Debateis scheduled to begin today in the Missouri Senate on another of Sen. JaneCunningham’s anti-public education bills.
Justas she did (unsuccessfully) during the 2011 session, Mrs. Cunningham is tryingto bring an end to teacher tenure. She continues to foster this myth thatMissouri’s public schools are filled with teachers who have no ability butcannot be fired because they have tenure.
Nothingcould be further from the truth.
Infact, tenure is more difficult to obtain in Missouri than in most other states.In the Show-Me State, a teacher has to have taught five years in the sameschool district to receive tenure on the first day of the sixth year.
Badteachers rarely make it that far. They are either shown the door or they decideon their own that teaching is not the proper profession for them.
Mrs.Cunningham also props up the myth that you cannot fire a teacher who hastenure. All tenure does is give you a right to hearing and due process. It doesnot take months or years; generally, it is accomplished in a matter of weeks.
Duringthe whole time Mrs. Cunningham has been pushing her anti-public school,anti-teacher legislation (and this has just been one example, there are dozensmore), she has also indicted teachers for whining about tenure, saying that“good teachers” have nothing to worry about if tenure is eliminated.
Nowthanks to the redistricting commission appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon, a threathas been made to Sen. Jane Cunningham’s tenure, and apparently either shedoesn’t really believe what she has been saying about the good not having toworry about their jobs, or she knows she is not good enough to hold onto herswithout some institutional support.
Theredistricting commission has forced Sen. Cunningham into a situation where sheeither has to change districts to run for re-election, or she has to sit outtwo years and face incumbent Brian Nieves.
IfJane Cunningham had just lived up to her words on teacher tenure, kept hermouth shut and accepted her fate, I wouldn’t have anything to write about.Thankfully, Mrs. Cunningham decided to face her fate with her head up…and mouthopen…so everyone could hear her whining hundreds of miles away.
Inan unsuccessful effort to make it appear as though a naturally-forming grassroots effort was underway to save her seat, Mrs. Cunningham sent an e-mail,asking her supporters to lobby the redistricting commission:
On Thursday, the 10 commissioners drawing the new senate mapsshocked everyone with the map they presented. Many think it is the GOP tryingto rid the ranks of the conservatives. One Democrat colleague commented to me,"What did your commissioners get promised to betray Republicans like theydid. We would never put up with that treatment from Democrats."
They wiped out my district altogether and put it in the middleof KC. Since my district is up for election this year, it will pull out theDemocrat vote in KC for Obama, McCaskill, Nixon and all the statewide Dems. Itwill also give the Dems another senator in the senate right away and take out aRepublican conservative. They made Sen. Lembke's district almost unwinable.
The present map energizes voters in Democrat areas duringpresidential years and decimates the St. Louis area representation (one suresenate district rather than the present four) and therefore the donor base forall of us.
As Senator Luann Ridgeway pointed out, she and I are the onlyRepublican women in the senate of 26 Republicans. She is termed out this year leavingme as the only woman left. Now they have taken me out leaving no assurancethere will even be one Republican woman left in the Senate when they sodesperately need to "sell" our party to women.
The commission that drew this map was made up of 5 Democrats and5 Republicans. It is a dream map for Democrats and all but one Republican,Steve Ehlmann, voted with the Dems for the map.
PLEASE CONTACT ALL THE COMMISSIONERS BELOW. Our goal is to getfour of these Republican Commissioners to vote 'no' on their final vote for themap. I believe that vote will take place on March 9th after this 15 day periodto comment. If they vote 'no', we have a chance to get back to the acceptableand court approved "appellate map 2". Most feel that if they don't gofor that, no judge could give us anything worse for the party than what wehave. Also shore up Ehlmann. Don't assume he will stay a 'no'.
I have also added Lloyd Smith's contact information because heis the executive director for the MO Republican Party and he selected theseguys. Notice there are no women.
The Republican Commissioners are:Jean Paul Bradshaw II jpbradshaw@lathropgage.com816-460-5507. Lathrop & Gage in KC
Steve Ehlmann sehlmann@att.blackberry.net636-949-7520. The only "no" vote but that needs to be shored up so hedoesn't flip to a yes.
Marc Ellinger mellinger@blitzbardgett.com573-230-1192, Vice Chair of the Commission and head of Republican delegation.No one knows why Lloyd chose him since he testified for the plaintiffs againstour Congressional maps. Practices law in Jeff City.
Nick Myers myerscpa@swbell.net417-623-2214, SW part of state.
Lowell Pearson lowell.pearson@huschblackwell.com573-761-1115,
Lloyd Smith lloyd@mogop.org,573-636-3146, Executive Director, MO Republican Party.
Please forward this information around, although probably betterwithout my name. The commissioners need to hear the views of Missourians tothis travesty.
“Probablybetter without my name.” What better words to describe a Missouri Senate withno Jane Cunningham?
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