Video: Our School Choice Event Is Now Online

On April 25, the Show-Me Institute was delighted to have Missouri Sen. John Lamping (R-Dist. 24), Missouri Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-Dist. 14), and Missouri Speaker of the House Tim Jones (R-Dist. 110) join us for a panel discussion about tax credit scholarships and school choice. Our event received some great coverage from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and St. Louis Public Radio.

The lawmakers were candid and provided a great discussion about school choice and a potential fix to the problems with the inter-district transfer law. The Post-Dispatch’s editorial board pulled one comment during the lawmaker’s panel discussion and its press coverage gave a scathing criticism. Unfortunately, members of the editorial board were not there in person and did not get to hear all of the comments.

Well, they can watch them now. The panel discussion as well as the other presentations are now available.

Maybe they can pull some other quotes. Here are some of my favorites:

Sen. Lamping:

Missouri has a very strong filibuster. We have 34 senators and two or three or four senators can stop just about anything. But, I’m not here to tell you that two or three senators are opposed to choice. I’m here to tell you that institutional education in Missouri is the single strongest lobby that is in the capitol, bar none.

Speaker Jones:

This [school choice] will not be the end of public education as we know it. How do we know that? Because many, many, many states have incorporated many of these things we’ve talked about and they have vibrant public education school systems and private education systems, charters. Some even have vouchers and they still have public schools. So, I think it is time to try something new and give people a choice.

Sen. Chappelle-Nadal:

There is not going to be a bill without the private option. I know that. Ray Charles would know that.