Cape school board withdraws from funding lawsuit

School leaders said funding formula dispute is no longer an issue because the district will receive more state aid.

The Cape Girardeau School District has dropped its legal battle over state funding.

The school board voted unanimously Monday night to drop its participation in a lawsuit brought by more than 300 school districts which challenged the state's old funding formula on the grounds that it was inequitable and inadequate.

School board members and school superintendent Dr. David Scala said they saw no need to continue the legal fight now that the district will be receiving more state aid.

"It appears not to be an issue at this point," said board president Steve Trautwein.

Cape Girardeau's public schools expect to receive more than $3.86 million in added state funding over the next seven fiscal years combined.

Board member Sharon Mueller said it would be hard to continue with the litigation when the board repeatedly has praised local lawmakers for passing legislation that revamped the funding formula.

Prior to the board action, the board presented a plaque to state Rep. Nathan Cooper, R-Cape Girardeau, after he outlined the legislature's accomplishments this year. Those accomplishments, he said, included a new funding formula.

Scala recommended the district withdraw from the litigation even though some state funding issues remain unsettled.

By the end of 2004, nearly all of Southeast Missouri's school districts had joined the legal battle over state funding in one way or another.

The Cape Girardeau School District was part of a coalition of schools that didn't join the lawsuit as plaintiffs but intervened in order to have input into the case.

But more than 200 school districts are continuing the legal fight, claiming that the current formula provides schools too little money and that the money is unfairly distributed.

Three key Republican state senators -- Charlie Shields of St. Joseph, Gary Nodler of Joplin and Matt Bartle of Lee's Summit -- announced this summer that they would pursue a constitutional amendment next year to keep education funding disputes out of the courts.

It's wrong for the state to have spend tax money, which could be used on children's education, to defend itself from a lawsuit, Shields said in June.

In other action, the board voted to adopt a formal process for evaluating the district's superintendent.

Under the policy, Scala -- who took office in July -- will be evaluated on his effectiveness in eight general areas of responsibility: School board relations, district and community relations, instructional leadership, human resources, fiscal leadership, facilities management, professionalism and customer service.

Scala welcomed the evaluation. "I have no problem with it at all," he said.

Board members will fill out an evaluation form this fall, scoring the effectiveness of the superintendent in the specified areas.

Trautwein, who helped craft the evaluation procedures, said ideally board members would write down their thoughts on their forms throughout the fall semester.

"I would like to see it turned into a working diary of board members," he said.

Trautwein said after the meeting that he wants the public to know what the board demands of the district's chief administrator. But he said how board members rate the superintendent won't be disclosed to the public.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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