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Dave Gragg Answers Hard Questions
Missouri Education Pensions
Yes, and I am not entirely sure why there are folks who are bound and determined to change it, but I don’t believe any of the proposed changes I’ve seen would benefit teachers, students or taxpayers. I’ve talked with folks at PSRS who say they keep an eye on life expectancies and funding and see no reason the system wouldn’t be able to continue as it is as long as there is no outside interference.
2. Would you support a legislation that requires all new teachers and support staff to be placed into, or to be given a choice to opt into, a defined contribution plan (DC) such as a 401(k) vs. the current defined benefit (DB) plan (PSRS)? Did you support HB 864 of 2019 Taylor?
No. PSRS is one of the few good benefits we provide teachers. How many teachers in MRTA or RARSPA thought about retirement when they first started teaching? How many, when they were 23, would have been more concerned about getting more money in their paycheck right then and let retirement worry about itself? I’m guessing all of them. Now, how many of those same teachers are glad they didn’t have that choice? Again, I’m guessing all of them.
3. Would you support maintaining the current independent government and independent investment decisions of the Boards of Trustees of the following public education retirement systems: PSRS/PEERS Retirement System, PSRS of Kansas City, MO and PSRS of the City of St. Louis?
I haven’t heard of a good reason to take away the boards’ independence.
4. Would you support consolidating the Public School Retirement System/Public Education Employees Retirement Systems (PSRS/PEERS) with another state retirement system? For example, consolidation through a State Investment Board. What are your feelings on the discussions of consolidating the MOSERS for state employees and MPERS for highway employees such as the Highway Patrol?
From what I’ve been able to tell, the cost to study the possibility would be pretty high and there’s no guarantee there would be any cost savings on consolidation of MOSERS and MPERS, so I’m a little leery here.
5. At times these is legislation that increases the cost of doing business or increases benefits of the PSRS/PEERS system such as certain Work-After-Retirement (WAR) provisions. Would you support legislation that increases the cost to the PSRS/PEERS system currently pre-funded at 84%?
This is again an issue I’m unfamiliar with and I have been unable to find any information that makes this seem like a good idea.
Missouri Public Education
No. I could probably fill a page on why this is a bad idea, but it boils down to this: It doesn’t make any sense to use public money for two sets of infrastructure doing the same job. If you don’t like how your school operates, get involved.
2. Will you support the expansion of charter schools statewide as an alternative to traditional schools?
See above.
In addition, charter schools take away local control and operate with fewer restrictions than traditional schools.
Most of the school officials I’ve talked to would welcome the competition, as long as both charter schools and traditional schools could play by the same rules.
3. Currently, Missouri is ranked 49th in the nation in beginning teacher salaries. How would you propose to raise the salaries of public school teachers?
Not cut taxes every time I’m worried about losing an election. Again, I could fill a page on this one, but I can think of three taxes that probably need to be raised: 1) Gas tax (money to transportation). 2) cigarettes (money to healthcare and education) 3) corporate tax rate (education and a few other things Missouri says it’s paying for and just isn’t)
4. Legislators have fully funded the 2005 Foundation Formula for Public Schools the last two years. However, the State Adequacy Target (SAT) which is the baseline amount given to each district per student in schools was supposed to be recalculated every other year, but the SAT as of 2012 has been fixed at the funding rate used in 2005. Even with the $61 million additional revenue to the Foundation Formula this legislative session, those funds spread over the 567 school districts may not even cover the additional health insurance costs for school districts and is one of the reasons for low teacher salaries in Missouri. What would you do to adequately fund the Foundation Formula for Public Schools if anything?
Short answer: See above.
However, this one is so much fun. Kansas got sued for underfunding its schools, which scared the crap out of Missouri Republicans, so they lowered the amount schools are supposed to get and said, “TADA, we fully funded education!”
No, they just moved the goal line (or got a smaller cup, pick your metaphor). The problem is that Missouri Republicans have confused fiscal responsibility with tax cut after tax cut after tax cut. It’s not about seeing how little we can spend. It’s about making sure we spend the taxpayer’s money wisely. Infrastructure (like education, roads and broadband Internet) is public investment that makes money in the long run.
Right now, Republicans are bragging about how much money they saved taxpayers by not getting the car’s oil changed. That’s great until the engine blows up.
