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Missouri House yet to consider education bill

Jacob Fenston
/
KBIA

There are less than two months left in this year’s session of the Missouri General Assembly, and House Republicans still haven’t scheduled debate on a wide-ranging public school bill.

The bill would create tax-credit scholarships to pay for students to transfer from unaccredited schools to adjacent better-performing schools, and expand charter schools beyond St. Louis and Kansas City.  Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones admits there are wide differences of opinion on the bill, even amongst Republicans:

“We’re gonna need an overwhelming number of our caucus to be supportive, and there’s folks that for whatever reasons have differences of opinion as to the components of that bill, and we’re trying to identify where there’s the most heartburn and where there’s the most agreement.”

The bill barely passed out an education committee over a month ago.  It’s sat in the House Rules Committee ever since. Jones indicates consensus from all stakeholders involved is needed for the bill to have a chance of passing the House.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.