Non-partisan approach needed in school decisions at state level

A column today from longtime statehouse reporter Phill Brooks talks about the dangers of using a partisan legislative body to make decisions at a state level about what local schools will teach.

We’d like to add our voice to this issue.

It’s not the particulars of what is taught that concern us today but the specifics of how what is taught will be decided.

Brooks points out that local control has always been highly valued in this process.

He adds the state Board of Education offers a non-partisan option for decisions that need to be made beyond our district boundaries. The state Board of Education, as he points out, is made up of members of both parties and must be confirmed by the Missouri Senate.

We understand the concern of various legislators who have filed bills that would tell teachers what to or not to teach, but we agree with Brooks.

These decisions should not be made by politicians who want to reflect their party’s platform or score a quick win before the next election.

The problem with accepting a system of allowing the legislature to tell us how and what to teach at the local level, is that the party you favor may not always have control.

When the balance swings — and it always does at some point — do you want another legislative body to have the same power and control?

It’s better to remember why we value local control over these decisions so much, and to have a balanced state-level, decision-making process in place for issues that rise to that need.

As a country, we may have come to rely too much on the appearance of a quick win over putting in the work to find a consensus and sensible path forward.

We hope that teaching the next generation can follow take a different path.