Governor Eric Greitens insists on controlling the state Board of Education, even though state law says it is supposed to be nonpartisan and relatively independent. He appointed five new members to the eight-member board and told them to fire the well-liked State Commissioner so he could impose his own person..

However, he forgot that board members must be confirmed by the State Senate, and none of his appointees have been confirmed. 

The board does not have a quorum. Curious that no one has challenged their firing of the State Commissioner since the five members were never confirmed.

“Gov. Eric Greitens withdrew all five of his appointees to the Missouri Board of Education Wednesday morning, then quickly reappointed them in a procedural maneuver that buys them more time to be confirmed by the state Senate.

“But the maneuver also means the eight-member board has only three active members. Nominees appointed during the legislative session — which began at noon Wednesday — aren’t permitted to begin serving until they are confirmed.

“Thus, the board doesn’t have a quorum and can’t take any votes or officially meet until at least two other members win Senate approval.

”The governor spent much of last year appointing new members to the board in the hopes it would fire the state’s top education official, Margie Vandeven. He finally succeeded last month when his five appointees voted to oust Vandeven and begin a search for her replacement.

“So far the state has received only one application for the job. Roger Dorson, deputy commissioner of the Division of Financial and Administrative Services for the state’s department of education is serving as interim commissioner.

“A handful of senators had vowed to block Greitens’ appointees, and if Greitens hadn’t withdrawn their names from consideration, then opponents would have had to stall the process for only 30 days to kill the nominations — and ban them from serving on the board for life.

Some Republican legislators have vowed to block Greitens’ nominees.

In the meanwhile, the state board cannot take any actions.

At the top of the Republican agenda is union-busting and tax cuts…

”The governor has not released a blueprint for the session, but he has indicated he wants businesses to have a veterans’ hiring preference. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, also wants to eliminate business start-up fees for returning veterans, and, as part of an initiative being pushed by first lady Sheena Greitens, he supports allowing foster teens to sign up for their own bank accounts.

“Under one proposal, Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, would eliminate the state’s bottom four tax brackets and lower the top tax rate to 4.8 percent from 6 percent. It would also gradually phase out the state’s income tax.

“But in order to keep his plan from blowing a hole in state revenues, Eigel also would decouple Missouri from the federal standard deduction — a move opposed by Richardson and House Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob.

“Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard, R-Joplin, also expressed reservations about changing the tax system, saying he was concerned about reducing revenue too much.

“We’re already cutting higher education to the bone,” Richard said.

Very clever to cut taxes and to cut funding for essential services, as well as higher education.