Legislator working on more changes to groups discussing Common Core replacement

Last session, Bahr, R-O'Fallon, sponsored legislation -- signed into law by Gov. Jay Nixon in July -- that tasked work groups, which consist of education professionals, parents and business leaders, with meeting to recommend new educational standards to take the place of Common Core. By law, the groups must make recommendations by Oct. 1, 2015, and the state Board of Education must adopt and implement new standards for the 2016-17 school year. The board does not have to adopt standards recommended by the groups.

The eight groups — a K-5 group and a 6-12 group each for math, science, social studies and English — first met in September. The meetings have been fraught with arguments and confusion, exacerbated by vacancies in each group. Additionally, group members from across the state have to pay their own lodging and mileage to attend the meetings.

After the initial meetings, most groups had sorted out their differences. But problems flared up in the 6-12 English Language Arts work group Tuesday when House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, removed Nick Kremer from the group. Kremer is Columbia Public Schools' coordinator for 6-12 Language Arts and K-12 Social Studies.

Jones, who initially appointed Kremer, said in a letter that Kremer "did not possess the requisite 10-year classroom teaching experience that is outlined in the provisions of the bill." He appointed Lou Ann Saighman, a special education teacher at Blue Springs School District, in his place.

But Kremer has refused to leave the group. Members sent a letter Tuesday to Jones stating they will "not recognize any changes to the work group make-up until there is an interpretation of the law regarding the allowable procedure to change the make-up of the work group by a Missouri Court."

The complications have Bahr working on a clarifying measure for the 2015 session that starts Jan. 7. 

Bahr said Jones has the authority to remove Kremer from the group under the state constitution. Kremer was appointed by Jones and therefore is an at-will appointee, he added.

"The speaker (even) could un-appoint anyone who was qualified and just rubbed him the wrong way if he wanted," Bahr said, adding that the bill does not specifically outline this.

Jones told the Post-Dispatch on Tuesday that Kremer was recommended to him and said Kremer's lack of qualifications later was brought to his attention. Kremer initially was informed of his dismissal in October.

Kremer might not be an isolated case, Bahr said, though he's still working out how to address that problem. A separate entity or individual could vet the appointees, but determining what or who  the Legislature would agree on will be difficult.

"My assistant is the daughter of a lawyer and she could scrub through these," Bahr said. "But I don't know if I can put in bill, 'Bahr's assistant gets to decide who's qualified' and have it pass."

Unfortunately, Bahr said, he'll likely have to clarify the simple qualification language in the bill.

This morning, Jones tweeted that if Kremer did not leave the group, the Legislature "will likely disband/reject/reform that committee in 2015."

While that action is not outlined in the legislation, Bahr said he is developing wording that would allow it.

"We can do most anything we can get passed, so we could un-create the work group," Bahr said. "I don't want to go that route (because) most people are trying to do the right thing, except this one guy who has a lot of influence in the work group."

The Common Core standards — which have been adopted by 45 states, including Missouri — are meant to ensure students across the United States learn the same skills. Critics, especially some conservatives, have attacked the standards as an intrusion on local control of schools. The state board adopted the standards in 2010. Now, Missouri joins several states in starting to rewrite them.