【時報訊】聖路易大學城州議員Maria Chappelle-Nadal日前發表嚴重抗議文件(請見英文版),嚴重抗議密州減縮學區教育經費,其中2009∼2010學年度大學城學區經費減縮十五萬元,Pattonvill學區減八萬元,Ferguson-Florissant學區減九萬元。Maria指出此項學區預算經費減縮違反州議會第2014法案。
州議員Maria在聲明中表示,密州州議會通過且簽署第2014號議會法案,其中規定公平分配密州資源預算予各公立學校學區,並經州長簽署生效,州長不得以任何理由或方式變相減縮學區經費。
但是,Maria強調,州長日前之經費分配計劃中,全州大約有150個學區經費受到減縮被砍之影響。其中聖路易地區就有三個學區受到影響,總共減少經費近三十餘萬元。
Maria說「這是不公平的」。她強有力地建議不受州長管理,獨立之密州中小教育廳能夠確實根據議會第1014號法案以執行教育經費分配的原則。
STATEMENT Education funding distribution HB 2014
"As approved by the Missouri General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Jay Nixon, House Bill 2014 provides for the fair equitable distribution of state funds to local public school districts. By declaring that he will ignore a provision of a law that he himself signed and instead unilaterally impose a different distribution method, the governor overstepped his authority.
"Under House Bill 2014 as written, no school district would be subject to funding cuts for the current school year, although some would get smaller than expected increases. Under the governor's funding distribution plan, about 150 school districts will endure actual cuts in state funding. For the University City School District, that will mean a $150,000 loss in funding for the 2009-2010 school year, while the Pattonville schools will lose $80,000 and the Ferguson-Florissant district will get hit with a $900,000 cut.
"This is simply unfair, and I am urging the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which is an independent agency not subject to the governor's directives, to implement the funding distribution established in law by House Bill 2014."
State Rep. Maria Chappelle-NadalD-University City |