The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Opinion

Discussion

October 9, 2009

In Our View: Too much talk over Career Ladder

We hate it when politics complicate issues.

In June, Sen. Gary Nodler and Rep. Allen Icet — two Republicans in charge of their legislative budget committees — announced that funding for the Career Ladder program may be in jeopardy. The Career Ladder program grants school districts extra money to pay teachers who tutor or run extra- or co-curricular programs outside of a normal school day.

Nodler proposed Thursday that the program can be saved, however, if Gov. Jay Nixon chooses to save it. A spokesperson for the governor said Nixon funded it last year, and would again this year.

The sticking point is the funding mechanism. Nodler said the program has been funded “in arrears,” which basically means it hasn’t gone through the normal budget process.

So why are we talking about this publicly, if both sides are in general agreement? Couldn’t this be handled, in Missouri’s supposedly bipartisan-friendly government, in a phone call, e-mail or Twitter exchange?

It seems that only the governor’s office — the branch of state government currently in the most dire need of good press — is keeping relatively quiet on this.

Nodler, who is running for U.S. representative, is talking pretty loudly about a technicality. And House Democrats are launching cheap shots over Nodler’s supposed “change of heart.”

We think it’s especially important for Southwest Missouri legislators to support the Career Ladder program and give it a high budget priority. Our schools are placing a lot of emphasis on fighting their dropout rates, and extra- and co-curricular activities keep many students interested in school.

Teachers also believe in those activities. Despite the threat that they may not get paid, many of those same teachers continue to honor their Career Ladder commitments.

But we’re pretty sure that both Republicans and Democrats are on the same page about this.

Because of that, we’re pretty sure that funding will be found next year, whether it’s “in arrears” or a budget allocation. We taxpayers don’t care which wallet the money comes from, because they are both filled with our money.

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