Greitens’ follies

Richard Fulton

I wrote some weeks ago about the troubles that Governor Eric Greitens was having with filling the positions on the State Board of Education. Here it is almost October, the legislature is adjourned for the year, and the governor still hasn’t completed his appointments for the eight member board.

It’s a revolving board so he can’t appoint them all.

Greitens has already appointed three slots on the board. His goal is to be able to influence a majority of the board so that he can get the board to fire the present Commissioner Margie Vandeven.

It is not clear why he is so hot to get rid of her but there is speculation that, in addition to wanting to have leverage with the Commissioner’s office, he does not like Commissioner Vandeven’s recent attempt to pressure charter school sponsors to work on quality of those alternate schools.

So why the problems? There’s one slot open. Three appointees have either had their nominations withdrawn or withdrawn their names voluntarily. You may remember that the first withdrawal was Delbert Scott who was president of a Kansas institution of higher education.

The governor’s office did not do their homework since the constitution says that an educator cannot be appointed to the Board. One down.

Melissa Gelner of Springfield was then nominated by the governor to serve. Her nomination was withdrawn by the governor after she “withdrew” from the nomination citing pressure from the governor’s office to make, as she said, “rash” decisions about leadership. Two down.

The governor promptly nominated Heidi Crane as a last minute replacement for Gelner’s failed nomination. Early this week she, too, withdrew her nomination. She gave no reason. Strike three.

Charles Shields, a present member of the Board, points out that the board is designed by the constitution to be somewhat independent.

This is important because the Board makes important decisions about public education in the state of Missouri. Basically, it makes all basic policies for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education which oversees our public schools. Plus it sets academic performance standards and assessment goals.

Worse come to worse, it can withdraw accreditation from local school districts as it has done for Kansas City and others.

Commissioner Vandeven enjoys a good reputation amongst educators in the state. One such respected leader is Melissa Randol who said that “it would be unusual for a governor to dictate a personnel matter” of this sort and that Vandeven is an “extraordinary commissioner.” (St. Louis Post Dispatch)

But the governor wants his own Commissioner. It is perfectly legal for him to appoint people with his own views to the Board, of course, but the Board picks the commissioner. It is unusual for a governor to so blatantly choose Board members on the basis of a promise to fire the present commissioner, however.

Michael Jones, a Board member, says “I have never had an elected official ask me to go get someone fired. On top of being wrong, it was just incompetent.” In addition has said “When you elect amateurs to public office, what you get is an amateur performance.”

Harsh, to be sure, but when you are clumsy at your job, you must expect some harsh criticism. Bullying does not always work.

Richard Fulton is an emeritus professor of political science.