To the Editor:

We are writing to comment on a letter that appeared in the April 26 Fayette Advertiser. We have quite a different view regarding the public policy issue discussed and great concern about the sources of the information presented.

The letter was written by Patrick Ishmael, Director of Governmental Accountability at the Show-Me Institute, in support of a bill currently under consideration in the Missouri Legislature. This so-called “Parents Bill of Rights,” purports to “give parents the information they need to judge how the government is educating their kids.”

Whoa! Parents already have the right and responsibility to be involved in their child’s education by visiting classrooms, discussing curriculum with teachers, voting on candidates for their local school board and providing input to the board at open meetings.

What this bill does is place additional unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on teachers and administrators and replace local control with big brother state control of public schools. The proposed provisions would be especially financially burdensome to small rural school districts like ours. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the “Parents Bill of Rights" moniker given these bills deliberately misrepresents the impact of their policy intent.

Let’s all remember that when it comes to our local public schools, WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT. We don’t want our schools to be mismanaged by unenlightened folks in Jefferson City and their cronies.

It is important to understand where the Show-Me Institute is coming from. It was founded by Rex Sinquefield, a billionaire who serves as President of this radical organization. Among its goals is the dismantling of public schools and the privatization of education. The Institute marches in lockstep with the big business corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). For decades ALEC has invested heavily in influencing state legislators to support bills that undermine public service infrastructure in favor of corporate control and profit. A key technique is to draft model legislation reflecting its conservative corporate views and push these out widely to legislators in the states and in the US Congress. Readers can learn more by visiting ALEC’s website or seeing a critique of it at www.alecexposed.org.

We believe that quality locally controlled public education is an essential right and an essential component of our democracy.

Thank you for your attention to our concerns.

Howard County Democrat Women: Charlotte Frevert, Susan Donnelly, Olinda Cash, Nancy Copenhaver, Kathy Baylor, Denise Haskamp, Carolyne Peery, Jane Crigler, Hope Tinker, Becca Harbison, Janice Neal, Karla Sprick, Mary Jarboe.