OZARK, MO — Ozark R-6 School Board candidate Joey L. Mills, the most liberalest and most wokest of all the candidates, got into a public exchange with 140th District State Representative Jamie Gragg on Facebook recently under a video posted by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Chris Bauman where Bauman took issue with Gragg’s support of open enrollment.
JOEY L. MILLS:
Joey L. Mills
This puts all of us in a position to have to decide which elected official to believe. I know, Dr. Bauman isn’t an elected official, so what am I talking about?
Rep. Gragg published a post saying that Dr. Bauman’s allegations about the damage HB 253 will do to public education is false. And yet, we have a school board member who was elected last year on a campaign of righting Dr. Bauman’s “corruption” vote UNANIMOUSLY to support the resolution passed by the Ozark school board that reaffirms Dr. Bauman’s position that HB 253 and SB 5 are disastrous for public education in general and Ozark Schools in particular. The same board member was also part of the UNANIMOUS vote to extend Dr. Bauman’s contract an additional 3 years.
It’s almost as if once becoming a member of the school board folks see the details that our legislators either miss, gloss over, don’t talk about, or lie about.
So, do we believe the school board member who supports the superintendent or the state Representative who that same superintendent called out for supporting HB 253? The board member who stated in a recent board meeting that the state is trying to “shove open enrollment down our throats”?
And then there’s state Senator Koenig (R) who sponsored SB 5 and chairs the committee that considered that bill, which is similar to HB 253 in it’s open enrollment being opt-in. Koenig told the Columbia newspaper that he plans to see the bill pass as voluntary, then switch it out to mandatory once passed.
So on one side we have our elected school board member voting to oppose these bills because they will be made mandatory AND the state Senator who sponsored SB 5 saying that yes, that’s the plan. On the other side we have a state Representative who posted on Facebook after being called out for supporting the bills.
Which elected official(s) do you believe?
Jamie R. Gragg
Joey, I would recommend doing research. When you have two opposing sides, start asking questions, read up on the issue, find supporting documentation, then form your own opinion. The facts are out there. That is how I want all our leaders to be.
Joey L. Mills
The research is why I posted what I did. Those are the facts of what your fellow elected officials have said in public meetings and to a newspaper. Show me the error in anything I posted.
Jamie R. Gragg
Joey, there is no error in your post. But it is just that, a post. Now you have to do your own digging. Do the research. Read the bill. If you stop with just a Facebook post, then that is where the issue lies. Don’t simply make your determination or your frustration based on others discussions/arguments. As a potential school board member, you have to be the example and shown off that high class Ozark education that many of us are blessed to have acquired. Don’t be a follower on this one.
Joey L. Mills
I have researched the bills (both HB 253 & SB 5). My post refers to the public comments made by our elected school board members and comments made by the sponsor of SB 5 and the chair of the committee that considered bill (Senator Koenig). And I posted what I found in my research.It’s interesting that the guy who took to posting a video on Facebook after being called out for supporting HB 253 is telling others not to “stop with just a Facebook post”. As a candidate, yes, it is my duty to research and set an example. As an elected official, it is your job to advocate for our public schools, not being a follower and toeing the party line.I don’t think we’re going to see eye to eye on this one.
Jamie R. Gragg
Joey, it is my duty to advocate for individuals (parents and their children), not an institution. With your reply, I have to agree with you. We won’t see eye to eye on this one.
Joey L. Mills
That’s the fundamental difference in our positions — you won’t advocate for public schools, which is why those who are elected to do so are calling out your position.
Johnny Rooster CCT
There you have if, folks. Joey L. Mills is advocating for the schools over the parents and students. He thinks government knows best. Don’t forget to vote April 4. It’s your tax dollars and your children.