Column:
Missouri Promise plan is broken
State legislature failed to back the Missouri Promise plan.
Published June 2, 2009
The close of the Missouri legislative session was met with some mixed feelings by commentators. Some think the session was a relative success because so many new measures were passed with a divided legislature and a governor from the minority party. And some think the bills passed fall short of the needs of Missourians.
But the most mixed reactions should come from students themselves. Some good education laws were put into place by the state legislators, such as upping the amount of hours a high school student must complete before dropping out of high school. On the other hand, failing to expand the Missouri A-Plus Schools Program is a major oversight.
I was in attendance at the unveiling of the Missouri Promise plan here at the university during Fall 2008. Gov. Jay Nixon, who was campaigning at the time, proposed an expansion to the popular A-Plus program that would not only pay for a community college education for students with good grades and volunteer hours, but also for a transfer to a four-year public university. Essentially, this plan would have offered a free college education to students who maintained good grades and gave back to the community. The House cut the version of the education bill that allowed for this expansion right before the end of the session.
As a student, this is pretty upsetting to me. The reason I have been able to fund my education is the scholarship boost I got as a graduating A-Plus senior. I got my two years' worth of free community college education and moved to the university after I got my associate's degree. With this type of expansion, my little brother and sister could get the schooling required for a decent job nowadays without practically bankrupting my parents. With this type of program, Missouri could move itself up in the national education ranks and not be typified by other citizens as a state full of dummies.
Some of the education programs put into place during this session are great ideas, but these efforts are not nearly enough. I would love to live in a state that is known for valuing and investing in students, instead of a state that is one of the most poorly educated states in the nation.
This decision comes down to the main issue of investment. Missouri legislators simply could not accept the price tag for these necessary education reforms and programs. Perhaps it's the troubled economy and the urge to draw the purse strings closed when such an unknown and possibly bleak financial future awaits us. I guess I can understand that logic, but I still can't agree with it.
Missouri's woes extend beyond our substandard schools, but funneling money into education is a type of investment that pays large dividends in the future, in the way of an educated workforce. It's not the type of investment that pays off immediately, or drops loads of dollars into the state's account, but it's an important investment nonetheless. The whole idea when Nixon introduced his Missouri Promise plan was to "invest in human capital."
This isn't just about the Missouri Promise plan, but I think this program in particular is one that, if implemented, could take one of the largest steps in turning our educational system and reputation around. It's a really great idea, allowing any student in Missouri who maintains decent grades and volunteers to get a free public college education. I think anyone can agree to that. Hopefully, during the next legislative session, the Missouri General Assembly can get with the program and pony up for the stuff that really matters.
Jordan Stein is a senior in the Department of Political Science. She can be reached at jesf25@mizzou.edu.
