"Making matters worse, the subsidies are counterfeit “school choice”
because strings are attached to those subsidies in the form of
government oversight of what can actually no longer be considered
“private schools.”
To put that in even clearer perspective, consider
the fact that if you were to subsidize each “school choice” student the
$6000 it would take to make private school an option for many
families, that $25 million would only help 4166 students. And 4166 is less than ½ of one percent of the 870,000 K-12 students in the state.
That’s right, Senate Republicans traded one of the largest spending increases in Missouri history, and a tremendous increase in the power of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for a sack of wooden nickles."
And this:
"But, but…. Something has to be done about the terrible government schools!
Yes, but let’s do it the right way.
For the kids stuck in the failing government
schools, give back control of local schools to the people who care
most about those kids – their parents. Trust them.
Wrest back the local control that was stolen by the 1992 Senate Bill 380 – the so-called “Outstanding Schools Act.”
Relegate DESE to its original role, not the central planning behemoth it has become.
Allow “portability” by preventing someone’s
resident school district from locking them into that district. Parents
should have the option of moving their children, along with the
per-pupil state funding, to any other government school that will
accept them. The receiving school should have complete discretion
whether to accept or reject out-of-district students. Parents are
responsible for transportation.
And if you want to give home school and
private school families some relief, let them keep what is theirs to
start with. Any family with school age children who are not using the
government schools should not have to pay school taxes."
"167.012.1.For purposes of state law, a "home school" is a school, whether incorporated or unincorporated, that:(1)Has as its primary purpose the provision of private or religious-based instruction..." (Page 85 of SB727)
The above section of SB727--a now monstrous bill* that adds MORE government control, doling out of taxpayer dollars, data collection, and more--seems to be an attempt to abrogate the Second Amendment rights of Americans who home educate their children. See Catherine Dreher's tweet below. Note the explanation that would allow the possibility for prosecution of parents who have a gun in their home. Also note that the section was added AFTER the public hearing, precluding the ability of the citizens to comment upon it.
Dirty deeds.
The globalist hangers-on in our government and their lobbyist comrades want full government control over our children. And it looks like they will do whatever it takes to get it.
SB727 should be killed and left to rot. School choice, as expressed in SB727, is a Trojan Horse.
This section was added after the public hearing so home schoolers were unable to voice their concerns. We are voicing them now, and they are valid and justifiable concerns, yet we are met with hostility and contempt. We also comprise a large portion of the grassroots. pic.twitter.com/PJGC5NGvUk
— Catherine Dreher 🇺🇲🇩🇪🇬🇧🇧🇻 (@CDreher4Liberty) April 10, 2024
Further, there is now a legal opinion from attorneys. See tweet below. Click to enlarge the letter.
This is the FIRST actual LEGAL opinion I've seen from Attorneys regarding SB727 and the implications for homeschoolers having firearms in our homes. Everything else has been political or lobbyist opinions. #SB727@MOFreedomCaucus#molegpic.twitter.com/NMQ2RDeH4P
— Catherine Dreher 🇺🇲🇩🇪🇬🇧🇧🇻 (@CDreher4Liberty) April 11, 2024
Watch this and then call your Missouri representatives and ask them to vote NO on SB 727. A bill that started out 12 pages is now 167 pages and includes extremely problematic language for home educators. It's possible that parents who teach their children at home will be in danger of having their Second Amendment rights taken away if they have a gun in their home school.
Additionally, the bill has been blown up out of all proportion to its original intent. WATCH:
"Any employee who holds a voting interest in the Board or governing body of any other organization, association, non-for-profit, union, corporation, or government entity that conducts any business, financial or otherwise, with Christian County Library (including Recognized Library Support Organizations such as the Christian County Library Foundation and Friends of the Christian County Library) must disclose that relationship to their Supervisor and shall be disqualified from voting on or participating in any decision making, contract negotiation, or purchasing for or on behalf of Christian County Library related to that organization or entity. "
In a striking coincidence, a citizen, Aileena Keen, stood up to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting. In it, she exposes a possible conflict of interest on the part of the library's executive director, Renee Brumett, who is a current board member of MOBIUS, a library consortium that provides access to digital library materials, inter-library loans, and other resources. Watch the short video:
From Keen's question, it appears few, if any, members of the board were aware that Brumett is a member of the board of directors of MOBIUS. Library
consortiums engage in resource sharing, thereby giving local library
members a wider degree of access to materials like books and digital
resources. Why would this be a conflict of interest? See the above library policy. MOBIUS is a library consortium of mainly academic libraries that the Missouri State Library is associated with.
