UPDATE: Schools fear loss of teacher development funds

CAPE GIRARDEAU — House lawmakers have removed funding from the state budget that would provide mentoring and curriculum improvement programs for Missouri teachers.

The programs are considered crucial in poorer school districts and cutting that money could also endanger regional development centers.

"We have a lot of poverty in our region. We feel like it would be really detrimental to our schools," said Cheri Fuemmeler, director of the Southeast Regional Professional Development Center.

The House version of next year's budget contains no money for the programs, which received $15 million in the current spending plan. That was already a cut from the $20 million a year that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received in the past.

The spending plan also cuts the majority of funding to regional development centers and the programs they offer.

The $22.9 billion budget is up for a vote this week. If the money is not restored during floor action, advocates will turn to the Senate for help.

"The development centers would suffer," said Sen. Rob Mayer, R-Dexter, chairman of the Senate Education Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "I'm not certain they could stay in existence."

There are nine regional professional development centers throughout the state.

Fuemmeler said her center, which works with 89 school districts, has some federally funded programs but that its fate is in question. She said the state funding is critical for the districts in the region because the center's programming is extensive.

"There's not any district that we have not had a presence in, in some capacity," she said.

Ron Anderson, superintendent of the Jackson School District, called staff development "critical."

He said it would be possible to provide a much smaller version of the state programs in his district.

"I'm sure it would be difficult to match what they're doing," he said. Smaller districts, he said, would lack the manpower to replace the services.

Interim commissioner of education Bert Schulte said he is still working to put the funding back in the budget and is open to discussion.

"We want to remain optimistic that there will be some restoration of the funds," he said.

But Mayer said the sagging economy will make restoring the funds tricky.

"I think the possibility exists that we could get some money back into this fund," Mayer said. "However, at this point, I think it's going to be difficult."

He added that the teacher development programs have been criticized by some lawmakers who want more state oversight and that the state of the economy will ultimately influence the appropriation this year.

"We have to look for areas where we can make cuts that won't hurt as bad as other areas," he said.