These are the lines that really worry me:
" that students may express their beliefs about religion in written and oral assignments free from discrimination based on the religious content of their work; that no student shall be compelled to perform or participate in academic assignments or educational presentations that violate his or her religious beliefs;"
(from http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2012ballot/fulltext_1.pdf)

Thanks Ed. I would think that if you opted out of accredited curriculum then you shouldn't be allowed a degree from that institution. Also, while I haven't researched it, what about tests? Are they allowed to opt out of the portions of the tests that cover that material? Especially standardized testing. Will the scores of the students who opted out of the lessons be removed from the school evaluations regulated by the state? Obviously it wouldn't be the schools fault that the child did not learn the material.

I just got back from voting "No!" on this nonsense Amendment. It's so embarrassing that it actually made the New York Times. The ballot language is written in such a way that I bet it passes by 70% or more. If it fails, then I heavily underestimate our constituency. I love Mehlville/Oakville. My kids are 5th generation Mehlville/Oakville. Embarrassing, embarrassing, embarrassing. Mm. Mm. Mmmmm.

Jim, while you've probably never thought of it this way, it's a very arrogant thing to say that you are going to pray for someone.

@all - What religion do you have to be to only take physical education?

Current results with 6% reporting is 85% Yes (55255) and 15% No (9834).

My daughter said she wants to start a religion where learning to spell is blasphemous

Ed, that would make sense considering our major religions were started by illiterate middle-eastern shepherds 6000 years ago.

Jim, its not hate speech. These religions were in fact created by illiterate middle-eastern shepherds 6000 years ago. They were stories passed down for generations until a written language was developed for them to put the end if the telephone game down on clay tablets and eventually paper.

There is a history to the origins of ever religion ever developed on the planet.

The three religions with the same God (4 if you count Mormons) all started with illiterate shepherds in the Middle East. It started with the Torah, then evolved into the Christian Bible, and then evolved into the Koran, and then evolved into whatever the Mormons call their book.

Yes. It is our Constitution, which includes the non-establishment of religion endorsed by the state. I happen to agree. Have your fairy tales - just keep them out of our secular Constitution. I don't know if you ever noticed this or not, but not once will you find the word God, Jesus, or Lord in our Constitution.

Do you want fries with that chicken? ;-)

Re the amendment, it will be interesting to see what happens this school year; I'm betting my colleagues in SW MO will have more, uhm, fun with this. Like the year we were debating whether intelligent design should be taught in science classes and they (and all of Kansas) said they couldn't find enough non-prejudiced judges to hold tournaments and MO and KS went with a different topic. <sigh>

"not once will you find the word God, Jesus, or Lord in our Constitution."

You are WRONG there buddy. Check the facts.

Just for the record, "God" is mentioned in the Preamble of the Confederate States of America. - But they lost the war. Interesting.

"We, the people of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity — invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God — do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America."

http://www.usconstitution.net/csa.html

Yes. Collective responsibility only applies to public education. Otherwise you are using public tax money for private or religious uses without the accountability necessary to accept tax money.

plus it also opens up viewpoint discrimination because if you give to one catholic school with no accountability, you would have to give money to white supremacist schools and Church if The Flying Spaghetti Monster schools as well.

that said,it is the accountability that is most important. Once you receive tax money, everything else that comes with it applies as well. Transportation laws, accounting laws, testing laws, etc. I'm pretty sure chaminade likes it fine just the way it is.

Actually Peter, a study by the University of Illinois showed that once you account for socio-economic status of the students, public schools slightly outperformed private schools on ACT and SAT scores. All the college attendance rate shows is the socio-economic makeup of the students that attend their schools. Private schools get to pick and choose who they take. Public schools gladly take everyone.

Also, if you are paying $2000 a year in property taxes, that means you have, what? a $250,000 house? So, your annual household income is likely at least $100,000 a year, unless you bought a house you couldn't afford. That means that over 50 years you'd make $5 million. So, $145,000 is a pittance considering what you get in return.

Jim, after spending 5.5 years on the school board, several years on the Special School District Board, several years on the Black Leadership round table delegation and hundreds of hours wig the Missouri School Board Association, I know what I'm talking about. Google is one thing. Knowing what to look for is Another.

Just because you, and especially Peter may be misinformed, and can't justify your opinions with the empirical data exists doesn't mean anything else other than that you both have a lot to learn.

