Missouri Governor Eric Greitens withdrew all his nominees for the state school board so that they would not be barred for life. The state senate won’t confirm them because Greitens is under indictment for sex crimes.
At this moment, all the seats are vacant.
Republican Governor Greitens wanted to replace her with a crony who loves charter schools.
Here is a puzzle:
Why was this unconfirmed state board allowed to fire the non-controversial state commissioner, Margie Vandeven? How did they have the authority to do that? They are still nominees, not confirmed by the Senate.
She should sue to restore her job.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Get politics far away from education.
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Given that democratic control over education is a touchstone of the orthodox opinion of posters here, this is a dilemma. Political control is essential for education to be public, yet political control debases education. Which horn will people choose?
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The one that gores your ox, TE! 🙂
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Doesn’t “gore my ox”, but it is a constant tension with comments here. Half the time posters here are insisting that democratic controls of schools are essential, the other half the time they are complaining about the policies that these institutions create.
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Sometimes democracies elect crooks and frauds, like Trump and Greitens. Customarily, even crooks must abide by the state constitution.
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Nothing will ever compare with 2006-2008, when Mayor Slay went (profane phrase for being angry) when Peter Downs, author of “Schoolhouse Shams: Myths and Misinformation in School Reform …” was elected to the St. Louis Board instead of the people designated by Mayor Slay. Within 24 hours of the election, they started making arrangements to have the st. louis district taken over by the state board, the chairman of which was wealthy Peter Herscends, annual large contributor to the republican party. He can be seen lecturing the mostly black students who came to Jefferson City to argue against the takeover. It still makes me want ot puke to see that ignorant pile of arrogance barking at them, even after the assistant superintendent of slps, John Martin—-who was recently a member of the state board a decade after he had helped the students gather the information regarding the number of graduates of slps, which was rejected by that Silver Dollar City (profanity) Herschends…….because it would have blocked the takeover. I wonder if Martin had some pleasant conversations with that Silver Dollar millionaire jerk….when a democrat governor Nixon put him on the state board. For ten years, the people of St. Louis have been disenfranchised from doing anything to replace Slay’s appointed board. The Post Dispatch, (that supposedly liberal paper now protecting President Trump from Avenattiti, Stormy and Mueller)has shielded St. Louis from the dangers of democracy in education. I recommend a couple other readings….the sad story of public education in St. Louis – The Washington Post by Jeff Bryant, and my nephew’s wife, Sarah Reckow’s study of urban education….Follow The Money.
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Not sure that we need that particular makeup of the state school board. Perhaps it is better that Greitens/Koch/ALEC/fundie right aren’t doing their damage.
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Prior question: Why does the gov have the power to appoint the school board. That same power is in the works for Ohio, not that an elected school board is a guarantee of competence.
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The answer to your question is: The GOP controls the state and the GOP is owned by the ALEC Kochtopus.
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Dianne, I love you but you have to proofread. I read this five times trying to figure out who “she” was. I know it’s in the article, but this was just very confusing.
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SHE is Margie Vandeven, the state commissioner of education fired by a board that had not been confirmed by the state senate.
Her firing was illegal and she should get her job back.
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Margie Vandeven…state commissioner. You can learn it from the link Diane provides to Columbia Missouri.
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Reggie, “Dianne” is spelled Diane. 😉
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So state education will function with no legal contract authority until the governor decided to “re appoint” (temporarily) these people to do some other politically nasty thing.
Wonderful education system.
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I wish someone in Missouri would explain how a board with no legal authority fired the state commissioner.
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Some things, Diane, even us Show Me Staters cannot logically explain as there is no logical explanation.
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Sex-related charge dropped against Missouri governor.
But the first-term Republican governor still faces plenty of other problems
http://www.columbiatribune.com/zz/news/20180514/sex-related-charge-dropped-against-missouri-governor
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Curious why the charges were dropped. He never denied that he tied up, beat, and photographed his girlfriend. Did his wife care?
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“Prosecutors have dropped an invasion-of-privacy charge against Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens but say they hope to refile the case.
The surprise move came at the end of a third day of jury selection for the Republican governor’s trial.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office said it dismissed the charge because Judge Rex Burlison granted a request by Greitens’ attorney to call the prosecutor as a witness.
Greitens’ attorneys have criticized Gardner’s handling of the case, particularly her hiring of private investigator William Tisaby, who Greitens’ lawyers have accused of perjury.
“It was dropped when they couldn’t find the non existent photo on the governor’s phone – pre-trial,” Greitens lawyers said in a statement to ABC.
Greitens was accused of taking and transmitting a nonconsensual photo of an at least partially nude woman with whom he had an affair in 2015.
A Gardner spokeswoman says a decision will be made later on how to proceed.
Fromhttp://www.kmbc.com/article/live-updates-jury-selection-in-missouri-governors-trial-to-enter-3rd-day/20682030
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There is talk of reinstating the charges after the judge makes an upcoming decision. We’ll see. The St. Louis prosecuting attorney is not known for her legal expertise as it is.
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