This is one of the reasons I started thinking about running in the first place. So’s the environment. You know that feeling you get when your kids don’t clean up their own mess? Not only are we leaving our kids a giant environmental mess, we’re not even properly funding education so they can have the tools to clean it up.
5. Transportation funding for public schools now stands at 15% funded. State policy states that transportation should be funded at 75% of transportation costs. What would your solution be to this inadequate funding of transportation that is particularly important to rural public schools?
Between the gas tax and the corporate tax rate I talked about in question 3, I think we’d be able to get this back where it should be.
Questions from Chance Wistrom, Superintendent of Republic-III
Have you accepted money from Rex Sinquefield or any of PAC affiliated with him?
Lol, no. I don’t think Rex and I on the same page for very many issues.
Do you support Charter School Expansion?
I don’t think so. Based on everything been able to find out so far, I believe we’re still better with a single publicly funded education system. If you don’t like your public school, get involved and make it better.
If so, please share examples of when you would support this?
What role would school administrators play in assisting your decisions making processes that impact education?
I hope that teachers and administrators know to give me a call if they see something that’s going to affect them. Administrators are usually an easy point of contact and I know school board members that I can turn to for information and advice as well. (As a matter of fact I touched base with a couple of them this morning when I heard something that didn’t sound right.)
Do you support the defined contribution retirement plan for Missouri public school employees?
No
Are you aware of the financial impact of Missouri's defined contribution retirement plan on communities?
I know it’s a whole lot of money that gets pumped back into communities after teachers retire. And teachers don’t get into teaching for the money, so they’re usually involved in their communities even after they do retire. Their defined benefit plan allows them to do that.
To what extent will you support public schools?
Again, education funding is one of the major reasons I started thinking about running for office in the first place. By the time Election Day rolls around, I’ll have three kids in Republic schools. I have been involved with them since my oldest was in kindergarten (he’s a freshman this year) both as a parent and as a business owner.
Missouri Education Pensions
- PSRS (Public School Retirement System) was formed in 1946 as a defined benefit pension plan (DB) to attract and retain the best and most experienced educators possible. Do you support the current defined benefit plan for educators and support staff which is similar to the defined benefit plan for the legislature and statewide officials? (A DB plan pays a monthly benefit for life, a DC plan pays you until you run out of money.)
Yes, and I am not entirely sure why there are folks who are bound and determined to change it, but I don’t believe any of the proposed changes I’ve seen would benefit teachers, students or taxpayers. I’ve talked with folks at PSRS who say they keep an eye on life expectancies and funding and see no reason the system wouldn’t be able to continue as it is as long as there is no outside interference.
2. Would you support a legislation that requires all new teachers and support staff to be placed into, or to be given a choice to opt into, a defined contribution plan (DC) such as a 401(k) vs. the current defined benefit (DB) plan (PSRS)? Did you support HB 864 of 2019 Taylor?
No. PSRS is one of the few good benefits we provide teachers. How many teachers in MRTA or RARSPA thought about retirement when they first started teaching? How many, when they were 23, would have been more concerned about getting more money in their paycheck right then and let retirement worry about itself? I’m guessing all of them. Now, how many of those same teachers are glad they didn’t have that choice? Again, I’m guessing all of them.
3. Would you support maintaining the current independent government and independent investment decisions of the Boards of Trustees of the following public education retirement systems: PSRS/PEERS Retirement System, PSRS of Kansas City, MO and PSRS of the City of St. Louis?
I haven’t heard of a good reason to take away the boards’ independence.
4. Would you support consolidating the Public School Retirement System/Public Education Employees Retirement Systems (PSRS/PEERS) with another state retirement system? For example, consolidation through a State Investment Board. What are your feelings on the discussions of consolidating the MOSERS for state employees and MPERS for highway employees such as the Highway Patrol?
From what I’ve been able to tell, the cost to study the possibility would be pretty high and there’s no guarantee there would be any cost savings on consolidation of MOSERS and MPERS, so I’m a little leery here.
5. At times these is legislation that increases the cost of doing business or increases benefits of the PSRS/PEERS system such as certain Work-After-Retirement (WAR) provisions. Would you support legislation that increases the cost to the PSRS/PEERS system currently pre-funded at 84%?