Peter, buildings don't teach children, teachers teach children. And the number 1 factor in the education of a child after socioeconomic status is the quality of the teacher.

Jim is obviously a true American citizen. He wants to voluntarily accept a system that I believe continues to unfairly tax the poor and needy for what should be a "Free public Education".

I used a high earner example to expose Karl and his hidden agenda to Tax the Rich (That "I earn $100,000 and could afford it.")
while totally ignoring ---it is the poor and needy who also are forced to Pay $1,000 per year in Public school costs as they earn only $40,000 and live in a $100,000 home and drive a 2nd hand car. (How is their education cost "Free".)

That is something we all should strive to change.
1) All residents who earn less than $50,000 should be exempt from any Real estate tax allocated to our Public Schools.
That Karl---- is truly a "free education"
"Public education" or "Private Education" (even non-religious private education).

Public schools started with reasonable under $500 per year costs. They are now out of control. Their costs are bankrupting the very poor and needy who should be paying ZERO Real Estate and auto taxes.

Mehlville is on a track and system many cannot afford. A system that has NO LIMITS to the ultimate cost per resident. The additional tax increases on all Business buildings are coming as they have no vote in how Mehlville operates.
Problem is, the residents will pay that as higher prices.

Religion is a start of society's frustrations with our "free" public education gone wild..

You know Karl:
You just might be the first person in the world that could answer:

WHAT CAME FIRST----THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG!!!!!!!!!!

It's not my numbers that make the case.

Real estate Agents are asked about "Schools" not necessarily public schools.
Maybe you should also look this up. Did Christian schools outnumber Public schools years ago? Do Christian schools outnumber public schools today?

Considering this nations 80% christian beliefs, try and convince us all that values
of christian schools had nothing to do with where people choose to live.

You miss the whole point that "public schools are NOT FREE. Period.
$714.78 tax is "NOT FREE". Technical ? Yes--But true.

So I wish our school officials would stop promoting public school services as "Free anything". Certainly , you could admit that????

As for VALUE?
We get value for everything we pay for in this country. The hamburger, clothes, computer tech etc.
CHOICE! COMPETITION!
All lacking in our mandated Public school system.
The value public schools bring to us is another discussion. One you would lose hands down. Perhaps another day.

$8,000 per student is way too high when compared to the $4,000 private school Tuition cost for an accredited Missouri Education.
Send that $8,000 to a private school and they would refund every Taxpayer
the overtaxation happening to the most needy.
Or do you want to condemn the "assembly??????????????
Our residents will wake up.

Karl:
Why don't we just eliminate all Individual Real Estate taxes and pass the tax on to every business located in Mehlville?

That would make Public school "FREE" Right?
Oh! I forgot about the thousands of Automobiles we all must Pay an additional Tax to support our "Free" public school"
Well, just eliminate that auto PP tax and let's triple maybe quaddruple the Businesses Automobile Personal Property taxes.
No one will notice that-Right?
Let's increase Cigarette taxes on those bad smokers!
Let's do it for the "children". Actually, let's give deserved raises to our poor Teachers who only get 3 times the average pay of Mehlville's residents.
No one will notice--Right?
Karl: did you find California problem areas? That is the future of Mehlville if the schools are not restored to fiscal sanity.
You could talk "theory" all you want. In reality, No one owns their home , if they are Mandated to pay up to 1.5% of their Homes and Autos for a non-competitive education system. It will tumble down like the cities going bankrupt daily in this country.

Read slowly: The value of anyone is not determined by a self-assessment, but is determined by the Users ability to pay that value.

Even an ounce of Gold-- has No value to someone in the middle of the Desert.
Water is Free? What's it worth in the desert?
The US Postal service is gone because people have a choice.
Once our education choice is allowed, public schools will be forced to fiscal sanity.

Mehlville offers a tuition free education for every student regardless of race, creed, sex, wealth, disability, or other extenuating circumstance.

Taxes paid by residents are dues owed as part of the privilege of being an American and living in Mehlville.

As far as the chicken or the egg? It was the single celled organism that came about a billion years earlier.