Currently, only four Missouri public libraries, including the Christian County Library, are members of MOBIUS. The other libraries are St. Charles City-County Library, St. Louis County Library, and the Springfield-Green County Library. Additionally, Robin Westphal, the State Librarian, is an ex officio board member of MOBIUS.
The question has to be asked, "Does the Christian County Library's membership in MOBIUS, versus Evergreen, have anything to do with Brumett's board membership?" It may not, but the library board should have had knowledge of any potential conflicts.
Additionally, the Christian County Library received a grant from MOBIUS for $1,159.00 to send a staff member to the American Library Association's YALSA Symposium in 2023.
Looking deeper into MOBIUS, other connections surface, such as with Overdrive. What is Overdrive? You can read about Overdrive HERE in a previous article. From that article, "As
a company OverDrive is typically Woke,
aligned with the ALA, and
prominently promotes social justice issues on its blog and for book
recommendations. The ALA’s “Right to Read” statement is
promoted here
and here;
while Social Emotional
Learning is promoted here."
Overdrive originated the Libby App which public libraries and their patrons can download to access digital materials. You can also read about it at the link, and not only can it be expensive for public libraries, but Libby allows children access to thousands of inappropriate digital materials and books.
If a parent desires only age-appropriate materials for their children on Libby, there is the eReading Room which curates materials designed for children and teens. However, it is not the parent who is able to make the final determination, but something Overdrive and libraries developed. Their understanding of age-appropriate may not be what parents feel is right for their child.
The connections with MOBIUS--including the ALA, the MLA (as an Institutional Member) and Overdrive--all point to the continued association with organizations that have progressive socialist agendas separate from our local community. Local control is not just for government schools. It's also for taxpayer-funded public libraries.
Why would our public library hold membership in a consortium of academic libraries and not one geared to public libraries? What are the respective costs associated with membership, as opposed to membership in Evergreen? When did our library join MOBIUS? What are the advantages, if any?
SB 727 affects home education choice, with increasing amendments and
language that puts home education in danger and under the thumb of
DESE. Just a few changes under the laws of “equal application”
will put ALL home educators, whether or not they are in the State
program, under DESE control.
Not
to mention the increased unconstitutionality of this bill. See below:
·Article
III, Section 36
of the Missouri Constitution, because it has the effect of
“divert[ing]” money from the treasury independent of the
appropriation process.
·Article
III, Section 38(a)
of the Missouri Constitution, which states that “The general
assembly shall have no power to grant public money or property, or
lend or authorize the lending of public credit, to any private
person, association or corporation…”
·Article
III, Section 39(5)
of the Missouri Constitution because it has the effect of
“releas[ing] or extinguish[ing]... without consideration... the
indebtedness, liability or obligation of... [a] corporation or
individual”.
·Article
III, Sections 21
and 23
because the purpose of the bill was changed through amendments, and
the final title violates the clear title requirement.
Those
that have called IN FAVOR of this bill have not read it, many of
which may be private schools. They are not aware of the increase in
control and the “new currency” of data collecting on their
students that is prominent in this bill, along with teacher choice
restrictions for private schools. They do not realize how the
behemoth thumb of DESE will be upon them.
This
was supposed to be SIMPLE, where those that educated their children
at home or chose a private school option, and pay property taxes for
public school education would be allocated to the said choices.
Primary involvement was at the county level. This bill started out as
12 pages and has now has evolved to a 167-page legal document with
holes for control by simple changes.
How
much does this ever-increasing overreach of DESE already cost out of
the quarter of the budget allocated for education from the State?
DESE, with an astounding 1,700 employees, will be the winners in the
bill.
This
was never supposed to be about the state increasing involvement, only
the legal ability for a parent to “choose” their child’s
education with their property taxes, instead of also continuing to
pay for services they don’t use and/or fails to meet their
expectations.
About
27 grassroots organizations have made their position well known on
this bill to kill it in the Senate. We have seen many state
representatives up for re-election flip their vote in favor of this
bill.
Americans
for Prosperity along with other organizations are pushing for this
bill with big money behind them. So you have to ask the real
question, “Who is behind the curtain” with their own agenda?
With
this Christmas tree bill public schools, private schools and home
educators ALL LOSE both freedom and money. The leftover
pennies in the end are not worth all the trouble.
Paragraph
below is just one of many expectations for those that wish to enroll
in the program.
Page
92:
“5.
