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Long-serving members of the Missouri Board of Education said Gov. Eric Greitens has largely kept them in the dark about his plans for improving K-12 schooling.
Peter Herschend, whose 26-year run on the board ended abruptly in late July, said past governors have sought to establish lines of "trusted communication" between their office and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
"The board, through the commissioner, has a responsibility to communicate what we are doing with policy areas. Here's what we are doing in reading, for example," he said.
Herschend said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven has reached out, but the governor's office has not reciprocated.
"The governor would do well to share his principal policy objectives," he said. "...That piece has not happened."
Herschend and O. Victor Lenz Jr., vice president of the eight-member governing body, said much of what they have gleaned about the governor's education priorities has been secondhand, from media reports and social media posts.
"If the governor wants the state board to take a certain direction, it would make a lot of sense for the governor or members of the governor's office to sit down and say, 'This is what we want,'" Lenz said. "If the governor's office wants a certain direction, we have to talk about what he wants to accomplish."
During his campaign and his first State of the State address, Greitens has repeatedly expressed interest in expanding educational options for children, particularly in low-performing schools, and for giving parents more choices.
Greitens, who took office in January, made K-12 funding a priority in an otherwise tight budget year, even while making back-to-back cuts to higher education.
Now it appears the governor wants to usher in changes at the state board.
The state's top K-12 education leader is appointed by the state school board, and the role, autonomy and bipartisan makeup of that board are spelled out in the Missouri Constitution. Four current members were appointed by former Gov. Jay Nixon and three new members, not yet confirmed by the Senate, were appointed by Greitens.
An eighth spot on the board, reserved for a representative from the Springfield area, is currently vacant.
Greitens appointed Springfield businesswoman Melissa "Missy" Gelner in late July to replace Herschend but withdrew his support last week. He then chose Heidi Crane to take her place, but Crane apparently rejected the appointment.
In a Monday letter to former colleagues on the state board, Gelner said she was booted for failing to go along with a plan to oust the current commissioner, Vandeven, and quickly approve the appointment of a new-to-the-state replacement without an open selection process.
The News-Leader has repeatedly sought comment from Greitens press secretary Parker Briden regarding the allegations. Briden responded by email Wednesday that he would decline to comment "for now."
Herschend, who served on the board under four commissioners, said it is highly unusual for a governor to intervene in the selection process.
"The governor doesn't get to make that pick," he said. "He can make suggestions."
Herschend said during the selection process for former commissioner Chris Nicastro, who served from 2009 through the end of 2014, the governor's office at the time suggested two potential candidates.
"They didn't say, 'Here are two names and we want one to be the one,'" he said. "That is the right way to handle it."
Herschend said the board considered the two, along with many others, but decided they didn't measure up and went with Nicastro.
He pointed out that former governor Nixon hired retired Missouri State University president Mike Nietzel to serve as a liaison between his office and K-12 districts and institutions of higher education.
"I would do handsprings in the Springfield square, which would be a sight to behold, if there was an equivalent on the governor's staff," he said of the Greitens administration. "If we have that, it's a two-way street."
Lenz, who has been on the state school board since 2013, said the relationship between DESE and the governor's office has been "very good" in the past. He said there has been less communication since Greitens' inauguration.
"I've never talked with anyone with (Greitens') office," he said.
Lenz said once the state board is aware of the governor's education priorities, there will likely be many goals the governing body can help him achieve. For example, the board plays a significant role in approving the sponsors of new charter schools, which provide more choice to families.
Vandeven, who was appointed as commissioner in January 2015, emerged as the favorite from a field of at least 45 applicants. She was the unanimous choice of the state board.
Lenz said she has strengthened relationships between the state's education department and the more than 500 superintendents and 3,000 school board members.
"Somebody is trying to get rid of an excellent commissioner, and we don't want that to happen," he said, referencing allegations by Gelner. "She (Vandeven) is doing a whale of a job."
Lenz said this latest episode has been distracting and the state school board has a full plate of priorities, such as helping struggling schools, addressing the changing demands for student testing, and increasing quality instruction.
"We would rather work with the governor's office than have someone come in and try to remove a very good commissioner," he said. "Let's work together."
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