, school districts in rural areas – their constituents have no interest in charter schools. They want as many resources as they can get for their underfunded public schools, and they see the “competition” that ideologues want as harmful to their schools – to their children. The governor obviously overlooked this solid political interest to push the agenda of rich right-wing ideologues (think Betsy DeVos and her clown car of billionaires) who want charter schools everywhere.
The misses keep coming for this clueless governor, and the political fall-out deepens. He has been sued both by a board member he appointed, then abruptly removed – from Joplin, which should be a Greitens base – and by a schoolteacher from Springfield, another expected Greitens base.
Tim Sumners, the board member that Greitens appointed and then dumped, is represented by James Layton, Missouri’s former solicitor general, who knows just a little more about Missouri law than this upstart governor with no previous political experience. Layton told St. Louis Public Radio that state board members may only be removed for wrongdoing and their removal requires a hearing. Sumners was accused of no wrongdoing and dismissed without a hearing. Sumners also is seeking a temporary restraining order to block his replacement, Jennifer Edwards, from sitting on the board.
St. Louis Public Radio also reported that Laurie Sullivan, a teacher from Springfield, filed a suit claiming that Greitens’ manipulation of state board appointments violated Missouri’s Sunshine Law.
Over the last few months, Greitens has made a number of changes to the board’s membership while the Missouri Senate was out of session, in an attempt to fire and replace Vandeven before the Senate can properly vet his board appointments, as required by the Missouri Constitution.
Mike Jones writes that Vandeven “has brought the Missouri educational community into an effectively functioning coalition committed to successfully educating all children.” It’s that coalition, we believe, that intimidates Greitens and that he is attempting to undermine and destroy. We commend advocates for public education from all over the state – including from out-state areas that unfortunately elect mistakes like Greitens and Trump – for standing up to this abuse of government power.