The production by a parent of a daily log showing 102 that a home
school has a course of instruction which 103 satisfies the
requirements of this section or, in the case 104 of a pupil over the
age of sixteen years who attended a 105 metropolitan school district
the previous year, a written 106 statement that the pupil is
attending home school in 107 compliance with this section shall be a
defense to any 108 prosecution under this section and to any charge
or action 109 for educational neglect brought pursuant to chapter
210.”
What
also has been overlooked in this trap of a bill is all it takes are
small language changes or amendments that can and will put home
educators and private schools under DESE control, as well as
ruling that home-educator parents’ homes may be considered “gun
free zones,” infringing on Second Amendment rights.
From the show notes: "If you are interested in learning more about having a
private, safe form of currency I hope you'll take time to listen even if
you have to break it up into smaller sessions. It's worth your time!
"While we often delve into strategies for
legislative success in Missouri, tonight's focus shifts to the
underlying imperative of the Constitutional Money Act.
The
urgency of this matter cannot be overstated. Citizens for Sound Money,
with Daniel Diaz at the helm as Executive Director, has been an
important ally in our quest to pass sound money legislation in Missouri.
Daniel joins us tonight to dissect the precariousness of our current
financial system, underscoring the necessity for a viable alternative.
The
looming shadow of a potential economic downturn, particularly in the
realm of commercial real estate, has sparked concerns of a crisis that
could dwarf the turmoil of 2008. These discussions, largely absent from
mainstream media, have found a home on alternative platforms,
highlighting a brewing storm that could have profound impacts on us all.
This
narrative of fiscal distress extends to the education sector, where
schools, rather than tightening belts, have leveraged recent bond
approvals to secure funding, amplifying the tax burden on local
communities. This trend, echoing the fiscal challenges of states like
Illinois, serves as a stark reminder of government priorities, often at
odds with the well-being of its citizens."
Taxpayers--citizens of Christian County--are unknowingly funding the American Library Association's advocacy for overthrowing our nation. Our local library, the Christian County Library, has sent Executive Director Renee Brumett, to an Ohio ALA conference this week that...well, let them speak for themselves.
"So the "Big Ideas" for public librarians to learn on the public's dime
are anticapitalism, with a side helping of racism and hate. This is
what librarians are learning as Big Ideas to kick off their day at an
ALA conference with an inspiring speaker sure to challenge their minds
and spark their creativity. Then they come back to the local
communities and implement the anticapitalism and racism and hate they
just learned. All taxpayer funded. All of it. Memberships,
conferences, travel, meals, incidentals, all of it."
Now do you see why citizens have been petitioning the CCL for over a year to no avail? When your librarians and a majority of board members are activists, courtesy of the Marxist ALA, you will get nowhere with an appeal to decency, child protection, and community values.
When the library budgets $30,000 for staff and board travel, not to mention thousands for "training" and whatever else they have stuffed into the budget under innocuous sounding categories, it's time for a review.
And it is long past time for the CCL to sever any and all ties with the American Library Association and its chapter member, The Missouri Library Association. There are alternatives to the Marxist ALA such as Kleinman's WLA.
There were several very important outcomes to yesterday's (April 2, 2024) municipal races in Christian County. First, the Christian County Health Board has three new members who are dedicated to individual freedom. It is a huge win for citizens.
Second, the President-Elect of the Missouri School Boards Association, Ozark School Board Member Patty Quessenberry, was defeated. After 27 years as a school board member, the voters decided change was needed.
Now for the sticky part. According to the MSBA by-laws, the President of the MSBA must also be a current school board member:
"Article IV - Board of Directors Section 1 - Qualifications With the exception of the position of Immediate Past President and any ex-officio member serving as chair of the MSBA Council of Past Presidents, to be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors a person must be a member of an Active Member Board and shall have served at least two years on their local Board of Education."
Quessenberry has just been voted off the Ozark School Board. The by-laws further state:
"Art. IV, Section 8 - Resignation
Resignation, Automatic - A member of the Board of Directors who vacates a local board position, with the exception of the President and the Immediate Past President, shall immediately relinquish their position on the Board of Directors."
It's possible that Quessenberry can become an individual member according to Art. II, Sec. 5 of the by-laws, but she will not be able to hold elected office.
That she was elected President-elect last year may give the MSBA a little bit of wiggle room if they are adamant about retaining her as President in 2024. However, their own by-laws are clear. To keep her on as President of the MSBA when she is no longer a school board member, is problematic.
