Greitens' appointee 'troubled' by push to oust education commissioner

A recent appointee to the state Board of Education said he is "tremendously troubled" by the push to quickly remove Missouri's top education official.

John T. "Tim" Sumners, a chaplain from Joplin, said late Sunday he doesn't understand why Gov. Eric Greitens wants to remove Commissioner Margie Vandeven and acknowledged that not supporting the move will likely cost him the appointment.

"I'm sure the governor's staff is really unhappy with me right now," Sumners told the News-Leader.

"I just can't agree with what they are doing at this particular time, in regards to the commissioner, at least without more information. We have never discussed this."

In an email Sunday afternoon, Sumners shared his concerns with fellow state board members. He urged them to postpone a Nov. 21 meeting — called by a few other new appointees — to discuss a personnel issue. The commissioner is the only job the board hires and fires.

"We all know the purpose of the meeting," he wrote in the email. "My first question has been why we could not wait until the regular board meeting that would only be a week and a few days later."

In addition to postponing the meeting, Sumners suggested the governor's staff call a meeting and air its grievances in public.

"It is my conviction that before any action is taken regarding the commissioner’s tenure, that we should call for a meeting between the governor’s staff, the commissioner’s top staff, and the board to discuss what the problems are and how they might be resolved without the trauma of a major department staff shakeup," he said, in the email to state board members. "Right now I have no idea what the problems are other than test scores are not where we would like them to be."

The results of state-mandated tests taken during the 2016-17 year are expected to be released Wednesday.

Sumners, an independent, told the News-Leader he was caught off-guard when the governor's staff called last month to see if he'd be interested in serving on the state board.

"I was totally surprised when I was approached about this appointment," he said. "I have not been involved in politics, even at a local level."

Five of the eight state board members were appointed in recent months by Greitens but none have yet gone through the Senate confirmation process — making it much easier to remove them.

Sumners replaced Melissa "Missy" Gelner, of Springfield, as the board representative from southwest Missouri. Greitens appointed Gelner and then rescinded the offer after she joined the board.

In an email to the board this fall, Gelner said she believes she was removed for failing to go along with a plan to remove the commissioner from her post.

Sumners acknowledged that he accepted the appointment with the understanding that a change in commissioner was expected.

"As I reflect on my appointment, I fear that I was not chosen of what I might bring to the board in our mission to take care of the school children of Missouri," he wrote, in the email to the board. "The litmus test has been whether I would vote to remove the commissioner from her position."

Asked by the News-Leader how it was communicated and by whom, Sumners was vague. "There are ways of saying it without saying it. It was understood."

He said early on he was "open to that possibility" but his opinion quickly changed.

"During our day of orientation I was very impressed with the high caliber of the commissioner’s top staff members. That spoke volumes to me," he wrote. "So, if Margie is removed and a new person is appointed, how many of these quality people will be replaced? How deep will the replacements go in the chain of command?"

Sumners said his grown children were taught at home and also attended public and faith-based schools. His grandchildren are enrolled in the Joplin school district.

After accepting the appointment, Sumners said he met with a wide variety of educators in southwest Missouri.

"The picture I got of Margie was quite different than that painted for me initially," he wrote. "She is highly thought of by people who share my perspective on life in general. In fact, if I were to vote in favor of her removal, I might have to move from this area."

Melissa Randol, executive director of the Missouri School Boards' Association, said the independence of the state board is "being undermined" by this push. "It is critical that the independence of Missouri’s state Board of Education be preserved."

Randol said the MSBA "commends the courageous actions" by Sumners in speaking out.

"Gov. Greitens is now clearly seeking to replace our current commissioner of education with an out-of-state acquaintance of the governor’s through recent appointments to the state board. The governor's apparent candidate supports expansion of charter schools that could have a negative impact on all public schools, but especially in rural areas where charter expansion would encourage school district consolidation," Randol wrote.

"This effort by the governor should be troubling to all Missourians. We must preserve the integrity of our state constitution to ensure the commissioner does not become a political appointee of the governor."

Sumners, a retired pastor, said his responsibility is to the 900,000 students who attend Missouri public schools. He worries that by speaking out, his appointment will be pulled by Greitens.

"I have been excited about the possibilities of what I might do in this role to be a voice, an encourager, and an advocate for the people in this area of the state...I really would love to do this, and I have the time to do so," he wrote. "However, I am fully aware that my position may not last long."

The role and make-up of the state board is spelled out in the Missouri Constitution. No more than one member can be live in the same county or congressional district and no more than four members can belong to the same political party.

State Rep. David Wood, a Republican from Versailles, issued a statement Monday in support of the commissioner and state board chair Charlie Shields. He noted the state board is prohibited from having a majority of members belonging to one political party.

The board appoints the commissioner, sets state education policy, requests funding for public schools, accredits districts, oversees the operation of state schools, decides what tests are given and when, and establishes the requirements for graduation and teacher certification.

Top school officials and lawmakers said they are watching the situation closely and want to ensure the autonomy and bipartisanship of the state board.

In a statement, the Missouri Association of School Administrators said it was "extremely concerned about the apparent politicization of the state Board of Education and the interference into the board’s independence that appears to be occurring on the part of the governor."

MASA reiterated a concern of Sumners' that new members "not having a full grasp of the issues" are being called on to make such a significant decision.

"The governor has wanted to replace the commissioner of education," Sumners said. "I'm very troubled by this."