In this episode, Susan Pendergrass speaks with Patrick Tuohey, Senior Fellow at the Show-Me Institute, about the Missouri-Kansas border war over economic development incentives. They discuss how the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals reignited the subsidies battle between the states, the history of the feud, the effects on local economies, and more.
Produced by Show-Me Opportunity
These past few months, I have been trying to learn Korean—and boy, is it difficult. I feel like I am back in first grade, stumbling through sounds and symbols (the Korean word for “hello” being five syllables doesn’t make it easier). Learning a new language with a new alphabet reminds me of students beginning their educational careers. Reading is not natural to the human brain like speaking is—it is a skill that requires quality instruction to develop.
Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) is focusing on boosting reading instruction for this upcoming school year. Specifically, KCPS is requiring all early elementary teachers, reading specialists, and other reading-adjacent teachers to learn evidence-based reading methods through LETRS. LETRS, passed in 2022, is a program designed to retrain Missouri’s K–5 teaching force in the science of reading.
The director of elementary curriculum at KCPS stated: “Teachers that are coming into the profession just don’t have the science of reading background from universities.” According to the National Council of Teacher Quality (NCTQ), this is a valid claim.
The NCTQ conducted a survey to evaluate which universities are implementing scientifically based reading instruction into their curriculum for future teachers—and the results are concerning. Per the survey, only 25 percent of higher education institutions nationally adequately address all five core components (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) of reading instruction. Missouri is no better, as nearly half of our participating universities received an F grade on the NCQT’s report.
There are still 70 districts and charters that are not participating at all in the LETRS program, and many more are not embracing evidence-based reading instruction. Reading achievement has improved in states that embraced this practice. If reams and reams of research support the use of evidence-based reading instruction, then why are districts ignoring it? How are our students learning instead? Why are our universities neglecting to properly educate prospective teachers? These are questions that Missouri parents deserve to have answered.
Data on teachers and staff show that the number of public school district employees hit an all-time high last year, even as enrollment was down and federal funds are about to dry up. An analysis by Chad Aldeman at The 74 includes an interactive map that allows users to see which Missouri school districts staffed up, which stayed level, and which have reduced the number of employees.
But let’s pull back and look at the state as a whole.
The above table has student and staff numbers for school year 2018–19 (pre-pandemic) and 2022–23 (last year). Overall, Missouri enrollment, including pre-K, fell by over 21,000 students, a trend that has been in the works for about a decade and has been much discussed on this blog. At the same time, though, Missouri school districts added over 1,300 teachers, almost 450 district administrators and staff, and about 200 school administrators and staff. Adding teachers while enrollment declined caused the number of students per teacher to fall below 13 (to 12.8) for the first time in at least 25 years. I understand why teachers prefer smaller class sizes. But these are very expensive decisions.
We are already hearing calls for the state to make up for the federal stimulus dollars that have run out. Maybe we should be asking some questions about spending decisions at the same time.
In this episode, Susan Pendergrass speaks with Daniel DiSalvo, a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a professor of political science in the Colin Powell School at the City College of New York–CUNY, about his recent report on the policy response to declining public school enrollment. They explore the causes behind the drop in student numbers, the effectiveness of current educational policies, the challenges faced by public schools in adapting to these changes, innovative approaches to address enrollment declines, and more.
Produced by Show-Me Opportunity
We all know that governments—especially the federal government—are wasteful, but it seems to be getting worse, not better. Do you remember when the Department of Defense spent half a billion dollars to create a pro-American army in Syria and trained about 5 new soldiers for it? Not 5 percent. Not 55. Just 5.
The federal government has spent billions on internet expansion and hasn’t connected a single new home. California has increased its high-speed rail budget from $33 billion to $135 billion and still hasn’t laid down any track fifteen years after the program began. It’s insanity.
Another huge federal program with local implications that has failed miserably is the program to install thousands of electric vehicle chargers across the nation. $7.5 billion was appropriated toward this goal in 2021 as part of the bloated stimulus package, and by the end of 2023, zero chargers had been installed.
2024 has witnessed the installation of a few new chargers. As of this summer, the program is up to eight. All of this for something the private sector could provide. But if you leave it to the private sector, they might not install chargers exactly how the federal government wants them to, and that’s (apparently) the problem. The federal rules are so unnecessarily yet intentionally complex that they are the cause of the delays. As Reason magazine writes:
Why so little progress? Alexander Laska of the center-left Third Way think tank told Autoweek’s Jim Motavalli that the federal cash “comes with dozens of rules and requirements around everything from reliability to interoperability, to where stations can be located, to what certifications the workers installing the chargers need to have.”
Who cares what certifications the workers have as long as the chargers work? And who cares where they are located as long as they are located somewhere a car can get to? The federal government cares, of course, because the complexity of the rules is exactly what gives bureaucrats their power and allows officials to reward supporters.
EV charging mandates, subsidies, and regulations, are all unnecessary. Where there is a demand for chargers, the private sector will supply them. This is no more complex than the gas stations that have been filling up cars for over a hundred years. (Did you know that the first gas station in America was in St. Louis? I didn’t.)
$7.5 billion for eight EV chargers in three years. So typical.
Homelessness is awful for everyone. Some homeless people suffer from substance abuse and mental illness and require significant care. But some just require a bit of assistance to get back up on their feet. For helping that population, single-room occupancies (SROs) are a time-tested solution.