The US Postal Service is not gone, and its detractors are the usual suspects. In fact, the Post Office hasn't taken any of our tax money since 1971.
BTW, the post office can deliver a letter for half a buck anywhere in the US -- think UPS or FedEx would do that?
Ah, there's the rub. Some people aren't making money off of it.
Like charter schools. Poor operations, but moneymakers for some.
Read slowly: some agencies exist because they benefit the citizens and the country as a whole, not just some plutocrats.
Let's look at three claims against the post office --

Taxes are supporting the USPService. Nope. Even though the "Founding Fathers" recognized the vital interest of such a service (Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution), Nixon imposed a business-like restructuring over the agency. But it has taken NO money from taxpayers -- all its income is from stamps and their products.
The Post Office is broke; it's lost $13 billion in the last four years.
Nope.
In fact, it had a $700 million operational profit.
Hunh?
Let me quote: "In 2006, the Bush White House and Congress whacked the post office with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act -- an incredible piece of ugliness requiring the agency to PRE-PAY the health care benefits not only of current employees, but also of all employees who'll retire during the next 75 years. Yes, that includes employees who're not yet born! No other agency and no corporation has to do this . . . This politically motivated mandate is costing the Postal Service $5.5 billion a year -- money taken right out of postage revenue that could be going to services..That's the real source of the "financial crisis" squeezing American's post offices" (Hightower, March 2012).
Wow, that sounds familiar. Like what some MO Legislators want to do to teacher retirement. Hmmm. Now, who would benefit --

Which brings us to point three: the USPS is antiquated.
Nope.
Did you see the piece a month or so ago on Sixty Minutes (I think) on small, rural post offices? They are more than a place to mail a birthday card. They become civic centers. Information hubs. Especially important for rural areas that do not have broad-band internet (or cannot afford the hardware and connection).
In the 1960s Ma Bell's chairman headed a presidential commission of postal reform. His preference? "I'd make the Post Office a private enterprise."
In 1999 the FedEx CEO targeted "closing down the USPS."
If you aren't looking at who profits you aren't seeing the big picture. Post Office, Public Education, the Interstates (those are being privatized).
Why? We don't need competition to improve something. Privatization doesn't improve something (well, some few bank accounts).
Enough for now. I'm waiting for a shipment from FedEx. The online chat person said they think they lost it. She can't be sure. (True).
Wish it was coming via the post office.

Peter,
if the cost of living is increasing,
and CEO salaries are skyrocketing,
and the gulf between the top and the bottom is expanding,
why would you want public employees to take a pay cut?

I'm affronted. I teach. My sister is a nurse. I have friends who are police and firefighters. Explain to me like I'm a fifth grader why we should take paycuts.

Re antiquated, I don't know, seems like other businesses do that -- costs go up, you raise the price. Bought gas lately? How's your electric bill? Seen the price of eggs? (corn and laying mash prices are up because of the drought)

Shipping updates: UPS damaged two boxes (one to me, one to a friend); FedEx still doesn't know where my delivery is. USPS charged my wife a lot less to ship a package to NC than Big Brown or FE would have. We'll see how and when it arrives -- stay tuned . . .

Ed:I'll try
Your pay comes 100% from TAXES. Real Estate,Autos,BusinessBuildgs are value taxed. 2 Families earning $50,000 with 1 child pay totally differnt education costs.
(Because It is based on the HOME they live in--The car they own)
Can you imagine the Doctor, nurse charging on the basis of your Home value or car you drive? Yet that is exacly how you earn your Wage.
Long before we had a Public school system like today, residents had education schools in place. Still are today. Teacher profession goes way back.
But, while the school system today exists for good cause. I ask "AT WHAT COST"

Nurses, are paid when I become a patient.
I do not pay for that Nurse, if I do not need that nurse.
Police and Firemen protect me and my property (Daily). I cannot choose another police force or Fireman (YET?!). Maybe one day a private firemen Company?
It is a cost that protects ALL of US.

BUT WE CAN CHOOSE EDUCATION.
Much competition in that service.
Why Force residents to support through taxation. $9000 per student public education cost, when alternative education at one-half the cost is available?

"Force me to pay you" by taxing my House and Auto. Every year , for the rest of my life. It never stops. K12 education should cost $60,000 not $108,000.

All educators represent 70% of the $9,0000 cost.
Ed: That is why I am for pay-cuts.
Cost of living and CEO salaries has nothing to do with my argument.
Your wgs+ben already are double what the avg worker makes.