Each year at about the middle of session, the General Assembly takes a week off to “recharge” a bit and to be able to spend some time in our home districts. I made the decision 5 years ago to spend that time visiting schools and talking to 4th graders about Missouri Government and history. That is generally when our students start learning about state government and they are always excited to have someone come to their classroom to share.
Education is always an issue of discussion because we all realize how important it is to prepare our young people for the ever-changing world that they will face. We all agree that education is of utmost importance but unfortunately we cannot agree on how to help our schools keep up with the demands and expectations that are put on them today. Many educators feel that education is under attack and fear the changes that are proposed by some and question the leadership of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Missouri. I share some of those thoughts because our schools are often judged by those failures that are far more prevalent in the urban areas and little credit is given to those schools that function well and turn out students every year that are ready to take the next step into higher education or the world of work.
I always feel good about education in Northwest Missouri when I complete my visits and have a chance to hear from teachers, administrators and most importantly, the kids. In spite of the fact that our schools in recent years have lost funding from the state, their facilities may not be as modern as we like and they are all feeling the weight of continual speculation on how they should operate, they are doing a great job. I see comaraderie among teachers, pride in their students, well organized classrooms with technology that the 4th graders have to teach me to use and bright eyed students that seem happy to be there. Attendance is good and parent support of the school is the norm. I am proud of the dedicated educators that we have in Northwest Missouri and the citizens that support their efforts.
As we convene for the second half of session, there will be many issues to tackle but the one that is the largest and most important is the budget for 2012. The budget committee has completed its work and will bring 13 appropriation bills forward. It is about 2.5% smaller than last year and equals about $23.2 billion. The sluggish economy has restricted our opportunities and the parts of the budget that I am the most disappointed in is the very thing I have been discussing--education. There are many cuts that have affected our rural schools directly and higher education funding has been cut by approximately 7%. After a 5% cut last year and no tuition increases for higher education institutions, they will have to be especially creative and innovative in the coming years.
It is easy to become discouraged. However, as I look at other states and the tremendous fiscal problems that they face, I am thankful that I am in Missouri where we will balance our budget, pay our bills and continue to make progress toward recovery and job growth.
If you have questions, you may reach me at my Capitol number 573-751-9465, at the local district number, 660-582-4014, by email at mike.thomson@house.mo.gov or by mail at Room 401B State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101
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