This is again an issue I’m unfamiliar with and I have been unable to find any information that makes this seem like a good idea.
Missouri Public Education
- Whether it is in the form of a voucher, tax credit, or other means, will you support spending public tax dollars to allow students to attend private schools?
No. I could probably fill a page on why this is a bad idea, but it boils down to this: It doesn’t make any sense to use public money for two sets of infrastructure doing the same job. If you don’t like how your school operates, get involved.
2. Will you support the expansion of charter schools statewide as an alternative to traditional schools?
See above.
In addition, charter schools take away local control and operate with fewer restrictions than traditional schools.
Most of the school officials I’ve talked to would welcome the competition, as long as both charter schools and traditional schools could play by the same rules.
3. Currently, Missouri is ranked 49th in the nation in beginning teacher salaries. How would you propose to raise the salaries of public school teachers?
Not cut taxes every time I’m worried about losing an election. Again, I could fill a page on this one, but I can think of three taxes that probably need to be raised: 1) Gas tax (money to transportation). 2) cigarettes (money to healthcare and education) 3) corporate tax rate (education and a few other things Missouri says it’s paying for and just isn’t)
4. Legislators have fully funded the 2005 Foundation Formula for Public Schools the last two years. However, the State Adequacy Target (SAT) which is the baseline amount given to each district per student in schools was supposed to be recalculated every other year, but the SAT as of 2012 has been fixed at the funding rate used in 2005. Even with the $61 million additional revenue to the Foundation Formula this legislative session, those funds spread over the 567 school districts may not even cover the additional health insurance costs for school districts and is one of the reasons for low teacher salaries in Missouri. What would you do to adequately fund the Foundation Formula for Public Schools if anything?
Short answer: See above.
However, this one is so much fun. Kansas got sued for underfunding its schools, which scared the crap out of Missouri Republicans, so they lowered the amount schools are supposed to get and said, “TADA, we fully funded education!”
No, they just moved the goal line (or got a smaller cup, pick your metaphor). The problem is that Missouri Republicans have confused fiscal responsibility with tax cut after tax cut after tax cut. It’s not about seeing how little we can spend. It’s about making sure we spend the taxpayer’s money wisely. Infrastructure (like education, roads and broadband Internet) is public investment that makes money in the long run.
Right now, Republicans are bragging about how much money they saved taxpayers by not getting the car’s oil changed. That’s great until the engine blows up.
This is one of the reasons I started thinking about running in the first place. So’s the environment. You know that feeling you get when your kids don’t clean up their own mess? Not only are we leaving our kids a giant environmental mess, we’re not even properly funding education so they can have the tools to clean it up.
5. Transportation funding for public schools now stands at 15% funded. State policy states that transportation should be funded at 75% of transportation costs. What would your solution be to this inadequate funding of transportation that is particularly important to rural public schools?
Between the gas tax and the corporate tax rate I talked about in question 3, I think we’d be able to get this back where it should be.
Questions from Chance Wistrom, Superintendent of Republic-III
Have you accepted money from Rex Sinquefield or any of PAC affiliated with him?
Lol, no. I don’t think Rex and I on the same page for very many issues.
Do you support Charter School Expansion?
I don’t think so. Based on everything been able to find out so far, I believe we’re still better with a single publicly funded education system. If you don’t like your public school, get involved and make it better.
If so, please share examples of when you would support this?
What role would school administrators play in assisting your decisions making processes that impact education?
I hope that teachers and administrators know to give me a call if they see something that’s going to affect them. Administrators are usually an easy point of contact and I know school board members that I can turn to for information and advice as well. (As a matter of fact I touched base with a couple of them this morning when I heard something that didn’t sound right.)
Do you support the defined contribution retirement plan for Missouri public school employees?
No
Are you aware of the financial impact of Missouri's defined contribution retirement plan on communities?
I know it’s a whole lot of money that gets pumped back into communities after teachers retire. And teachers don’t get into teaching for the money, so they’re usually involved in their communities even after they do retire. Their defined benefit plan allows them to do that.
To what extent will you support public schools?
Again, education funding is one of the major reasons I started thinking about running for office in the first place. By the time Election Day rolls around, I’ll have three kids in Republic schools. I have been involved with them since my oldest was in kindergarten (he’s a freshman this year) both as a parent and as a business owner.