From the NEA:
Is Senator Talent working for public education? ‘F’ on report card says no
It is report card time for lawmakers of all stripes and U.S. Senator Jim Talent has some explaining to do. He got an F on the National Education Association’s 109th Legislative Report Card for the 2005-06 session of the U.S. Congress, released in Washington, D.C.
Talent’s score was 29 out of 100. The F grade is based on votes on key NEA supported legislation and criteria measuring a lawmaker’s commitment to public education via co-sponsorship of bills, behind the scenes work, accessibility and advocacy.
Talent, whose recent state campaign ads highlight his work, falls short of the mark when it comes to sharing the responsibility of helping make public education work for every child.
Among the votes counted in 2005, Senator Talent voted against the restoration of $4.8 billion for 48 education programs slated for elimination, including those addressing Career and Technical Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and education technology grants. He also voted against increasing Head Start funding and for massive cuts to entitlement programs in the budget reconciliation measure in late December of that year.
In 2006, Senator Talent voted against an amendment that restored funding for college prep programs, raising the maximum Pell Grant to $4,500, and providing up to $23,000 in student loan forgiveness to new teachers in high need schools.
On other lawmaking tasks of interest to Missouri public school workers, Senator Talent voted repeatedly against raising the minimum wage. He also refused to join the majority of his Congressional colleagues in co-sponsoring a bill to restore Social Security benefits that Missouri’s teachers and education support staff and their spouses have earned.
Senator Talent’s report card is available for NEA member’s inspection at http://www.nea.org/lac/senate.html.
Make sure you don’t vote for Talent this November and instead vote for Claire McCaskill.
Senator Talent Gets an F
From the NEA:
Is Senator Talent working for public education? ‘F’ on report card says no
It is report card time for lawmakers of all stripes and U.S. Senator Jim Talent has some explaining to do. He got an F on the National Education Association’s 109th Legislative Report Card for the 2005-06 session of the U.S. Congress, released in Washington, D.C.
Talent’s score was 29 out of 100. The F grade is based on votes on key NEA supported legislation and criteria measuring a lawmaker’s commitment to public education via co-sponsorship of bills, behind the scenes work, accessibility and advocacy.
Talent, whose recent state campaign ads highlight his work, falls short of the mark when it comes to sharing the responsibility of helping make public education work for every child.
Among the votes counted in 2005, Senator Talent voted against the restoration of $4.8 billion for 48 education programs slated for elimination, including those addressing Career and Technical Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and education technology grants. He also voted against increasing Head Start funding and for massive cuts to entitlement programs in the budget reconciliation measure in late December of that year.
In 2006, Senator Talent voted against an amendment that restored funding for college prep programs, raising the maximum Pell Grant to $4,500, and providing up to $23,000 in student loan forgiveness to new teachers in high need schools.
On other lawmaking tasks of interest to Missouri public school workers, Senator Talent voted repeatedly against raising the minimum wage. He also refused to join the majority of his Congressional colleagues in co-sponsoring a bill to restore Social Security benefits that Missouri’s teachers and education support staff and their spouses have earned.
Senator Talent’s report card is available for NEA member’s inspection at http://www.nea.org/lac/senate.html.
Make sure you don’t vote for Talent this November and instead vote for Claire McCaskill.
Origins of Halloween
Hop on over to my history blog to read about the origins of halloween.
Time to Relax
After a long week last week, it’s finally time to relax. The week was long, filled with many errands. Am I the only one that has fallen in love with Google Calendar, Google Notebook, and the To Do list for your Google Homepage? That made the week so much easier. I could mark things like “Pick up tux” off the to do list, add work and events such as the rehearsal dinner to my calendar and even add notes on what I want to say or brief “post-its” of information that I might need later.
The rehearsal and the dinner went well. I had a good time there, and luckily we didn’t miss any of the Cardinals game that night as they were rained out. Friday night we had a party at our house for my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary. All the Schepker side of the family was there. It was a good time. We BBQed and then watched the Cardinals win the World Series! Then Saturday came. What can I say, 16 hours in a tuxedo is not fun! 11 hours of partying in the limo bus and the reception is. So, I guess it evened out. Then Sunday we had people over for the gift opening. I’m just glad it’s all over with and it wasn’t even my wedding! I was just a groomsman. Congrats to my sister Lisa and new brother-in-law Kevin.
That’s a Winner!
They weren’t given a chance but they did it anyway! Congrats to the World Series Champs the St. Louis Cardinals!
2 Times in 3 Years
For the second time in three years the Cardinals are going to the World Series. Congrats to the team! Let’s bring home a championship in the first season in the new stadium. This year was a tough one for the Cardinals, a team plagued by injuries. Let’s see what these underdogs can do!