Legislative Platform

MSBA Legislative Platform
2007-2008

The following is the MSBA Platform document approved by the Delegate Assembly on June 8, 2007.

Purposes of the Platform

MSBA's platform provides the positional framework that enables the association to influence the agenda for public education in Missouri. As such, it guides the association's policy and political leadership activities.

At MSBA, political leadership on critical issues is provided through a variety of programs and special projects, including:

• Analysis of local, state, and national issues.
• Alerts and publications on critical issues.
• Governmental relations.
• Legal analysis and amicus briefs.
• Coalitions with other education, local government, and children's organizations.
• Representation on state and national commissions and advisory committees.

The MSBA Platform

1. Conditions of Children - MSBA believes the condition of children is of critical importance in sustaining and improving our democratic society. The ability of children to learn is significantly affected by conditions that confront them in their daily lives. Therefore, schools must play a role in the coordination of services, working within their own systems to address the conditions of children and to protect youth in the school setting.

• MSBA believes the public schools share with families and communities responsibility for providing a safe and healthy learning environment.
• MSBA believes the exposure of children to violence and sexual content in entertainment programs is harmful to themselves and society and should be stopped.
• MSBA supports the voluntary expansion of early childhood programs such as prenatal care, nutrition/immunization programs, Parents As Teachers and preschool programs.
• MSBA supports access to comprehensive school health services for children.

2. Family and Community Involvement - MSBA believes families and the community must work as partners with the public schools in order to provide a quality education for each child.

• MSBA believes the public schools, in association with communities and families play a significant role in the coordination of services designed to meet the needs of the whole child.
• MSBA believes family involvement is essential to the success of any student.
• MSBA encourages business/education/community partnerships that support children and schools.

3. Curriculum - The curriculum must prepare all students to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Every student must have a challenging instructional program, which is relevant and prepares each student to enter the workforce or to continue his or her education. A school district's curriculum should also address ethics, character, values and democratic principles.

• MSBA believes that the ultimate decisions establishing curriculum must be made at the local level.
• MSBA supports career, technical and vocational education programs that are relevant to the 21st century.
• MSBA believes school districts should incorporate technology into the classroom to enhance the curriculum.

4. Governance - Locally elected boards of education represent the most fundamental element of a democratic society and are the embodiment of representative government. It is critical that boards of education set the vision for the school district, establish structures, adopt policies, hire the superintendent, and engage in advocacy on behalf of children and the schools.

• MSBA urges all board members to participate in continuing education activities at both the state and national levels to ensure continued excellence in boardsmanship.
• MSBA opposes charter schools that are not accountable to publicly elected school boards. MSBA also believes locally elected boards of education should govern publicly funded schools.
• MSBA believes local boards of education should be freed from unnecessary laws, regulations, and rules that inhibit them from establishing innovative educational programs.
• MSBA opposes any legislation, regulation, rule or judicial decision which would diminish local control, increase bureaucracy and administrative burdens, or allow the management and control of public school districts to be removed from local boards of education.
• MSBA opposes term limits for board members.

5. Accountability - Boards of education, families, and communities are ultimately responsible for the academic achievement of students in their district.

• MSBA supports a student assessment system, which includes both standardized and performance-based components, holding students accountable locally.
• MSBA supports performance-based evaluations for administrators and teachers.
• MSBA encourages all boards of education to annually participate in a meaningful self-evaluation to ensure responsible governance and to earn the public's trust.
• MSBA supports a statewide accreditation system that reflects high standards and provides for local flexibility in improving student achievement.
• MSBA supports dissemination and implementation of best practices developed by local school districts that have successfully narrowed the achievement gap across multicultural populations.

6. Finance - The funding of public schools is the responsibility of local communities, the state, and federal government. Local school districts must be given maximum flexibility in the use of financial resources. Boards of education must be proactive in obtaining the financial resources that allow their districts to accomplish their missions.

• MSBA supports efforts to allow public school districts to control their duly authorized revenues and expenditures.
• MSBA believes current new or expanded state programs should be fully funded with new or increased state resources rather than with monies rechanneled from existing programs.
• MSBA strongly opposes any attempt to divert revenue committed to or intended for public education.
• MSBA opposes the direct or indirect use of public funds for non-public education.
• MSBA believes that the State of Missouri should develop a plan for obtaining sufficient state revenues to adequately fund public education and other vital state services.
• MSBA supports a review of Missouri's approach to funding public education and encourages a more simplified and equitable system.
• MSBA will seek legislation and regulation to provide for special tariffs for natural gas and electricity acquisition by school districts.

7. Personnel - Maintaining the highest quality staff by developing and implementing plans for effective recruitment and retention is critical to the success of any school district. All school district personnel must be highly trained and highly motivated. Evaluating performance on a regular basis is essential.

• MSBA supports the position that renewable contracts for teachers are more consistent with excellence in education than lifetime contracts.
• MSBA supports both pre-service and in-service training programs that will better prepare administrators to effectively evaluate personnel.
• MSBA supports comprehensive, on-going professional development activities to enhance the performance of classroom teachers, administrators and other district staff.
• MSBA supports reforms in teacher education and administrator preparation programs so certified staff can better meet the challenges of tomorrow's schools.
• MSBA encourages greater flexibility in certifying individuals without education degrees.
• MSBA encourages greater flexibility in certifying professional educators.
• MSBA supports incentives within the existing Public School Retirement System, which will encourage teachers and administrators to remain in the public school system.
• MSBA supports the position that each school district should establish its own compensation policy for certified and non-certified staff.

8. Federal Issues - While public education is primarily a state and local responsibility, there are roles for the federal government. Local boards of education must be aware of federal issues impacting their districts and take appropriate positions.

• MSBA supports common sense reform and greater local flexibility in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. MSBA also urges the federal government to meet its promise of providing at a minimum 40% of the average cost of educating special needs students.
• MSBA supports common sense reform and greater local flexibility in the No Child Left Behind Act. MSBA also urges the federal government to meet its promise of adequate funding for the law.
• MSBA believes current, new or expanded federal programs should be fully funded with new or increased resources rather than with monies rechanneled from existing programs.
• MSBA opposes the establishment of mandated national teacher standards, curriculum, and student assessments.
• MSBA supports the concept of streamlining, without reduction, funding from the federal government designated for local school districts.