Schools turn to chambers, legislators for funding help

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by Eric Olson|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Reporter|ret||ret||tab|

eolson@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

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Superintendents from local school districts are turning to area chambers of commerce to get their budget crisis stories heard. The ultimate ear is that of Missouri's legislature.|ret||ret||tab|

A forum held Jan. 22 at Nixa Community Center and sponsored by the Nixa, Republic and Ozark chambers of commerce was a step in that direction, said Stephen Kleinsmith, Nixa schools superintendent.|ret||ret||tab|

About 125 people representing more than 20 area chambers of commerce turned out to hear superintendent presentations from Kleinsmith, Republic's Pam Hedgpeth, and Ozark's Leo Snelling. The superintendents think they've found the right avenue; members of local chambers have been supportive of greater education funding.|ret||ret||tab|

"If our schools continue to be underfunded, they aren't going to be able to provide that quality of an education. In later years it will impact that work force in our community," said Sharon Whitehill Gray, executive director of the Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce.|ret||ret||tab|

But Kleinsmith said there is a roadblock: the statewide Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.|ret||ret||tab|

"We are trying to make sure we rattle the cage of the state chamber of commerce because they just don't get it. Their rhetoric is that we support public schools,' but their actions speak otherwise," he said, referring to corporate tax increase proposals the state chamber fought last session.|ret||ret||tab|

Karen Buschmann, Missouri Chamber vice president of communications, said that's not so.|ret||ret||tab|

"There is a campaign targeted at small, local chambers to inaccurately paint the Missouri Chamber as against adequate education funding because of our position against last session's corporate loophole campaign," she said via e-mail. "That campaign is unfair and inaccurate. Our position against these tax increase proposals has nothing to do with our position on education funding."|ret||ret||tab|

In a letter sent to Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce President Tabitha Pruitt three days before the forum, Missouri Chamber President/CEO Daniel Mehan said the chamber never has and never will support an agenda that would cut public education funding. |ret||ret||tab|

The problem the state chamber faces is that "unfounded" tax increases are "framed as education-funding packages," Mehan said. "Missouri's education funding must be protected, not used as a political pawn, as has been the case in the last two legislative sessions."|ret||ret||tab|

Kleinsmith sees the state chamber's political clout and would like to work on a collective agenda. "We could tap into their intellectual resources and political power if they can be convinced that public education is worth fighting for," he said.|ret||ret||tab|

Allen Kunkel, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce manager of regional development, came out of the meeting a bit disappointed. He said talks mainly centered on the lack of funding and the resulting cuts; no solutions were discussed.|ret||ret||tab|

"We all know the situation, but what are we going to do to fix it? Not just convince the legislature that they need to put more money into education, but how do we fix the revenue stream that goes to education?" Kunkel said. "Nobody really had a proposed plan of action to address that issue at the meeting. I don't know specifically how to solve the funding situation."|ret||ret||tab|

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Looking ahead|ret||ret||tab|

Nixa citizens will consider a bond issue Feb. 3, and a separate 40-cent levy increase in April that will cost residents about $75 more a year.|ret||ret||tab|

"We're all doing it for one reason: survival," he said. "That will allow us to maintain the programs and services we have laid out to cut if it doesn't pass."|ret||ret||tab|

"You can't buy a Cadillac on a Ford budget. That's exactly the problem that we're facing."|ret||ret||tab|

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