Single-room occupancy units, otherwise known as SROs, are small, furnished rooms that are rented out. SROs are definitely not five-star hotels or luxury apartments, but they do provide the homeless with a roof over their head, a bed, and a hot shower until they can afford a better living situation. St. Louis, and many other municipalities, severely restricts the construction of SROs. On the other hand, some cities such as St. John entirely prohibit the construction of such facilities.
An alternative to SROs is building more multifamily dwellings. By increasing the supply of multifamily dwellings, the price of these housing units will decrease, making housing more affordable for the homeless (and anyone else interested in these units) and providing them with an alternative to SROs or a homeless encampment. Unfortunately, cites such as Sunset Hills have shot down efforts to change the zoning code to allow for the development of more multifamily dwellings. However, Kansas City has seen a growth in housing options.
You may ask, “How can the homeless afford SROs or multifamily dwelling units?” SROs or multifamily housing become affordable through employment and through housing and utility assistance programs such as Beyond Housing.
There is no silver bullet for solving homelessness, but making housing cheaper is a great place to start. By changing zoning regulations to allow for the construction of more SROs or multifamily dwellings, we may be able to provide housing for many who need it.
The ability of the government to waste enormous amounts of money while accomplishing very little never ceases to amaze.
I have been writing about public broadband funding for several years now. My work at the Show-Me Institute has been less focused on the federal expenditures overall and more on how that money would be spent in Missouri. I never liked the idea of a massive federal internet expansion program, although I understand that in certain, very rural parts of the nation it could be beneficial. My aim has been to argue against new, local-government owned internet networks (GONs) in Missouri. GONs are, simply put, terrible.
In 2021, the federal government appropriated $42 billion for broadband expansion. Three years later, how many homes have been connected to the internet with that tax money? According to Brendan Carr, an appointed member of the Federal Communications Commission, zero. That’s right, zero. Three years into the program, and they aren’t even close to doing the actual work to connect people to the internet. Carr writes that the administration has been far more concerned with other things instead of actually connecting people to broadband. The internet expansion focus in on: “Climate change mandates, tech biases, DEI requirements, favoring government-run networks + more.”
The original bill to fund broadband expansion was passed with bipartisan support. But, as often happens, bureaucrats appear to have bent the policy to their own agenda (and possibly the administration’s agenda). In this case, as Carr and others have explained, that means progressive policy aims enacted under cover of program rules instead of legislation that both sides of the aisle were willing to support. The Reason Foundation highlighted one of many examples here:
Among several examples, the senators noted that National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment proposal “requires subgrantees to prioritize certain segments of the workforce, such as ‘individuals with past criminal records’ and ‘justice-impacted […] participants.'” The infrastructure law that authorized the program merely required contractors to be “in compliance with Federal labor and employment laws.”
In May, I published an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch highlighting some astounding examples of government waste. It looks like I can add broadband expansion to this list.
In this episode, Susan Pendergrass speaks with James V. Shuls, Director of Research and Senior Fellow at the Show-Me Institute, and Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, about the history and impact of the school choice movement. They discuss Shuls’ recent paper, “The Father of the School Choice Movement,” which highlights the often-overlooked contributions of Father Virgil Blum alongside the well-known Milton Friedman. The conversation explores Blum’s legal, moral, and religious advocacy for educational freedom, his role in founding Citizens for Educational Freedom, and how his work laid the groundwork for modern school choice policies.
Produced by Show-Me Opportunity
You may have witnessed the trend of dilapidated shopping centers, malls, and retail outlets that were once thriving centers of economic activity becoming eyesores that abet crime. In the best cases, these properties become repurposed for a new use. The Woods Mill Center strip mall, located just southwest of Highways 64 and 141 in Town & Country, will hopefully become a “best case.”
In 2022, Maryville University planned to redevelop the Woods Mill Center into a complex featuring an e-sports arena, among other amenities. While the plan faced substantial public backlash, it was recommended to the board of alderman by the Town and Country Planning and Zoning Commission. However, Maryville ultimately withdrew the proposal in 2023. The school was hesitant to spend any more money on a plan that it felt was likely to be denied by the board.
Earlier this year, McBride Homes submitted applications for rezoning and preliminary site development plan approval to redevelop Woods Mill Center into an 80-home development. Unlike the Maryville proposal, McBride’s “Woods Mill Crossing” received significant public support, especially after the plan was revised to have slightly fewer homes in response to public concerns. Nonetheless, Town and Country’s Planning and Zoning Commission failed to recommend approval of the rezoning and preliminary site development plan.
After discussion during multiple board of aldermen meetings, McBride withdrew its plan. According to reports, McBride wants to revise its plan to address some officials’ concerns and resubmit on July 19.
McBride’s biggest hurdle? Density. The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that “the new neighborhood would have been the highest density residential development in the affluent west St. Louis County suburb.” Members of the Planning and Zoning Commission think increased density would hurt the character of the city. But should increasing density in Town and Country really be met with such consternation?
Increases in housing density are shown to have various positive impacts. Higher-density housing can make providing services more efficient and improve housing affordability. For example, while the median home price in Town and Country is around $1 million, the homes in the proposed development would be priced between $600,000 and $700,000. In addition, there are environmental benefits to higher-density housing including decreased automobile usage and, of course, less land usage. On top of that, the Woods Mill Crossing proposal is to redevelop already developed land, meaning there won’t necessarily be a loss of green space, as is often the concern with new developments (see another of McBride’s developments in St. Charles).
McBride’s proposal has the potential to make smart use of underutilized land, something that many residents want for the city of Town and Country. We will see if officials accept a revised proposal and the benefits of higher-density housing are realized in this community.
