Bipartisan Support for Education Commissioner Targeted by Greitens
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Bipartisan Support for Education Commissioner Targeted by Greitens

Date: November 15, 2017
By: Jack Morrisroe
State Capitol Bureau
Links: 1073, 1078,  1080

Intro: 
Republican leaders are 'troubled' by Greitens' apparent effort to fire Missouri's education commissioner.
RunTime: 0:55
OutCue: SOC

Wrap: Governor Eric Greitens appointed five members to the Missouri State Board of Education. With a majority, his appointees can fire the current Education Commissioner.

Those appointees must be approved by the Missouri Senate, but may act as members until then. None of Greitens' five appointees have been confirmed so far.

Greitens' campaign paid for charter school advocate and administrator Kenneth Zeff to visit Missouri. As an advocate of expanding charter schools, the administration may want Zeff to become the new leader of Missouri education.

Three Republican leaders in Missouri's legislature wrote a letter supporting the current Commissioner of Education, Dr. Margie Vandeven. They said an attempt to fire Vandeven would divide the state and distract from other important legislation.

A closed-door board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. Hiring and firing of state education employees is on the agenda.

Jack Morrisroe, Newsradio 1120, KMOX.

Intro: 
Missouri Democrats said some of Greitens' apparent efforts to fire the education commissioner are illegal.
RunTime: 0:56
OutCue: SOC

Wrap: Greitens appointed enough members to Missouri's Board of Education to have a majority, and they are now able to fire the Commissioner of Education.

Melissa Gelner was appointed to the board by Greitens in late July. In mid-September, her appointment was withdrawn and her position replaced. Gelner said hours later that she was pressed to make quote "rash leadership decisions."

Democrats said the withdrawal of an appointee is illegal without written notice and a hearing, citing an Attorney General opinion in nineteen seventy-seven.

Another recent appointee disagrees with the effort to fire Vandeven. John Sumners asked fellow board members to delay a decision on the Commissioner of Education and expects his appointment to also be withdrawn.

Three fellow Missouri Republicans oppose Greitens' efforts to change the board. They wrote a letter asking Greitens to quote "abandon efforts to remove Commissioner Vandeven."

Jack Morrisroe, Newsradio 1120, KMOX.

Intro: 
TEASER
RunTime: 0:07
OutCue: SOC

Wrap: I'm Jack Morrisroe with details about Governor Greitens' apparent efforts to fire Missouri's Commissioner of Education.