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Legislators Call For Resignation Of Missouri Education Commissioner

Two members of the Missouri General Assembly are calling on elementary and secondary education Commissioner Chris Nicastro to resign. They think Nicastro has lost the public’s trust.

In a written statement, House member Genise Montecillo and Sen. Paul LeVota, both Democrats, say Nicastro has, “demonstrated a troubling tendency to abuse power.”

Montecillo specifically accuses Nicastro of releasing inaccurate information regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to do away with teacher tenure.

“We need to make sure that the commissioner is working on behalf of the children of this state and their education, not a special interest group whose interest is privatization and profit,” said Montecillo.

In response, State Education Board President Peter Herschend defended Nicastro, saying that her review of the teacher tenure ballot petition was, “nothing out of the ordinary.” 

Marshall Griffin is the Statehouse reporter for St. Louis Public Radio.
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