Sunday, March 2, 2008

Trent Skaggs: Represent


One may wonder who Trent Skaggs represents. One answer could be his legislative district 31 and all the constituents inside it. Another answer could be North Kansas City schools. Another answer we’d have to give is the Missouri National Education Association—because he’s voted with their views an impressive 100% of the time, according to Project Vote Smart. And that’s somewhat troubling, given that their mission is to shape the future of public education (and to that I’d add whether you like it or not!). It’s even more troubling because the MNEA often comes out against legislation that would improve education for students in Missouri (but doesn’t boost public schools). They’ve come out against HB 1886 which would give parents an option for choose a more appropriate public school for their special needs child if they are unhappy with the progress made (or not made) at a public school. Many parents already have this choice, because they can afford private institutions. But if a parent has a child with special needs, I firmly believe they should have a right to choose the same—regardless of their income or where they live. The MNEA has mis-characterized this bill in many ways, and it would be shameful if Rep. Skaggs chose not to break his record with them at the expense of better education for special needs students. Ask Rep. Skaggs (573-751-2199) if he believes it’s our commitment as Missourians to educate children only by way of the public schools, or is it our commitment to educate students well by any means possible?

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