JEFFERSON CITY - A group of local educators made the long trip up to Jefferson City in search of bold solutions and bipartisan brainstorming. But while they did leave with a promise by both Governor Bob Holden and Republican legislators to sit down at the table, they said they came away hearing mostly the same old schtik.
The Committee for Adequate Funding for K-12 Education (CAFE) -- composed of more than a dozen school superintendents, school board members, and chamber of commerce officials -- traveled to the Capitol Wednesday and met with southwest Missouri lawmakers and Gov. Holden about education funding.
Bob Nichols, a retired engineer and chairman of CAFE, told a room full of southwest Missouri legislators that he was not interested in who was to blame, but what could be done about the adequacy of education funding.
"Please sit down and find a solution to this problem," Nichols said. "We're not here to debate the issue (of blame)."
Neosho Board of Education member Steve Marble said it was time to "eliminate excuses," and that the partisan rhetoric was not helping anyone.
"Everyone has their spin and perspective, but someone has to step up and get something done," Marble told the legislators. "That's why we elected you."
House Budget Committee Chair Carl Bearden told the group that he understood some answers they were getting about education funding "sounded a lot like finger-pointing," but that Republican legislators had being "trying everything we can."
"I wish we could all just skip merrily along the way," Bearden said. "We don't go out of our way not reach agreement."
Rep. Kevin Wilson, R-Neosho, said when it came to Gov. Holden's withholding of education funds, the legislature was powerless to do anything about it.
"We can beat the drums, we can yell from the highest mountain, but we can't force the governor to release the money," Wilson said.
The CAFE group met with the governor earlier in the day, where they said they were told there simply wasn't enough money. That revelation produced a groan from the legislators in the room.
"That's just not true," said Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City.
Some lawmakers suggested the group should ask the governor point-blank to release the withholdings against education, and put some public pressure on him to hand over the money.
"You should say to the governor: why education? Why can't you give us our money?" said Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, R-Joplin. "Put him on the spot."
But others argued exactly the opposite stratgy, basically telling the CAFE members to go home and not stir anything up.
"You want to know how to fix this?" said Rep. Jim Viebrock, R-Republic. "Quit making so much noise."
Viebrock said the rhetoric in Jefferson City surrounding the education issue was about campaigning, not "about really fixing the problem."
"Whether we like it or not, this is one hundred percent about politics," he said.
But neither of the suggestions seemed to satisfy the group of educators and businessmen, who said they had heard it all before.
"We need a new solution to this issue, not the same thing as last year," said Jeff Montgomery of the Webb City Chamber of Commerce.
Neosho Superintendent Mark Mitchell said he wanted to see lawmakers tackle the "bigger issues," such as reworking the foundation formula and possibly even moving away from property taxes toward a new method of funding. Mitchell said fixing the problems should trump political considerations.
"Even if we get our butts kicked in the next election, let's do what's right," Mitchell said.
The legislators said they did get the message, and planned to work hard to break the gridlock currently enveloping the education issue.
"I understand things cannot continue down the path they are," said Rep. Bryan Stevenson.
The Republican caucus was scheduled to meet shortly after the meeting ended, and the legislators told the group they would inform the caucus of the governor's offer to come to the table.
Gov. Holden could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
Montgomery likened the situation the Apollo 13 space mission, where NASA engineers on the ground were handed a pile of obscure parts and told to create an air-cleaning device to save the damaged ship. He told legislators they needed to work with the materials they had and "get it done."
"The saying at NASA was 'failure is not an option,'" Montgomery said. "Well blaming the governor is not an option....let's get it done."
Neosho Superintendent Mark Mitchell said he would not be opposed to a tax increase limited to education, or barring that, at least